Horizons Fall 2014

26 HORIZONS F rom the time he was young, G reg S imco had a pretty good idea that his future career would involve computer science. His father is Edward Simco, Ph.D., who created Nova Southeastern University’s computer science pro- gram in 1975 and later became dean of the Center for Computer and Information Sciences. With a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in physics, the elder Simco now teaches statistics and research methods as a profes- sor at NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies. “I was around math, science, and technology from a young age,” Greg Simco, Ph.D., professor and researcher, said. “I guess it was in my blood.” A professor at the now-named Graduate School of Com- puter and Information Sciences, Simco teaches courses in operating and distributed systems. He also designs curricu- lum and develops graduate programs. He is also an avid researcher, with his work coming under the umbrella of making operating systems more dependable. Simco, 52, now has another mission. He and Meline Kevorkian, Ed.D., associate provost, earned a $3.9-million, U.S. Department of Education (DOE) grant for NSU last year. The grant, from the DOE’s Hispanic-Serving Institu- tions Program, is the largest Title V grant NSU has received. Money from the five-year grant is being used to develop programs and services to better meet the needs of under- served students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. NSU is collaborating with Bro- ward College to reach and help more students. “NSU is very proud of the commitment of Greg Simco in supporting educational opportunities in the high-demand fields of computer science and technology for Hispanics and other traditionally underrepresented communities,” said Ralph V. Rogers, Ph.D., executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. Simco is aiming to solve a big problem facing higher edu- cation. Employers are desperate to hire workers with STEM degrees, but can’t find enough of them. At the same time, many students don’t consider pursuing these degrees. Some of those who do, find the work too demanding and drop out. The goal, he said, is to attract students into STEM fields, keep them motivated, and provide support services to help them if they hit roadblocks. “That is what makes it exciting,” Simco said. “It is not just about me doing computer science.” As he sees it, computer science is the “hub of our wheel” because of its centrality to employment now. From that hub will radiate other parts of the STEM initiative, he added. According to Simco, NSU won’t be training all students to be com- puter scientists, but will use com- puter science to help students land in well-paying STEM careers. “We see it supporting all STEM fields,” he said. While Simco brings computer science expertise to the effort, Kevorkian brings her background in science educa- tion. The DOE grant is intended to help underserved stu- dents, but all students will benefit, Kevorkian said. “We are getting them support. Any difficulties or chal- lenges they have, we are assisting them. We are helping them make the connection to careers early on, so they don’t give up,” she said. Kevorkian and Simco have worked together to get grant funding since 2010. They have six other applications pending now. “I would be hard pressed to say I want to work on a grant without him,” Kevorkian said of Simco. “We make a good team. We are trying to collaborate across different disciplines.” Simco, who earned his master’s and Ph.D. computer science degrees at NSU, joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1998. Before that, he was technical team lead for IBM in Boca Raton, developing kernel functionality in the OS/2 operating system. Making It Compute By Mary Hladky FACULTY profile