To help new graduate students get familiar with the way things work around here we have put together the following list of things to do:

1. Graduate Student Orientation

   The Computer Science department holds an orientation session for all new incoming graduate students every fall. It is held in early September, so keep an eye out for the e-mail notice! This orientation session will explain everything from the student handbook. It is recommended that you read it and come with questions.

2. Lab Access Cards

   In order to access the graduate computer labs in Herzberg building, all students require lab access cards. These cards can be obtained from campus security, located at Room 203 in Robertson Hall. A small deposit is usually required.

3. SCS Computer Account

   Once you get access to the computer labs, you still need a way to log in to the machines! If you don't already have an SCS account, type newacct at the login prompt from a Windows NT workstation, and follow the on-screen instructions. More detailed instructions are located in the computer labs, or at http://www.scs.carleton.ca/help. This will establish both a Windows NT account and a UNIX account, which includes an SCS web-mail address that can be accessed at http://www.scs.carleton.ca/mail.

4. Graduate Student Email List

   The school maintains a graduate student email list, which is used to send important information and announcements relevant to CS students (such as seminar presentation dates, scholarship/funding information, job postings, etc.) Be sure to get your email address on this list by contacting Claire Ryan (claire (at) scs.carleton.ca).

5. University of Ottawa Shuttle Bus

   All MCS and Ph.D students enrolled in courses held at the University of Ottawa have access to the free shuttle bus that makes regular round-trips between the two campuses. Bus schedules are available outside of the SCS office (5302 HP) or online. Note that during peak usage periods, bus seating priority is given to full-time graduate students with appropriate ID, so contact Claire Ryan (claire (at) scs.carleton.ca) for your OCICS identification card.

6. Student Mailboxes

   All full-time MCS and Ph.D students are given access to a personalized mailbox in the main SCS office (5302 HP). These mailboxes may be used for any school-related correspondence, such as payment stubs, magazine subscriptions, assignment exchanges between TAs and faculty members, etc.

7. Friday OCICS Seminars

   The Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Computer Science (OCICS) holds seminar presentations every Friday morning. The presentations alternate between Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. For time and location information, please see the CSGS home page.

   These presentations are part of the degree requirements for MCS and Ph.D students. These seminars are usually taken in the second year of the MSC program in order to give you an apportunity to talk about your thesis. MCS students must attend 10 seminars (includes giving one presentation), while Ph.D students must present 2. Contact Sharmila Namasivayampillai (sharmi (at) scs.carleton.ca) if you would like to arrange a presentation date and topic.

8. Thesis Requirements

   The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research maintains a list of thesis rules and regulations. Be sure to get acquainted with this information.

   Note that graduate students in the School of Computer Science require departmental permission before being able to register in the thesis courses. Permission forms can be obtained from the Graduate Director's website.