David Anısına

Bilkent Bilgisayar Mühendisliği Öğrencileri ve Çalışanları

David Davenport hocamız 1987 yılında Bilkent Üniversitesi Bilgisayar Mühendisliği Bölümünde yardımcı doçent olarak çalışmaya başladı ve 16 Şubat 2021 tarihinde vefat edene kadar bölümümüzde çalıştı.

Araştırmaları, insan beyninin çalışma prensipleri, yapay zeka, bilişsel bilimler, bilgi erişimi ve bilgisayar-destekli eğitim konularında yoğunlaştı. David, çok uzun seneler CS101 ve CS102 Bilgisayar Programlama ve Algoritmalar derslerini verdi ve bölümümüz mezunu birçok öğrencimiz için programlamanın ilk temellerini attı. Geliştirdiği ROBO dili gibi yenilikçi yöntemler programlamaya girişi birçok insan için kolaylaştırdı. Lisansüstü seviyedeyse bilgi erişim sistemleri alanında dersler verdi.

David daima güler yüzlü ve yardımseverdi. Her zaman öğrencileri için zaman bulurdu. Onlara sadece derslerle ilgili değil, kariyer planlamaları için de yardım etmekten geri kalmazdı.

David, ömrünü öğretmeye adamıştı. CS102 projeleri bir dönemle sınırlı kalmaz, ilgi gösteren öğrencilerle çalışmaya devam ederdi. Türkiye’de öncü programlama yarışması Software Quest’in düzenlenmesinde aktif rol alırdı. Bu yarışma sadece Bilkent içi değil, üniversiteler arası yapılıyordu.

David aynı zamanda öğrencilerin okul dışındaki hayatlarını kolaylaştırmayı amaçlayan projeler ortaya koydu ve hayata geçirilmesi için büyük çabalar harcadı. Örneğin, Biltrader ile Bilkentlilerin online alış/satış yapmasına imkan sağlayan bir site oluşturulmasına öncülük etti.

David Hocamız için hazırlanan taziye defterine http://taziye.bilkent.edu.tr/DavidDavenport/ adresinde erişebilirsiniz. Binlerce mezunumuzun Bilkent hatıralarında David’in büyük yeri vardır. Sadece CS öğrencileri için değil, IE ve EE öğrencileri için de çok değerli bir hocamızdı.

David, ailesine, insanlara ve işine verdiği önemle ve tevazusuyla seçkinleşen, mükemmeliyetçiliği nedeniyle az keşfedilmiş bir düşünür, değerli bir öğretmen, değerli bir mentor, değerli bir arkadaş ve Bilkent camiasının tanınmış bir kişisiydi.

David'in orijinal web sayfasını aşağıda bulabilirsiniz. Kendisini her zaman sevgi ve özlemle anacağız.

In Memory of David

Bilkent Computer Engineering Students and Staff

David Davenport started working as an assistant professor at Bilkent University's Department of Computer Engineering in 1987 and worked in our department until he passed away on February 16, 2021.

His research focused on the working principles of the human brain, artificial intelligence, cognitive sciences, information retrieval, and computer-assisted education. David taught CS101 and CS102 Computer Programming and Algorithms courses for many years and laid the first foundations of programming for many of our graduates. Innovative methods such as the ROBO language he developed made entry into programming easier for many people. At the graduate level, he taught courses in the field of information retrieval systems.

David was always friendly and helpful. He always found time for his students. He would not hesitate to help them not only with their courses but also with their career planning.

David devoted his life to teaching. CS102 projects were not limited to one semester but continued to work with interested students. He took an active role in organizing Software Quest, the leading programming competition in Turkey. This competition was held not only within Bilkent but also nationally.

David also put forward projects aimed at making students' lives outside of school easier and made great efforts to implement them. For example, he pioneered the creation of Biltrader, a site that allows Bilkent residents to buy/sell online.

You can access the condolence book prepared for David at http://taziye.bilkent.edu.tr/DavidDavenport/. David has a big place in the Bilkent memories of thousands of our graduates. He was a very valuable teacher not only for CS students but also for IE and EE students.

David was notable for the importance that he attached to family, to other people, and to work, and also for his personal humility. He was a valued teacher, mentor, and friend, and was a largely unrecognized thinker, due to his perfectionism. He was a well-known and popular member of the Bilkent community.

You can find his original web site below. We will always remember him with love and longing.

David's Place

David Davenport
Computer Eng. & Information Science Dept.,
Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara - Turkey.
email: david@bilkent.edu.tr

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you find something of use, interest or amusement within this semi-chaos. I have long described myself as being horizontally organised, that is, everything spread out in "neat" piles across the table and usually overflowing onto the floor. I am relieved to see that others share my disability, therefore, please bear with me while I attempt (yet again) to put my life and mind in order!

About me. My daughter Derya. My wife Günes.
Time for a coffee break. Some amusing Quotes? What Do You Know? Are you LOST?
Understanding bureaucracy. Test your spell checker with this!
Tips for me! Teaching tips. Tips for students.
Bilkent ACM SIGART.  TYWC The Young Writer's Club.
Some Lessons from Life? Speeding down the The Information CuldeSac!
Damn Computers! My Educational Philosophy

 WANTED - Graduate Research Students...
Hint: Students applying for graduate studies in Bilkent are strongly advised to speak
privately to faculty members in their area of interest before the interviews!

 Research / Project Topics

Senior & Masters students wanted for projects in the new
 Collaborative Systems research group

 My personal list of proposals for CS491/2 Senior Projects

A Short Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism

 Grades!

Calendars (useful iCal downloads)

Recent & not so recent...
Software Quest, INSITES, CS590, CS101 & CS102
UNESCO World Poetry Day contest & day-to-day TYWC

Conference pages

BTIE'2001 (Education in the Light of Infomation Technology)
{ held in Ankara, May 2001 }

The 5th Java in the Computing Curriculum Conference
{ held in London, January 2001 }

New Trends in Cognitive Science '99
{ held in Vienna, May 1999 }

Second International Distance Education Symposium
{ held in Ankara May 1998 }

Research Interests & Some Publications

• Artificial Intelligence,
• Information Retrieval,
• Computer-Aided-Learning

"AI is an engineering discipline
built on an unfinished science."
Matt Ginsberg,
reported in SIGART bulletin Vol 6, No.2 April 1995

(The quotation seems to sum up my
AI cartoon of a few years previous)

Graduate students WANTED

Some students:

Online Presentations/Seminars:

• Computationalism - Streaming media conference presentation.
• WIZ - Outline design for Internet-based distance education.
• Introduction to Using Windows '98
• Virtually There - The Internet in Support of Learning

Software:

• Tracker - Online grade & assignment tracking system.
• BilTrader - online for-sale/wanted adverts for Bilkent.
• JRobo - Online introduction to OOP in Java, based on Robo.
• What's On? - an online event calendar for Bilkent.
• ROBO : Helps teach basic computer engineering concepts.
• EasyView(Windows) : Text Organiser/Viewer (get it here or via ftp)
• EasyView(Mac) : {original by Akif Eyler} (get it via ftp)
• TutoR : Experimental CAL Authoring/presentation program.

Courses:

• CS101 : Algorithms & Programming I {Fall semester} lecturer & co-ordinator
• CS102 : Algorithms & Programming II {Spring semester} lecturer & co-ordinator
• CS533 : Information Retrieval {Fall semester, but rarely offered!}
• CS590 : Graduate Seminar Series { occasional joint co-ordinator!}

others...

• A long time ago, I also used to act as CS dept. coordinator for computer related courses in the social science departments, including MAN253, MAN254, IR201 & POLS307
• From ~1990 until 1999, I acted as co-ordinator for the CS492 : Senior Projects course.
  {You can see my current personal list of CS491/2 projects here.}

Begin small, start promptly