WWU's Science and the UniverCity series to present 'From Spiders to Surfers: Investigating Web Search Engines' Nov. 30

Western Washington University Assistant Professor Perry Fizzano will present “From Spiders to Surfers: Investigating Web Search Engines” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the Bellingham City Council chambers, second floor, Bellingham City Hall, 210 Lottie St.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is offered as the first event of the annual “Science and the univerCity” community science lecture series. It is sponsored by the WWU College of Sciences and Technology, the City of Bellingham, and, along with the other CST outreach programs, “Wizards at Western” and the “Leaders in Their Fields,” is also sponsored in part by a grant from the Cherry Point BP refinery.

The first search engines for the World Wide Web appeared a mere 15 years ago. In the short time since, searching the web has become a routine practice for millions of people every day; despite its popularity there are many elements of web search that remain mysterious to the average user.

In this talk, Fizzano will unravel some of these mysteries by discussing some of the processes that go on behind the scenes when a web search is performed. We will conclude with an exploration of the exciting future of web search.

Fizzano earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Widener University, and his master’s degree and doctorate in Computer Science from Dartmouth College. He has taught at Western since 2005.

The series will continue in the winter with WWU Professor of Mathematics Richard Gardner presenting an exciting talk on higher dimensional space, and in the spring with Eric DeChaine, assistant professor in Biology, discussing the historical biogeography of Beringia, the prehistoric land bridge linking Asia and America.

“We are pleased again this year to have the support of the City in our efforts to bring programs on important topics in science and technology to the Bellingham community. Furthermore, to have endorsement of our efforts, in the form of support for this series by the BP Corporation, is especially gratifying,” said Arlan Norman, dean of the College of Sciences and Technology. “This is a program for the community, a program that we hope really contributes to the general understanding of many important and exciting topics in today’s complex world of scientific and technological advances.”

Fizzano’s presentation will also be taped and rebroadcast on Bellingham BTV 10.

For more information, contact Perry Fizzano, WWU assistant professor of Computer Science, at (360) 650-3807 or perry.fizzano@wwu.edu.