eBCS Oxfordshire December 2009 Seasons Greetings In this month's newsletter, some thoughts for the New Year, events around and about the Oxfordshire area and, finally, BCS Oxfordshire would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.   Is IT a Profession? Adam Thilthorpe, BCS Director for Professionalism January 21, 2009 at 7 for 7.30 IT often assumes the role of a servant but IT doesn’t just support business, it powers business. Has the IT profession come of age and is it seen as equivalent to the other professions represented in Boardrooms? An alternative view: that IT is a ‘trade’ and does not have the professional status of the law or accountancy, will also be debated.  Venue: Oxford e-Research Centre, 8 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3QG.  BCS Oxfordshire in the New Year Some Exciting Events to Be Aware Of We have some very interesting events in store for the New Year and well worth making a note in your calendar now to be sure you attend. Check out the Events Calendar at the BCS Oxfordshire website for additional information as it becomes available. Items of Interest Branch Meeting Programme Our full meeting programme for 2009/10 is on the branch website. If you want a PDF for printing, that is also available. We are working on restoring the ability to automatically add events to your calendar through links on the website. Specialist Groups Did you know that BCS members can join up to five BCS Specialist Groups online? Just sign on to the Members' secure area, and click on "Specialist Groups" in the box headed "Manage your membership". You should then be able to join several Specialist Groups. Members of the Specialist Group in Software Testing will be interested in our March meeting to be held in the inspiring offices of Sophos in Abingdon. Oxford Geek Nights Oxford Geek Nights offer a chance for web developers and designers in the local area to get together, share their skills and talk about new ideas, techniques and technologies. To learn more please visit their website. BCS Overseas Did you know that you do not have to live in the UK to attend a BCS lecture or meeting? For example, the US chapter of BCS is going from strength to strength. If you know if any ex-pat BCS members, be sure to let them know. About this Newsletter Want to know more about this newsletter? There's an article on the branch wiki. [ FEEDBACK ] We'd love to hear your comments, views and opinions on this newsletter and on the branch programme. Please use the feedback form on the branch website. Oxfordshire Branch meetings are open to BCS members and non-members. Unless otherwise stated, there is no charge and you don't have to book. For other events, check the links. 21 January 2010 Is IT a Profession? 18 February 2010 An Introduction to Geospatial Systems 11 March 2010 Testing Software Quality 29 April 2010 Visit to UKAEA Fusion & JET 20 May 2010 Sciences in Oxford's History - An Afternoon Guided Walking Tour Oxford Internet Institute events OeRC events Science Oxford BCS Events Calendar Subscription Options You are receiving this email because: as a BCS member you have chosen BCS Oxfordshire as one of the three branches the system lets you belong to, and you have opted to receive email communications. as a non-member you asked to join our branch mailing list by personal request, by registering on the BCS Oxfordshire website at www.oxon.bcs.org/contact-us or by supplying your email address at one of the BCS Oxfordshire branch meetings. 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