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George K. Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal Publishes Book with Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

The book provides a stepping-stone for intermediate-level students to go from writing short programs to writing professional programs well

George K. Thiruvathukal, PhD, department chairperson and professor of computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, has published a book – his second as department chairperson -- with Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, entitled Intermediate C Programming. 

"Congratulations to Dr. Thiruvathukal on the publication of this book, which covers a range of cutting-edge topics within the field of computer programming,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “He is the model of how teacher-scholars within the College of Arts and Sciences are ensuring that the next generation of Loyola graduates are prepared to make an impact within their respective fields, in this case computer programming.”  

“In this second edition, I was invited to help expand the treatment of software engineering topics,” said Thiruvathukal. “Developing complex systems using the C language is challenging and the new chapters address topics such as git and GitHub, software testing, and how to program with threads and improve performance.” 

 The book is revised for a second edition and provides a stepping-stone for intermediate-level students to go from writing short programs to writing professional programs well. It shows students how to identify and eliminate bugs, write clean code, share code with others, and use standard Linux-based tools, such as ddd and valgrind. 

 “The C programing language remains of vital importance to modern topics such as cybersecurity, computer systems, computer engineering, and scientific computing,” noted Thiruvathukal, who is also one of the core members of Loyola’s cybersecurity program. “Most systems programs and the operating system are written in the C family of languages (e.g. C, C++, Java, C#) and having good books for learning the C family and modern practices are essential.”  

 This second edition provides expanded coverage of these topics with new material focused on software engineering, including version control and software testing. The text enhances their programming skills by explaining programming concepts and comparing common mistakes with correct programs. It also discusses how to use debuggers and the strategies for debugging as well as studies the connection between programming and discrete mathematics. 

 Thiruvathukal is teaching an operating systems course (COMP 310) this term and much of the material in this book is directly related to the course. 

He was the first faculty member in computer science to receive the Sujack Teaching Excellence Award, which was based on teaching many advanced computer systems courses, including operating systems, distributed systems, high-performance computing, and computer networks—all of which are taught primarily in the C programming language. Operating systems such as Linux and OS X/iOS are written in the C programming language. The things we take for granted in modern computing would simply not be possible without C.

Learn more about Thiruvathukal, the Software and Systems Laboratory (https://ssl.cs.luc.edu/, which he directs) and his most recent book.  

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”

George K. Thiruvathukal, PhD, department chairperson and professor of computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago, has published a book – his second as department chairperson -- with Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, entitled Intermediate C Programming. 

"Congratulations to Dr. Thiruvathukal on the publication of this book, which covers a range of cutting-edge topics within the field of computer programming,” said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “He is the model of how teacher-scholars within the College of Arts and Sciences are ensuring that the next generation of Loyola graduates are prepared to make an impact within their respective fields, in this case computer programming.”  

“In this second edition, I was invited to help expand the treatment of software engineering topics,” said Thiruvathukal. “Developing complex systems using the C language is challenging and the new chapters address topics such as git and GitHub, software testing, and how to program with threads and improve performance.” 

 The book is revised for a second edition and provides a stepping-stone for intermediate-level students to go from writing short programs to writing professional programs well. It shows students how to identify and eliminate bugs, write clean code, share code with others, and use standard Linux-based tools, such as ddd and valgrind. 

 “The C programing language remains of vital importance to modern topics such as cybersecurity, computer systems, computer engineering, and scientific computing,” noted Thiruvathukal, who is also one of the core members of Loyola’s cybersecurity program. “Most systems programs and the operating system are written in the C family of languages (e.g. C, C++, Java, C#) and having good books for learning the C family and modern practices are essential.”  

 This second edition provides expanded coverage of these topics with new material focused on software engineering, including version control and software testing. The text enhances their programming skills by explaining programming concepts and comparing common mistakes with correct programs. It also discusses how to use debuggers and the strategies for debugging as well as studies the connection between programming and discrete mathematics. 

 Thiruvathukal is teaching an operating systems course (COMP 310) this term and much of the material in this book is directly related to the course. 

He was the first faculty member in computer science to receive the Sujack Teaching Excellence Award, which was based on teaching many advanced computer systems courses, including operating systems, distributed systems, high-performance computing, and computer networks—all of which are taught primarily in the C programming language. Operating systems such as Linux and OS X/iOS are written in the C programming language. The things we take for granted in modern computing would simply not be possible without C.

Learn more about Thiruvathukal, the Software and Systems Laboratory (https://ssl.cs.luc.edu/, which he directs) and his most recent book.  

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”