Computers

 

I got my start with computers with Windows 95.  I don't remember too much about it except that it had a great maze screen saver.  In high school I took a computer science class that introduced me to Java.  Robotics classes and competitions exposed me to C++ and basic.  Since then many more classes and projects have exposed me to several other languages including python, C, julia, matlab, labview, assembly, html, php, android, mathematica, and arduino.

 

In addition to programming I also have experience in several operating systems including Windows, Mac, and Linux.  As part of a Cyber Patriot Team I learned about network security and how to harden workstation and server systems.  Since then I have continued to dabble with various systems in my free time.

 

In college I have continued to pursue my interest in computers.  My main interest is in performance but that doesn't mean much unless performance metrics are been specified.  I have studied performance in theoretical computation, robustness, and optimization.  Theoretical computation has included algorithms, complexity theory, automata, Turing machines, and quantum computing.  I view robustness as the ability for a system to maintain performance over a variety of environments and inputs especially those which are malicious or unpredicted.  The scalability, security, and redundancy fall under robustness and I have studied this mostly in regards to the Internet and mass distributed systems.  Optimization can be difficult to achieve as it requires a deep understanding of complex systems and their interactions.  However, this is often the intangible character that cannot be easily captured that separates success from excellence.

 

Awards

Cyber Patriot III National Finalist 5th Place, 2011

Cyber Patriot IV National Finalist 3rd Place, 2012