CS190 Students
Instructor: Prof. David Laidlaw
Head TA: Jon Warman
Grad TA: Song Zhang
Ugrad TA: David Grabiner
Ugrad TA: Michael Leen
STUDENT BIOS
Vanessia Y. Wu
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Aldo Avila
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Alexander Boutelle
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Adhitya Chittur
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Alexander Kossey
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Catherine Hill
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Caitlyn Schmidt
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Douglas Lee
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Daniel Silverman
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Danielle Karr
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Daniel Spinosa
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Hubert Tse
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Janete Perez
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Lars Johansson
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Michael Black
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Mark Johnson
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Pawel Wrotek
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Redha Elminyawi
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William J. Cabral
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Name: Vanessia Wu
Dept: CS, Development Studies
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Senior
E-mail: vywu@cs.brown.edu, Vanessia_Wu@brown.edu
Phone(s): 510-541-3367, 401-867-8030
Want to learn:
- To work in a relatively large programming team.
- To build complex and scalable systems with simple designs.
- To gain hands-on knowledge on one or more "new" technologies (e.g. wireless, Java on cellphone, GIS).
Other goals for class:
- Enjoy my last CS class at Brown or ever.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
- I would like to be a project manager or assistant project manager. I enjoy coding and designing algorithms in my classes and internship, but what I am particularly good at is being able to work with many types of people. I have worked with database designers, network administrators and educational as well as business users to make sure that everyone's on track, coordinated and happy. If that role has been taken, then I want to take on roles that involves interacting with the end-users the most.
Other skills I bring: multilingual skills, experience working with the Brown bureaucracy, experience in both public and private sectors.
Relevant CS classes taken: CS core, 32, 127.
Other relevant classes or experience: strategic planning internship at an IT-based company. I managed the upgrade of a data backup system; conducted extensive product research, vendor research and cost analyses.
Name:Aldo Avila
Dept:Computer Science
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr):Sr.
E-mail:Aldo_Avila@brown.edu; aavila@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s):Cell:559-974-5984 Room:401-867-4443
Want to learn:The steps of software development. Not just the big
steps but all the little things that must be done.
Other goals for class:I want to get better at writing more coherent
code, so that it's easier to integrate with.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring: I would
like to deal with the user interface, be it working with the GUI or any
other visuals that the user would see.
Relevant CS classes taken: CS32
Other relevant classes or experience: I've taken CS195-9. We had to work in
a group of 4 for that class to creat an animation from scratch. Although,
the group was small (same for CS32 group) we were able to manage our time
wisely and were very productive.
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
Don't have one yet.
Name:
Adhitya "Oddee" Chittur
Dept:
Applied Math / CS
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr):
Jr
E-mail:
achittur@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s):
914-310-9419
Want to learn:
Large scale C++ design and conventions
How to keep people organized and on target
Other goals for class:
Create something useful, or that will be used, preferably to make a difference to the Brown community (or some other significant community)
Be motivated to learn things which I was previously unmotivated to learn, mainly nuances of the build process
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
"The Knack" for broken things
Willingness to stop thinking and start doing when necessary, putting my foot down and leading when required
Willingness to read the documentation (ex: libraries, APIs) to prevent "reinventing the wheel"
Relevant CS classes taken:
32, 141, 148
Other relevant classes or experience:
Statistics, computational mathematics
Ability to convey complex concepts to the technologically illiterate (former and current TA for CS2 and former help desk employee), and convey what is and is not possible/feasible
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs002/img/staffpics/oddee.JPG
Name: Alexander Kossey (Alex)
Dept: Political Science and Computer Science (though I haven't declared CS as
a second concentration yet)
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Jr
E-mail: akossey@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s):
Room: 401-867-5617
Cell: 781-572-4969 (not on all that often)
Want to learn:
1. Get more comfortable with C++ and get real programming experience in it
(above, say, writing "Hello World!" and stuff).
2. What it's like to write a program that I didn't necessarily think up myself
and experience a situation that more accurately mirrors "real world"
programming.
Other goals for class:
To figure out how interested I am in software design/implementation.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
I have to admit that from past experience, I don't think I'm good at focusing on really
intense debugging. I code fine, but I enjoy the design/planning/documentation process
more, but in terms of what I might implement, it doesn't make much different.
I manage time well.
I write pretty well.
Relevant CS classes taken: CS 32 (perhaps CS 173 is relevent; CS 17/18 was
my intro cycle).
Other relevant classes or experience:
Perhaps it's relevent, I don't know, but I'm one of the two head TAs for CS
17/18 (there're plenty of TAs in our class, I suspect) and I feel that I've learned
some group management/coordination skills from that.
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
See my picture on the CS 18 web site
(http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs018/staff.html) -- I'm Megaman.
I have an unfortunate smirky expression on my face, but these things inevitably
happen when I'm photographed. Either that or I look extremely silly. Believe
me, it could be a lot worse.
Name: Catherine Hill
Dept: Computer Science
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Junior
E-mail: cjhill@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s):
Room - 401-867-5619 (7-5619 from with Brown phones)
Cell - 978-609-4330 (This might change soon, the antenna on the phone is
broken)
Want to learn:
1) C++
2) How to effectively present designs, demos etc...
3) How to successfully work in a group to complete large projects
Other goals for class:
1) To be able to program comfortably in C++ (This isn't really
different from the first thing I want to learn...)
2) To have a finished product that is usable
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
Role: No particular preference, although I don't want to only be the coding monkey.
I want to be involved in at least some of the decision making.
Skill(s):
Good time management
Fairly well organized
Nothing really related to programming in C++ because I haven't done much of it,
although I'm willing to learn.
Relevant CS classes taken:
CS 32
Possibly relevant - CS 17, CS 18, CS 31, CS 173
Other relevant classes or experience:
Possibly relevant, although I'm really not sure:
HTAing - working with others to complete various assignments and tasks
as well as coordinating grading, labs, hours etc... and making sure everything
gets done.
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
Picture from the first day of class
OR
Go to
http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs018/staff.html
Move the mouse over the picture of Samus (the right HTA picture) to see the
actual photo
Name: Caitlyn Schmidt
Dept: Comp Sci
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Jr
E-mail: caitlyn@brown.edu
Phone(s): 607.222.8167
Want to learn:
How to smoothly integrate large programs.
Other goals for class:
Become more comfortable with C++.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
Some database and sql experience and interest in user interfaces.
Relevant CS classes taken:
cs15, cs16, cs32, cs173, cs141
Other relevant classes or experience:
Last summer I worked at IBM working on software for their z-series server.
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
Name: Douglas C. Lee
Dept: CS
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): 1/2 Senior (graduating Fall '05)
E-mail: dclee@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s): 973-819-4683; x7-5741
Want to learn: Skills for interacting with potential users,
better testing and debugging methods.
Other goals for class: To be more organized and write cleaner code.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
I would like to be the group's librarian.
I feel this would help me a lot with my goals for the course.
Also I'm good at understanding other people's code and finding
clean ways to integrate it.
As far as programming is concerned I'm interested in databases,
and TA'd 127 last semester and am taking 227 this semester-
so I hope that I can be of help to my group in that domain.
I'm good at low level programming and enjoyed 167,
though that doesn't stop me from liking OOP also.
Relevant CS classes taken: 15,16,22,31,32,51,127,141,167
Other relevant classes or experience: Linear algebra and
number theory taken at Emory U. Lots of summer work doing
web design and web programming, including PHP, python,
mySQL and postgres databases (and of course HTML with
associated javascript, css, etc.) Also various other
accumulated experience from personal projects
(mostly video games, some tools and utilities.)
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken): will consult with TA, was too busy to get in touch with one before.
Name: desilver (Dan Silverman)
Dept: Computer Science
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Jr
E-mail: desilver@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s): x5617
Want to learn: How to work in a large group, how to correctly write and design interfaces to allow communication between people
Other goals for class: To end up with a project I can be proud of
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring: I would not like to be a team leader, but I would like to have some assistant role. Skills I bring include C++ and Java, and some knowledge of OpenGL and the basics of how to write a game engine.
Relevant CS classes taken: CS 15,16,31,32, and most of 123
Other relevant classes or experience: Nothing that wouldn't be joking
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken): My picture was taken in class...how should I acquire it?
Name: Danielle Karr
Dept: Computer Science
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Senior
E-mail: dkarr@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s): 867-4523, 781-424-6540
Want to learn: design, test
Other goals for class:
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring: Librarian--significant organizational, note-taking, and communication skills; experience with Artemis 2003 notebook
Relevant CS classes taken: CS15, 16, 31, 32, 22, 141, 143, 123
Other relevant classes or experience: EN9, EN90, Internship at Charles River Analytics (defense applications)
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
Name: Dan Spinosa
Dept: comp engin
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Sr
E-mail: spinosa@brown.edu
Phone(s): 516-655-3833
Want to learn: large project management
Other goals for class: work on an intersting and usefull project
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
I would like to manage a project (if it's the right one) but still be involved
in some coding. I'm organized, good under pressure and a leader (captain of
mens lacrosse 04-05).
Relevant CS classes taken: 17,18,31,32,123,141,167,224, (taking 168)
Other relevant classes or experience: en158, ta'ed cs167, cs224 project in the
CAVE
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/brow/sports/m-lacros/auto_headshot/p-Spinosa>.jpg
Name: Hubert TSE
Dept: Computer Science
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Jr
E-mail: htse@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s): 401-787-5285
Want to learn:
Group organization and user interface.
Other goals for class:
Write more efficient and scalable code
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
Marketing and code developer. I know C++, Java, Perl, PHP, MySQL, XML. I am also good at doing graphics.
Could also take on leadership role if needed.
Relevant CS classes taken:
Data Structures and Algorithms, Computation Vision, Database Systems.
Other relevant classes or experience:
I've worked at Morgan Stanley's Information Technology department.
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
Name: Janete Perez
Dept: CS
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Jr.
E-mail: jperez1@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s): (401)369-4786
Want to learn: Large scale program organization, breakdown,
design, & implementation with a large group.
Other goals for class: Learn to work with people with various
levels of experience.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
Engineer and/or presenter
I have previous experience working on a large scale program
with more than 10 people at a software company.
Relevant CS classes taken: CS32
Other relevant classes or experience:
Software engineer @ Macromedia, Summer 2004
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
Name:Michael Black
Dept: Civil Engin/CS
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr):Sr
E-mail:mjb@brown.edu
Phone(s):401-225-9743 (cell)
Want to learn:C++, graphics topics, writing code that runs fast and is clean
Other goals for class:have fun
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:graphics,
graphical design
Relevant CS classes taken:CS15/16, CS123, CS31/32, CS141
Other relevant classes or experience:VA10
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken): class>
Name: Pawel Wrotek
Dept: CS
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Sr
E-mail: pawel@brown.edu
Phone(s): 7-5453
Want to learn: how to work well in a large group
Other goals for class:
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
programmer/designer
-lots of coding experience (C, C++, Java, Cg, GLSL)
-some experience with designing/implementing non-trivial projects
(for example, cs224 final project)
Relevant CS classes taken: 15, 16, 31, 32, 123, 141, 157, 167, 224, taking 295-7
Other relevant classes or experience:
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
/pro/web/web/courses/cs190/2005/people/faces.05/small26.jpg
Name: Redha Elminyawi
Dept: AM-CS
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr): Sr.
E-mail: relminya@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s): 518.364.4178
Want to learn: Better C++ skills, possibly some DB work, and maybe
mobile interface stuff. Also presentation creation and delivery.
Other goals for class: Learn from the group dynamics, see a *large*
project from birth to completion, and maybe try my hand at testing.
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring: Being a manager for this isnt high on my preference list. I do enjoy figuring out the requirements for the project are, especially when it involves doing real world interviews with potential users. In the interest of learning something new, I would also like to take on either dev or test. Skills gained through project experience with GE, 32 project which our group worked with Res Life on, and the teamwork skills gained during my independent study. see http://cs.brown.edu/~pgs/borealis-game.
Relevant CS classes taken: Core, Independent Study for Ugur.
Other relevant classes or experience: Worked for General Electric last summer coding an application that had been done before (in Cobol) and was lost. I saw the project through requirements (re-)gathering, design and prototyping. It was a J2EE program that took in an order from a sales person, and created some vector graphics, ensured the order could actually be created, and persisted the data.
Name:
Bill Cabral (wcabral)
Dept:
Computer Science
Year (Fr, So, Jr, Sr, Gr):
Graduate (first year)
E-mail:
wcabral@cs.brown.edu
Phone(s):
Home= (401) 245-2604
Cell= (401) 640-6638
Want to learn:
- Better communication skills within a group
- The logistics of completing a large-scale project in C++, particularly in such a large group
- More stable and secure methods for programming with the web
- How to integrate programs with databases/existing systems
- How to maximize my own productivity regardless of the size of my group
Other goals for class:
- Learn from all of my group members; I don't want to work in a vacuum
- Team time management skills
- How to give and accept criticism in a positive way
Role you would like to play in a project and skills you bring:
- I have no preference for my role in a project; I believe that it's important to be able to adapt to whatever role I am placed in. I have a relatively well-rounded education, and I learn quickly, so I should be fine in any role
- I have programming experience in C++, though it has been a couple of years since I have used it extensively (and I have never used a text editor for coding, as is common on the Linux machines)
- I'm good at working with people and I take criticism well
- I'm willing to work hard to learn new things, and I believe that discussion is the most important tool in a big project like this...everyone should be able to offer input to anyone else
Relevant CS classes taken:
At Providence College:
CSC103, CSC104, CSC225: C++ courses on general programming topics and data structures
CSC397: Taken once as a Java course and again as a C# independent study
I also took database and Unix courses (which included some scripting) which could prove useful
At Brown:
CS173: Programming Languages
I also took a User Interface class, but it was more focused on the future of user interfaces, so it may not prove too useful
Other relevant classes or experience:
Worked for the PC Comp. Sci. Department and created an Add-In for Visual Studio that created a default solution and project for new users (to facilitate introduction to the IDE). The most important experience I gained was writing the add-in in C#, which I had never used before. I believe it should help me should I have to learn to do something I have not yet experienced.
URL of image of your face (or see TA's to get your picture taken):
http://groups.msn.com/JeffsLair/people.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=182
Thats all I have for a picture for now, i'm working on getting it set up under People on the department webpage...