Five Minutes with... Trevor Blanarik

You knew you were headed for a career in Computer Science when...
When I learned about Graph Theory and how it plays a role.

What is your favorite class and why?
Analysis of Algorithms, because it really gets to the heart of Computer Science, and the problems we're attempting to solve. It's what separates being a programmer from being a Computer Scientist.

One piece of advice I have for 1^st year students is...
Send your resume EARLY and OFTEN to companies for co-op and full time jobs. Don't be afraid to shoot for the really great companies out there - you never know what will happen until you apply yourself.

If you could have dinner with a famous computer scientist, living or dead, who would you choose?
Edsger Dijkstra, for "Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability", among other really great quotes.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on, either in a course or on the job?
An algorithm to route an airplane, hugging closely to rough terrain, attempting to avoid detection by enemy radar, while minimizing overall distance traveled, for Boeing - Phantom Works.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Either in the Technical Fellowship path of Boeing - Phantom Works, pursuing my PhD, or working in Sweden on optimization algorithms.

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Trevor Blanarik

BS 5^th year

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Five Minutes with... Justin Allgyer

You knew you were headed for a career in Computer Science when...
I took my first CS class in high school. I enjoyed the problem solving as well as the technical aspects so much that I never stopped wanting to explore the field.

What is your favorite class and why?
2d and 3d Graphics Programming. It was one of the few clases where a team of programmers can develop a complete project from conception to completion, which feels very much like a real-world scenario. Also, it required technical knowledge as well as a certain level of creativity, which is exactly the kind of work I enjoy.

One piece of advice I have for 1^st year students is...
The first year CS classes may be tedious, but they are a necessary evil. Just keep in mind the classes get a lot more interesting and less restrictive in higher-level classes.

If you could have dinner with a famous computer scientist, living or dead, who would you choose?
Will Wright.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on, either in a course or on the job?
Directional Virtual Fences in New Mexico for use on cattle.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Owning a software development firm, possibly a game development studio.

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Justin Allgyer

BS/MS Alumni

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Five Minutes with... Kurt Kluever

You knew you were headed for a career in Computer Science when...
I witnessed the thrill and the excitement of the dot com boom in the late 90's.

What is your favorite class and why?
Theory of Computer Algorithms. This course is the first formal, in-depth course on algorithms, complexity, and data structures. These three components are the foundations of Computer Science and I highly recommend that everyone take this course (although it is a very difficult course).

One piece of advice I have for 1^st year students is...
Establish a relationship with your professors by asking questions in class and utilizing office hours when you are confused.

If you could have dinner with a famous computer scientist, living or dead, who would you choose?
Luis von Ahn. His work on captchas and human computation has inspired me to pursue it as my thesis topic.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on, either in a course or on the job?
The most interesting project I've worked on has been my thesis. Reading all of the existing research has helped me develop a brand new idea that nobody else in the world has worked on.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully back in school earning my PhD in Computer Science.

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Kurt Kluever

BS/MS Alumni

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Five Minutes with...

Justin Allgyer BS/MS Alumnus	Josh Allman BS/MS 5th year	Trevor Blanarik BS Alumnus	Benjamin Bloom BS/MS 6th year
Gabrielle Burns BS 2nd year	Henry Etlinger Professor	Joe Geigel Professor	James Heliotis Professor
Danny Iland BS 4th year	Kurt Kluever BS/MS Alumnus	Rajendra Raj Professor	Brian Renzenbrink BS Alumnus
William Rummler BS/MS Alumnus	Ian Tewksbury BS Alumnus	Seong Yup Yoo BS/MS 6th year	Richard Zanibbi Professor

Five Minutes with... Joe Geigel

You knew you were headed for a career in Computer Science when...
I saw a computer play tic-tac-toe at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey when I was a kid (my dad worked there for a while).

What is your favorite class and why?
Computer Graphics 2 and Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques because I love to see what the students come up with for their final projects.

One piece of advice I have for 1^st year students is...
Have fun with your classes... the more fun you have, the more stuff you'll learn...usually without realizing it.

If you could have dinner with a famous computer scientist, living or dead, who would you choose?
Probably Alan Turing, but I'd like to dine with him today just to hear what he thinks about the current state of computing.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on, either in a course or on the job?
Virtual Theatre, as it is a nice combination of four of my passions: theatre, music, computer graphics, and computer science.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

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Joe Geigel

Professor

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Five Minutes with... Brian Renzenbrink

You knew you were headed for a career in Computer Science when...
I finished my instant messenger project for CS3. That was the first project in my life where I did more than required for an "A" just because it was fun.

What is your favorite class and why?
My favorite class was Biologically Inspired Intelligent Systems. It was my first real AI course and the first class where I had the freedom to pursue what interested me. I also loved that I nothing was set in stone. The topic was so new that I still had the chance to do something completely original.

One piece of advice I have for 1^st year students is...
Start doing "pet projects" on topics you like. They really help you learn and down the road they might translate into an easy "A" in a related course.

If you could have dinner with a famous computer scientist, living or dead, who would you choose?
I would definitely choose Karl Sims. His research into artificial intelligence is both expansive and entertaining.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on, either in a course or on the job?
I am currently developing a sensor glove prototype using SunSPOTs and a hand-made Expert System.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself with a family, a great job and a very active life.

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Brian Renzenbrink

BS/MS 6^th year

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Five Minutes with... Danny Iland

You knew you were headed for a career in Computer Science when...
I got a computer when I was 11, and just loved tinkering with it and actually enjoyed constantly fixing Windows 98. I built its replacement a few years later, and by then was tired of tinkering with Windows... which led me to Linux...which led me to programming.

What is your favorite class and why?
I'm really enjoying Computer Organization right now. Writing in very low level languages is pretty fun, and requires a very different thought process than anything else I've ever done, only one step up from a machine. I'm also really happy with Modern US Foreign Relations. Professor Henning has us do things like write Presidential Address madlibs, then look at various addresses throughout history and see how well they fit (pretty well).

One piece of advice I have for 1^st year students is...
Go climbing in the red barn, race your car at the Autocrosses here, explore all the cool things in Rochester, just branch out and do things! At RIT, get involved with some cool computing project, either with a professor or other students. Do more than the bare minimum.

If you could have dinner with a famous computer scientist, living or dead, who would you choose?
I think I would invite Edsger Dijkstra and Donald Knuth, then act like they had each invited the other. It would be way more interesting to eavesdrop on their conversation than to be the inadequate partner to either of them.

What is the most interesting project you have worked on, either in a course or on the job?
The Computer Science 4 project of a generic game solver. The idea was to write one algorithm that can play multiple games. I had never done useful generic programming or interfaces, and it was really cool to be able to take a program that plays Knockout and make it play Connect 4 also in only a few hours, with no modification to the core of the program.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I'm not really sure yet. I think it depends on how awesome my co-ops are and what kind of job offers I get when I graduate. If I get offered something amazing, I'll probably take it, but I can totally see myself continuing on to get a graduate degree as well.

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Danny Iland

BS 4^th year

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