Q1WillBaird

Document Q1WillBaird

1. Your Name

Will Baird

2. Your field of study?

Computer Science, but I may switch to secondary education next semester

3. In which semester of study are you?

This is my third semester as a CS major.

4. Why are you interested in taking this course?

I believe there is tremendous potential to increase the value and contribution of computing in society. I want to make a contribution to this collaborative effort. Also I enjoy creating with software but I loose interest in individual bits. By that I mean that I don't aspire to improve circuitry design. Instead I want to contribute to the ways computers add value to society.

5. What courses / work activities / background knowledge do you have which might be relevant to this course?

Eight years ago I worked as a software engineer on financial software. More recently I was a service consultant for a custom software company. This past summer I helped create an astroseismic modeling portal with NCAR. I have a BS in Biology from Virginia Tech (Freshwater Ecology emphasis).

6. Indicate your own digital literacy / fluency:
6.1. Describe your programming experience (languages, projects)

I enjoy designing, building and maintaining databases. Python C++ VB Linux

6.2. What applications are you familiar with (e.g. Photoshop, Canvas, Dreamweaver,...)?

Postgresql, VIM, Django, TortoiseSVN, Google Earth, Picasa

7 Give a brief description of the most important book / article which you have read with respect to the topic of the course.

"The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman This book analyzes the history of technologies with emphasis on how they iteratively contributed to development and where they may have fallen short of their potential. Then it makes predictions about what technologies and strategies will be successful and in demand moving forward.

8. What do you hope and expect to learn from this course?

I want to learn how to leverage computer science and technology to contribute to make obvious and accessible projects.