Alumni Profiles

Who or what had a strong effect on your interest/trajectory in computer science? There are two computer scientists I had as teachers who had a strong impact on my desire to study computer science: Andy van Dam (Brown University) taught me how to program, and more importantly, how to teach...

As a teenager I was fortunate to have access to electrical parts and kits, building clocks and radios, and of course my first flip-flop. I started at CU in electrical engineering, but was drawn to computer engineering and programming early on, eventually changing to the new track of electrical engineering...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I was always fascinated by computers and programming. I loved the fact that you could think up some idea and build it by just writing code. With programming you could do something not just describe it. You could create something new that...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I was introduced to computer science as a result of it being a compulsory subject for undergraduate mechanical engineering majors. Who or what had a strong effect on your interest or trajectory in computer science? I created a rudimentary project management program...

Why did you choose to study computer science? When I was in junior high, I got a Commodore 64 right after it came out. You had to teach yourself how to program to pretty much do anything on it. From that point onward, I was hooked in terms of understanding...

Bhavna on the balcony of the Google Boulder offices. Bhavna during her time as a CU Boulder student. Why did you choose to study computer science? My father predicted that computers were going to be the "next big thing" and since I liked math and science, it seemed like a...

Tell us about your career path. I started my career at Level 3 communications in Broomfield, Colorado. I began as a marketing intern, doing anything I could to prove myself (if you ever need advice on cleaning out and organizing a marketing closet, definitely reach out). Within four years, I...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I chose computer science as I graduated with my undergraduate (BA in math) from CU Boulder in 1985. I had taken a couple of programming courses and found I was “fairly” good at it. A main driver for choosing it as a...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I fell into programming with BASIC in high school when bored in a calculus class and loved it. Who or what had a strong effect on your interest or trajectory in computer science? Meeting people like Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, Joel Spolsky...

Why did you choose to study computer science? Computer science is limitless. When I moved to the U.S., I didn’t have a job or a student visa, but I was good in math and liked computers. I was interested to study in a field with a wide range of domains...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I was fascinated with Turing's concept of (un)computability. Who or what had a strong effect on your interest or trajectory in computer science? My PhD advisor, Andrzej Ehrenfeucht What life lessons did you learn during your time at CU? Never be afraid...

Who or what had a strong effect on your interest/trajectory in computer science? The one person who influenced my career more than anyone was Professor Evi Nemeth. Evi was a force of nature and was always willing to help others learn and grow. I had the honor of being a...

Why did you choose to study computer science? When I was a sophomore in high school, my math teacher taught us a few rudimentary programming essentials in BASIC, and I enjoyed it a great deal. During that same year, I read an article in the newspaper that said people who...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I realized soon after I first got to use a computer in high school (1976) that they were an incredibly versatile way of creating things. I could sit down starting with just my thoughts, write those down in a certain way, and...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I chose CU Boulder because of its strong reputation in telecommunications. I have always had a passion in technology and received a bachelor’s degree in Arts & Science from the University of Nebraska majoring in computer science and human factors. I earned...

Murad, right, works at a whiteboard with fellow Stateless co-founder and CU Boulder faculty member Eric Keller. Why did you choose to study computer science? Computer science is a world of puzzles, and I am fascinated with solving the kinds of challenges, complexity and problem solving that come from this...

I grew up in Denver (a Regis High grad) and started computer science in 1968 as an undergrad at Johns Hopkins. By way of context, Hopkins and Baltimore taught me as much about life as computer science. The East Coast was filled with demonstrations against the Vietnam War and assassinations...

Tell us about your career path. I started out studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. For my PhD, I switched to computer science to follow an interest in robotics and computer vision. Part way through that program, I was fortunate to start a robotics company (CANVAS Technology) with three amazing co-founders...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I started programming during high school and was fascinated by the diversity and opportunities in this field. Who or what had a strong effect on your interest or trajectory in computer science? The first high school I went to was all on...

Tell us about your career path. I started my career at the NSA both during and after working on my degree. Next, I worked for Britannica.com – building website traffic analyzers for them. In 2003, the phenomenon that we now call “phishing” was becoming a problem for eBay. The biggest...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I starting programming when I was 9 and started my first software business when I was 13. I knew pretty early in life that I was going to study computer science. Who had a strong effect on your interestor trajectory in computer...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I love building and creating things that solve problems. As a child, I was always trying to create something or sell something - lemonade, lawn mowing and more. When I got to college, engineering was a clear way for me to apply...

Who or what had a strong effect on your interest or trajectory in computer science? When I was about 8 years old, my father brought home a Commodore 64 personal computer. After booting it up and writing my first couple of programs from the manual, I was hooked! In addition...

Who or what had a strong effect on your interest/trajectory in computer science? My father worked in an early data center with large mainframe computers, so I had a lifelong familiarity with computing. My interest was further formed by my high school advanced math teacher; she taught us not only...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I first got into computers in junior high because I didn’t enjoy math and I wanted to write programs to do all of the repetitive math for me. I eventually chose CS as an area of study because I grew to love...

Why did you choose to study computer science? I actually started at CU with an emphasis in art. After a couple of semesters, however, I realized that the art coursework felt like "work," and I was spending all of my spare time writing software. It became pretty clear to me...

Why did you choose to study computer science? As an undergrad, I didn’t initially care for computer science. This was partially due to primitive technology (e.g., programming on cards and slow mainframes), but mostly due to my not seeing a connection between the information I was learning and how I...

Why did you choose to study computer science? Learning to develop software was by far the most compelling thing I had ever done in school. Something about computer science and the way my brain worked just clicked. It was like puzzle solving with an element of art. I was hooked...