--University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Computer Science Engineering

Create the world of tomorrow TODAY

There are only 10 different kinds of people in the world: those who know binary and those who don't.
Tavleen Kaur 11/17/2013

Contents:

Contents: .................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgement ..................................................................................... 1 Computer Science: An Overview .............................................................. 1 Dr. Nitin Agarwal: ..................................................................................... 1 Associate Professor (UALR) ................................................................ 1 Samer Al-Khateeb ..................................................................................... 1 Graduate Student (UALR) ................................................................... 1 Srinikhil Gupta Gourisetti ......................................................................... 1 Professional (WELSPUN).................................................................... 1 Reflection................................................................................................... 1 Citations:.................................................................................................... 1

When people think about computer science, they imagine people with pocket protectors and thick glasses who code all night. -Marissa Mayer

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Acknowledgement

I express my deep sense of sincere gratitude to Mrs. Jessica Jacobs, Composition Instructor, Dept. of Rhetoric and Writing, for her valuable guidance and persistent help in the completion of this report. I am also thankful to Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Associate professor, Dept. of Information Science, to Mr. Samer Al-Khateeb, student, University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Mr. Srinikhil Gupta Gourisetti, employee at Welspun. It is their contribution that made the content of this report possible. To my classmates, I extend my appreciation for their constructive criticism and emotional support. At last, my thanks to the institution, friends and family, without their support this report would have been a distant reality.

Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. -Edsger Dijkstra

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Computer Science: An Overview

Computer Science Engineering is the discipline that integrates several fields of electrical, electronics and computer science required to develop computer software and hardware. This branch of engineering is the key for interfacing, the basis for

programming in embedded circuits. In layman terms, Computer Science Engineering is the control unit for all electronic devices. Programming has become the backbone in this hi-tech society, so is computer science an integral part in day to day life. A Computer programmer generally tries to update and develop new software which plays an important role in the development of systems in other field of engineering. They have training in electronic engineering, software design, hardware-software integration. Computer science engineers have their windows open for further research and development in the field of face recognition, human-speech recognition and of course, communication systems and artificial intelligence. According to the recent scenario and survey, Computer Engineers are highly paid. Graduates of this field get recruited with a starting salary of around $60,000 and mid-career pay of $100,000 per annum.

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The field is very demanding as it supports almost all other fields which include not only engineering field but also accounting, business, fashion and even movies.

Dr. Nitin Agarwal: Associate Professor (UALR)

Failures are the stepping stones to success. Be patient, and keep trying. There will be more failures than success, dont be deterred. Failures bring you closer to success, said Dr. Nitin Agarwal, B.Tech, PhD, from Arizona State University, Associate Professor at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His thirst for knowledge and personal growth brought him to the USA from India. As an undergraduate I wanted to learn more; but the lack of resources, and faculty, hindered my passion for knowledge. I was interested in data mining, and data bases, basic computer science and data oriented concepts, USA had better opportunities, so I came here. Recognized as one of The New Influentials: 20 In Their 20s by Arkansas Business for being among creative and talented individuals who have
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found early success in their profession, he also shows keen interest in Social Computing, and has a number of journals and publications in this field. He is also known for his authoring of a number of books in fields of Data Mining, two of which are: Social Computing in Blogosphere: Challenges, Methodologies, and Opportunities Modeling and Data Mining in Blogosphere Part of his research is funded by the National Science Foundation and US Office of Naval Research. He has the Best Paper Award for Context Based Privacy Model. Dr. Agarwal believes that if one wants to explore in research then Industry is not suitable, rather than doing what is being told you do not have flexibility. The exploration facet attracted him more, which helped him choose this career path and become a professor, In universities, you are sort of your own boss leading your own research group. So, you have to be extra-motivated, eventually you end up spending your time and energy in something you like to do, your hobby has turned into your profession. At the end of the day, even if you are exhausted, the kind of exhaustion you feel is good exhaustion, plus you are not stressful all the time. He continues, It is also very rewarding to see the students you molded grow successful.

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Apart from research, writing papers, and of course teaching, Dr. Agarwal likes gardening. I try to balance my lifestyle. I especially like gardening, which I believe, is an interesting way to see nature up-close. I also go to the gym, play racquet ball. Hiking and trekking adds up to the list as well. I also like listening to modern Hindi songs. He believes that one needs to be careful to not miss out several aspects of life. There could be sometimes when days could get so busy that there is no time to even glance out of the window. So, it is important to go out, enjoy time with friends, and meet with colleagues. He also shares a beautiful bonding with his students, and is an amiable person. You are very young, he advises me. Be very open minded, try as many things as you can, you can always blame it to your immaturity, but at later stages you have nothing to blame but yourself. He continues, So, be very open to trying new things and dont be afraid to make wrong decisions. Dr. Agarwal is a really good advisor. His patience and positive
Be very open to trying new things and dont be afraid to make wrong decisions.

attitude is something I really liked. Throughout the interview, I found him so confident. His vast knowledge in computer science enabled me
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to think about the fields I can specialize. I was not sure about my future goal. Looking at his research works, I find computer science can be integrated with the other branches of studies. I realized how broad the field is. Getting to know him was a great experience. Whatever I thought and believed before choosing this field, I heard him say them aloud. I always wanted to pursue a career in academia, and he seemed to be just the right person to talk to. The reasons he gave were very strong, and sufficient to convince me that the decision I made is not wrong.

Samer Al-Khateeb Graduate Student (UALR)

Samer Al-Khateeb, aged 24, is a graduate student in University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Initially, an exchange student at UALR from Iran, who decided to transfer to UALR to complete his bachelors, and then continued to pursue his masters. I chose UALR because it has a good reputation and affordable tuitions and fees, He said, I also finished my undergraduate degree here so I already knew how things work around in the college, also
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many professors here know me so I decided to finish my graduate studies here. How often do you find yourself saying, In a minute, Ill get to it or Tomorrows good enough and every other possible excuse in the book? Samer manages his personal and study time in a very interesting way. "By using a white board that I have at home, he said, I write on it , all what I need to do for the whole week, and when I plan to do it. It always worked for me. Also I do not have to worry about forgetting, all I need to do is to erase everything I did every day and update new stuff which takes about two minutes. He believes that the purpose of getting a graduate level degree is to obtain more information and experience that one did not get during their undergraduate study. It is good to increase ones salary and have more job opportunities. Also the best part of this field is that one can find job in many places and fit in many fields. Most companies collect data for long time and would want someone to take care of these data somehow. For example, by designing a new physical database, or take care of the

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security of these data, or create an

Erase everything I did every day and update new stuff which takes about two minutes.

application to operate on these data or discover new facts from these data to help make better decision. Initially his major was Systems

Engineering. After he finished his English requirements at IELP (Intensive English Language Program) he got great help from the faculty of Department of Computer Science. They are such a great and helpful people, Samer said. I was so eager to learn programming, web design and databases than dealing with Systems Engineering theories. So I decided to change my major to Computer Science, with minor in Systems Engineering. According to Samer, it is always good to plan ahead. To have a clear vision of what one wants from life, to try and achieve them so that later on they wont have to regret. It is always good to have a focus as early as possible. Samer seemed to be a man of techniques. A person, who manages time well, knows his stuff and is sincere about his studies. After talking to him I got to know that graduate studies not only help us learn in depth about the courses, but also

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enhances job opportunities. And the advice that he gave warned me to not delay my planning and set my goals well ahead of time, so that I know what I want to do and find a way to approach it.

Srinikhil Gupta Gourisetti Professional (WELSPUN)

Srinikhil Gupta Gourisetti, aged 23, presently an employee of Welspun, completed his

undergraduate and graduate in Engineering from UALR.

Srinikhil was an exchange student from India to UALR, he completed his bachelors degree and then joined masters program under full scholarship. He graduated in spring 2013, and joined Welspun this July. Srinikhil is specialized in systems engineering, and has a lot of experience in research. He had around six papers published in IEEE during both his undergraduate and graduate studies. IEEE stands for Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which is one of the reputable organizations for engineers. He is currently a supervisor in the company. Industrial experience is something beyond the theoretical concepts. He said, It allows me to explore the horizons of Industry.

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Initially

was

interested

in

Biology. I was good at it. Then somehow I developed a liking for Mathematics. Maybe I found it more challenging and opted engineering as a career, said Srinikhil. His days are usually very busy. He has to work both during the day and night shifts alternatively. This job of his involves manual labor, where he actually has to work on the development procedure. Building and scrutinizing the construction of the structures forms an integral part. He said sometimes it becomes very hectic, but at the end of the day he feels great that he learnt something new. Srinikhil is a very hardworking person; perfection is what he likes the most. He makes it a point that he devotes himself completely in his work. Learning is a never ending process for him. He likes the education system of the US, as it allows a student to explore beyond the boundary. He thinks You are your own master. Parents, relatives, friends, colleagues can only be your advisors; they should not be your decision maker.

everyone should grasp every opportunity in their way, someday it will definitely help. Engineering students need to explore things around them, learning should not stop.

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During his leisure time, Srinikhil enjoys playing computer games, watching animations and of course reading lot of novels. I am bachelor! I am all by myself. No worries about family for now! smiled Srinikhil , expressing his relief. His positive motivation will be a real booster for all of us. He said, You are your own master. Parents, relatives, friends, colleagues can only be your advisors; they should not be your decision maker. Enjoy your work to the fullest. He emphasized on always looking up for improvement. Use your brain and follow your heart, he advised to all the upcoming students. I am not sure if I am ready to explore the challenges that Industry has to offer yet. He was motivating and after talking to him I could decide even better for my future goals. It seemed that academia has a lot more learning scope than industry, I know now that academia is what where my heart lies.

Reflection
Being an introverted person, I always hesitate to start a

conversation. I will always end up stammering in front of the

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individual. When I got this assignment to interview people, I went all blank. I could not decide where to begin. In fact, scheduling an appointment was such a tough job for me. Somehow I scheduled my first interview. The D-Day arrived and I went to interview Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Associate professor,

Information Science. With mind full of hesitation, I somehow greeted him and began interviewing. My hesitation vanishing instantly I went on asking all I wanted to know. It was a big achievement for me. I felt more confident. Interviewing Samer and Srinikhil had become a lot easier for me. This assignment encouraged me to start conversation and share thoughts. Samer Al-Khateeb is a very dedicated student. I really liked his maintaining of a whiteboard, where his weekly schedule is planned. I think every student needs to understand time management and task accomplishment. Srinikhil overall introduced me to the professional world. The real time scenario is the amalgamation of all your school learning. Practical implementation is always challenging. I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer, but my father being a mechanical engineer himself, disagreed and insisted that I go for Computer Science. He believed that the manual labor required in

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mechanical engineering is inappropriate for his daughter. So, I remember being very nervous and scared on the first day of my freshman year, attending the very first class, Programming in C, of Computer Science department. I had never done any coding before, unaware of even the p of programming. The first few days were very tough, but eventually it became my passion. I used to look forward for programming classes, I started to score well, and understand the basics better. This is how I grew more interested to explore new areas in this field. With time, I began to study the opportunities that Computer Science provided. I learnt that there is a very vast scope of different computer related subjects. Database management, Computer

Networking, Web-development are some other areas that are interesting. It is not necessary to be a very good programmer to excel or make a career in this field. The only thing matter is that you put your mind into it.

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Citations:

http://ualr.edu/nxagarwal/Homepage/Home.html
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/091713-computerscience-major-earning-potential-273915.html https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/time-passing http://www.beloit.edu/computerscience/

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