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What are three good things that the UH ICS program is providing for its students?

If you can only think of one thing, that's OK too.

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I have found the professors in the ICS department to be very helpful whenever I needed something, and understanding whenever I have had a problem.

Three good things I've encountered:

1) I am really glad that we needed to learn some formal logic in our studies.  Logic is a way of thinking that can apply to many areas of life, not just computer science.

2) Our field has a lot of potential for job creation.  Every business and department of the government needs to use computers, therefore they'll need people to program, connect, secure, and maintain these computers.  We'll always have a place.

3) Our major gives us a whole new perspective on how programs that millions of people use work, down at the most basic levels.  The world takes these for granted, and it basically works by magic for all they know. 

1. Stimulating and mentally challenging work. There is a serious sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when your program compiles and performs a task, no matter how rudimentary.

2. Smaller classes than many other majors with accessible teachers and hands on advising.

3. Access to otherwise expensive Microsoft Developer Tools

1. Being in an environment that fosters collaboration and innovation at all levels of ability and areas in computer science.

2. Knowledgeable and well-informed professors who work to not only teach, but create opportunities for their students as they move into the profession.

3. A concerted effort to find and create opportunities for ICS students locally.

ICS 613: E05 Three good things about being an ICS student

  1. All of the ICS professors I’ve met have been welcoming and generous with their time.
  2. I love being around smart, capable people.
  3. The ICS program has taught me that sleep is overrated.

1. There are professors from all sorts of background.  This makes it easier for students to take classes for their field of interest.

2. Gerald Lau is a great adviser.  He is really friendly, helpful and I have asked him for advice throughout both my undergraduate and graduate career.  He's experienced in the field and gives useful insight to us about the real world. 

3. Professors are happy to provide assistance to students when they need help.  They help to create an environment when I am not afraid to ask any questions.

1.  I think we've got awesome professors in this department. Most are great at delivering complex/complicated material in ways that make sense. They are available and willing to help and really seem to want students to succeed.

2.  I like that we are required to take classes from 4 different areas thus ensuring that we are exposed to a breadth of topics related to the discipline.

3.  This is specific to being an ICS613 student but I am glad that we create a professional portfolio. It's unfortunate that there are students who will graduate without a site showcasing their work.

1. MSDNAA (Dreamspark) - Free access to various Microsoft software. Wanted to always test that new Windows OS? Now you can!

2. Breadth - Since computer science is such a large area of study, one may choose what area they want to enter. We have great professors that can teach both the theoretical or the practical aspects of computer science.

3. Networking - Upper division classes are relatively small so finding groups of people to either work or have fun with is easy. Definitely important because we all know debugging is easier when you have someone to talk to!

1. I have found most of the faculty to be extremely approachable and helpful. This is especially commendable since most graduate courses do not have TAs to reduce the workload on the professors.

2. A lot of courses are project based rather than exam based. This allows the students to independently delve deep into their area of interest. It also allows students to explore ideas that may not be strictly part of the curriculum.

3. There are plenty of TA and RA opportunities for the graduate students, which helps reduce the financial burden and broaden their perspective. It also affords the students an opportunity to take an extra semester just to hone down on their area of focus.

The ability to “Decompose, Decouple, and Delineate” systems.

The ICS program at UH gave me the ability to see systems as they are then pull them apart. Before taking ICS 419 “The Science, Psychology and Philosophy of Systems Design” as an undergraduate with Professor Streveler, I did not have the skills necessary to “decompose, decouple, and delineate” problems. The “Three D’s” have become my professional and personal modus operandi. This single clarifying skill allows me to untangle problems. This powerful process prioritizes understanding a problem before I attempt a solution.

A tight community that breathes enthusiasm and insight into new technologies

The fact that we live on a tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific turns some technologists off. Some students from the mainland might ask, “How can you affect change when you’re so cut off from the rest of the world?” Some of the most sincere technologists I’ve met have been from Hawaii. There’s a tightness to our community because we are the little fish in a big pond. It makes us work harder to stand out. It makes us help each other and share our resources. When one of us succeeds, we cheer each other on because we are all from Hawaii.

Book Recommendations

The ICS program at UH attracts a multicultural alphabet soup of insight. Diverse people have diverse interests. When I meet new people in the ICS department at UH my first question is usually, “What are you reading?” I’ve gotten the best recommendations. Here are a few book recommendations I've enjoyed:


1) Professors rotate: I think that it is nice that the professors alternate which classes they teach, so that if one professor's teaching style does not suit you, you can just take it the following semester with a different professor. In the ICS department, students talk a lot about their experiences with professors in certain classes in order to help each other chose which classes to take. Everyone learns differently, so I think it is good that students can find one that suits them best.

2) The "ohana" atmosphere: I have been involved in the ICS department for about four years now--first as an undergraduate student, then as tech support, and now as a graduate student and TA. Consequently, I have spent a lot of time dealing with different faculty and staff within the department, such as the front office staff, the IT staff, the academic advisor, and professors/TAs. Everyone in the department seems to get along well, and when I walk around the third floor of POST, the atmosphere just feels very friendly and accepting. It's a great learning environment.

3) Incorporation with other majors: Computers are present in almost every career now, so I think that it is important to remember that as ICS majors, we have to create things that will help other people (not just other computer scientists). This may be hard to do, when computer scientists only understand tech talk, and other majors may not understand tech talk at all. Therefore, I think it's good how some ICS classes cater towards multiple disciplines such as graphic design and medical. It's great to start dialogue between majors since when we graduate, we will all be forced to work together anyway. :)

- It is a humbling experience. Even when taking undergraduate ICS courses as a graduate student, I felt overwhelmed not by the coursework, but by other students' abilities. I am glad my naive views have been crushed by you guys.

- In general, most of the faculty are pleasant to work with. While some may not have the best methods of teaching their classes, they are at least easy to talk to in person. This may be disadvantageous at the undergraduate level, but it is really helpful when you begin to work with them more closely at the graduate level. My undergraduate Marine Biology program was quite the opposite: Some were excellent at teaching but once you started working with them in person, it became quite difficult to not smash your head unconsious.

- Being around technology. It's a great excuse to build an overwhelming monster of a rig and say I need it for computer science.  Although I probably don't need it.  

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