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carlfoxmartenJust taking two classes this semester, Integral Calculus and a statistics course.
(both of which are required for graduation)
Also, my primary campus is having an open house near the end of February and I get to help advertise the computing science department by displaying some iRobot Create robots.
Interesting what you can volunteer for when you ask around looking for things to help with...
A couple of weeks ago I stopped by the local CS departmental offices to talk with several instructors and staff that I know to find out what's new and what's being done for the open house.
I was offered an opportunity to demonstrate the above robots at the open house and accepted.
We then discussed some of the things we could get the robots to do, and left it at that for then.
So far, I've written a programming interface to it in Python (the programming language used in first-year courses by this department) and have plans to attempt to get the robots to execute Turtle graphics commands, but I don't yet know how we'll attach a pen.
(we know for certain that we won't be doing anything with the pen up/pen down commands, but some sort of simple clip would be ideal, as we could then mass-produce them and potentially sell them to use with other people's Create robots)
Apparently, the instructor I'm working with actually owns the robots I'm working with (as he's purchased them with his own grant money), so he'll be making the ultimate decisions about how things get done on it.
(I'm also deliberately avoiding cutting a hole in the bottom of the robot to stick the pen through, as I'm sure there's got to be a better way to handle it that's non-destructive, even if I have to set up the software to correct for the off-center nature of the pen)
Aside from all that, I'm still going to be helping with the rest of the volunteers before and after the open house (as I usually do) so there's another pair of willing hands.
This year we're going for 160 volunteers (and last I heard, we had 128, so we're doing pretty good on that front) so things are going to be extremely hectic during the entire day.
I've been doing volunteer work during open houses and fall orientation on my local campus ever since I started attending university four years ago, and have always enjoyed it.
(except the time I volunteered for an open house on the main campus. I really did not enjoy that, and have vowed never to do that again. It was extremely boring, and rather disappointing to see things turn into an arcade after only three or four hours of the education fair)
So while not an instrumental part of recent orientation and open house events, I'm still a dedicated volunteer for these events, and plan to do so until I have either left university (whenever I finish) or I have no more spare time left.
(I wonder what lecturers can do to help with orientation?...)
To complete the job I mentioned above, I've been given access to one of the CS labs (so I need to guard my access card more closely now) and a key to one of the cabinets to store the department's laptop in so they can get it when they want it and I can get it when I want it, both without having to track the other down when it's needed by the other (which means that I'll have to keep a closer watch on my keyring).
Does it seem like they like me there or something?...
(both of which are required for graduation)
Also, my primary campus is having an open house near the end of February and I get to help advertise the computing science department by displaying some iRobot Create robots.
Interesting what you can volunteer for when you ask around looking for things to help with...
A couple of weeks ago I stopped by the local CS departmental offices to talk with several instructors and staff that I know to find out what's new and what's being done for the open house.
I was offered an opportunity to demonstrate the above robots at the open house and accepted.
We then discussed some of the things we could get the robots to do, and left it at that for then.
So far, I've written a programming interface to it in Python (the programming language used in first-year courses by this department) and have plans to attempt to get the robots to execute Turtle graphics commands, but I don't yet know how we'll attach a pen.
(we know for certain that we won't be doing anything with the pen up/pen down commands, but some sort of simple clip would be ideal, as we could then mass-produce them and potentially sell them to use with other people's Create robots)
Apparently, the instructor I'm working with actually owns the robots I'm working with (as he's purchased them with his own grant money), so he'll be making the ultimate decisions about how things get done on it.
(I'm also deliberately avoiding cutting a hole in the bottom of the robot to stick the pen through, as I'm sure there's got to be a better way to handle it that's non-destructive, even if I have to set up the software to correct for the off-center nature of the pen)
Aside from all that, I'm still going to be helping with the rest of the volunteers before and after the open house (as I usually do) so there's another pair of willing hands.
This year we're going for 160 volunteers (and last I heard, we had 128, so we're doing pretty good on that front) so things are going to be extremely hectic during the entire day.
I've been doing volunteer work during open houses and fall orientation on my local campus ever since I started attending university four years ago, and have always enjoyed it.
(except the time I volunteered for an open house on the main campus. I really did not enjoy that, and have vowed never to do that again. It was extremely boring, and rather disappointing to see things turn into an arcade after only three or four hours of the education fair)
So while not an instrumental part of recent orientation and open house events, I'm still a dedicated volunteer for these events, and plan to do so until I have either left university (whenever I finish) or I have no more spare time left.
(I wonder what lecturers can do to help with orientation?...)
To complete the job I mentioned above, I've been given access to one of the CS labs (so I need to guard my access card more closely now) and a key to one of the cabinets to store the department's laptop in so they can get it when they want it and I can get it when I want it, both without having to track the other down when it's needed by the other (which means that I'll have to keep a closer watch on my keyring).
Does it seem like they like me there or something?...
