Student Blog
Google news and updates especially for students
2015 Black History Month Google Student Tribute: Robin McKinnie
February 12, 2015
Last week, we kicked off the Black History Month Student Tribute series by showcasing the amazing work Elizabeth Davis has done both on and off her college campus. This week we’re catching up with Robin, a member of our inaugural
BOLD Discovery class
and co-founder of
The Village Micro Fund
.
What’s one really awesome fact about you?
I’m one of those Southern kids who can trace their whole family’s history back to a few small towns. In fact, a good number of my older relatives live in the same towns and neighborhoods where my family has lived for generations. It seems small, but I’m grateful for being able to acknowledge my roots.
What are you most passionate about?
Community development as it pertains to building up neighborhoods and the people who live there. I was a community organizer my senior year of high school. The experience exposed me to the way neighborhoods and communities work and instilled in me the desire to serve and significantly impact others. In college, that drive extended to helping make structural change in communities and finding ways to build with struggling communities instead of giving back from a distance. Over time this has become something that drives me, not just a responsibility or something I derive happiness from.
You helped start a non-profit along with a few of your peers. Tell us about it and what motivated you guys to create it?
We’re creating platforms for people to invest in small business throughout Atlanta. We provide financial and consulting services to small business, primarily in distressed communities like the ones surrounding our school. Each of us has a strong conviction about using our interests in business and entrepreneurship to serve the community. Over time we realized the need to help communities (especially underserved black communities) become self-sustainable. Money has to circulate within a community for people who live there to feel its effect. So if every business in a neighborhood is a franchise, most of the money spent there won’t be reinvested in employment, infrastructure, and education for the people spending it. The Village Micro Fund became a way for us to give people the intellectual and financial resources to grow with their community.
Why do you think it’s important to give back to others?
I grew up with plenty of privileges and opportunities. At the same time, I have family members who were never able to enjoy some of the life experiences and opportunities that I have. I’ve learned to cherish what I have and make the most of every opportunity, and in the same vain, create as many opportunities for other people as I can.
Robin (far left) and his peers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia
Posted by Chastity Wells, Student Outreach team
2015 Black History Month Google Student Tribute: Elizabeth Davis
February 5, 2015
At Google, we value diversity and inclusion and support individuals who do the same. In this series, the Google University Programs team is celebrating diversity and honoring Black History Month by showcasing four of our student programs alumni who have done incredible things in their community. This week we're catching up with
Elizabeth Davis
, who participated in our 2014 Summer Trainee Engineering Program (STEP) in Zurich.
It’s great to catch up with you again. What’s one of the most exciting things that has happened to you since we last featured you on the blog?
This past fall, I had the amazing opportunity to travel with Google to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference was an incredible experience for me as it was the first real chance I’ve had to connect with so many women of color in Computer Science. I was inspired by the thousands of women present who are not only techmakers themselves, but also passionate about supporting other women techmakers from all over the world. I left the conference with some phenomenal new mentors and friends.
Elizabeth at Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, October 2014
Can you give us a quick recap of the Google Women in Engineering Mentorship Program you launched and how it has developed since your internship ended?
During my internship this past summer, I, along with another intern, saw the need to cultivate a stronger community for women at Google. We realized that female Nooglers (new Googlers) needed to feel supported as they began their careers. With that in mind, we worked with the president of Google Women in Engineering (GWE) in Google Zurich, and the Google Head of Diversity for EMEA and decided that our best approach to addressing this need would be to start a mentorship program that connected female Nooglers to experienced employees. We completed an incredibly successful cycle of the program at the Zurich office over the summer, and have actually expanded the program to two other offices: Munich and Krakow. At the end of the summer we also had the chance to talk to the Google Global Diversity and Inclusion Director Yolanda Mangolini who has helped us plan out how we can continue to expand the Google Women in Engineering Mentorship Program (GWE-MP) globally.
What other initiatives have you been working on since being back in school?
As a section leader for our introductory programming course, I have the opportunity to teach undergraduate and graduate students who are trying out programming for the first time. This is a unique opportunity for me to not only help my students build a strong foundation in programming methodology and concepts, but also dispel any misconceptions they may have about the field and hopefully keep them involved in Computer Science.
I’m also involved in
she++
which is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women in the technology industry. We are currently organizing our national #include Fellowship Program, which provides resources and support to high school students who want to start grassroots initiatives to increase Computer Science education in their local communities. Diversity is really important to me so I have also recently begun working with professors in the Stanford Computer Science Department to figure out how to increase the representation of Black and Hispanic students in the CS major.
Why do you think it’s important to give back to others?
Giving back and helping others in need is a huge part of my core values and beliefs. I want everyone to experience the opportunities I’ve had as well as the confidence to pursue their dreams without feeling like an outsider in a largely homogenous community, or feeling like an imposter due to stereotype threats or other factors. I believe everyone has their unique talents and is capable of so much, and I want people of every gender and race within the technology industry to feel confident and empowered.
For information on additional Google student programs, visit
google.com/students/programs
.
Posted by Maggie Hohlfeld, University Programs team
The results are in for the 2014 Google Online Marketing Challenge
August 22, 2014
Back in February, Google gave hundreds of student teams across the world an AdWords online advertising budget of US$250 and three weeks to help a local business improve their marketing campaign in the seventh annual
Google Online Marketing Challenge
. Over 14,000 students from more than 80 countries and territories participated in this year’s Challenge and the results are in!
I. AdWords Business Awards
The AdWords Business Awards recognize the GOMC teams that made an outstanding difference to their business partners via superb online marketing campaigns.
Global Winner
The Global Winning team comes from the
Warsaw School of Economics
in Poland, under
Professor Tymoteusz Doligalski
. The team of
Mateusz Rydlewski
,
Przemek Dmochowski
,
Agnieszka Żdanuk
,
Marek Janisiewicz
, and
Paweł Zawadzki
worked with
Legia Warszawa
, one of the oldest and most titled Polish soccer clubs.
Regional Winners
The Asia & Pacific Winner comes from
The University of the Philippines
, under
Professor James Ryan Jonas
in the Philippines. The team of
Julian Anton Adia Yao
,
Allen Thomas B. Calica
,
Hillary Corinne L. Joven
,
Jadiene Shani Y. Teng
, and
Christelle C. Lao
worked with
KPub BBQ
, located in Bonifacio Global City, a Korean barbeque restaurant and pub, specializing in a meat all you can eat buffet.
The Americas Winner comes from
Fanshawe College
in Canada, under
Professor Liz Gray
. The team of
Luis Guerrero
,
Benjamin Cartmell
,
Jihoon Han
,
Vit Sochor
, and
Nikola Ledwonova
worked with
Novack's Uniform Solutions
, a company that distributes high-performance, specialized professional uniform apparel.
The Europe Winner comes from the
University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
in Germany, under
Professor Mario Fischer
. The team of
Lennart Geerdes
,
Konrad Hagelstein
,
Stephanie Beck
,
Hendrik Schöpe
, and
Florian Uhlirsch
worked with
Aquahandel.de
, an online shop specializing in Ornamental fish for aquariums and garden ponds.
The Middle East & Africa Winner comes from the
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
in Nigeria, under
Professor Arulogun Oladiran Tayo
. The team of
Adedoyin Jelil Opeyemi
,
Akadiri Olawale Olugboyega
,
Adesina Jamiu Olawale
,
Olayanju Abiodun Ibraheem
,
Salami Ismail Tunde
, and
Adeosun Oluwole Titus
worked with
Automedics limited
, an automobile maintenance workshop offering free advisory car care tips.
II. Google+ Social Media Marketing Awards
For the third year, we’re happy to present the winners of the Social Media Award, awarded to the GOMC team that runs the best Google+ page for their company or organization.
Global Winner
This year's Global Winner comes from
Kaunas University of Technology
in Lithuania under
Professor Elena Vitkauskaite
. The team of
Aivaras Juška
,
Povilas Mastauskas
,
Monika Ambrazevičiūtė
,
Rūta Žemaitytė
, and
Justina Mizeraitė
worked with
Miegantys Drambliai
, a company offering rock climbing classes and services.
Regional Winners
The Americas Winner comes from
Fanshawe College
in Canada, under
Professor Liz Gray
. The team of
Luis Guerrero
,
Benjamin Cartmell
,
Jihoon Han
,
Vit Sochor
, and
Nikola Ledwonova
worked with
Novack's Uniform Solutions
, a company that distributes high-performance, specialized professional uniform apparel.
The Europe Winner comes from
Kaunas University of Technology
in Lithuania, under Professor
Elena Vitkauskaite
. The team of
Ieva Ulytė
,
Lina Kižytė
,
Julius Valantiejus
,
Povilas Gimžauskas
, and
Šarūne Zinkevičiutė
worked with
Woxx Barbers- Vilnius
, a traditional barbershop providing mens haircuts, and beard and mustache styling services.
The Asia & Pacific Winner comes from
Indian Institute of Management Indore
in India, under
Professor Srinivas Gunta
. The team of
M Nitin Teja Reddy
,
Yukti Arora
,
Krishna GS Chirraavuru
,
Anne Mary Sebastian
, and
Santhanam Balaji
worked with
afkar.me
by Intigral, a 4 month incubation program to help start-ups create a digital product in MENA region.
The Americas Winner comes from
Pennsylvania State University
in the United States, under
Professor Jim Jansen
. The team of
Elizabeth Sheaffer
,
Stephen Sheaffer
,
Erica Brinker
, and
Eric Pitts
worked with
Centre County PAWS
, offering dog and cat shelter and adoption services.
Unfortunately, this year none of the Social Media Marketing campaigns submitted by teams from Middle East & Africa made to the final, therefore the Academic Panel has selected an additional Regional Winner from one of the other three regions.
III. AdWords Social Impact Awards
The Social Impact Awards recognize the GOMC teams that made an outstanding difference to their non-profit partners via superb online marketing campaigns.
1st Place is awarded to
Hanna K Macdonald
,
Amanda Tadgell
, and
Kaitlyn Krause
, who were taught by
Professor Liz Gray
at
Fanshawe College
in Canada. The team partnered with
Museum London
, the leading establishment for the collection and presentation of visual art and material culture.
2nd Place goes to
Shu Su
,
Neha Kejriwal
,
Benjamin Smith
, and
Sarah Burge
, who were taught by
Professor Steven Koch
at
The University of Houston
in The United States. The team partnered with the
Houston Grand Opera
, which provides live opera performances that are relevant and financially accessible to the public.
3rd Place is awarded to
Randall Miller
,
Saket Maheswari
,
Charles Shelton
, and
Varuniya Pushparajan
, who were taught by
Professor Steven Koch
at
The University of Houston
in The United States. The team partnered with the
Space Center Houston
, a place where people can experience space; its history, present and future.
2014 Team Results
have been posted to
GOMC Past Challenges
.
Congratulations to all 2014 Winners and a big thank you to all teams that participated in this year's Challenge.
To learn more about the Google Online Marketing Challenge and to pre-register for next year’s Challenge, please watch the
GOMC video
and visit our website:
www.google.com/onlinechallenge
Posted by Claire Lloyd & McKelle Holyoak, Global Business
Announcing the 2014 Generation Google Scholars!
May 22, 2014
The
Generation Google Scholarship
was established in 2012 to encourage aspiring computer scientists to excel in technology and become active role models and leaders in the field. Every year, high school seniors from underrepresented groups in technology who have demonstrated a passion for computer science, technical aptitude, academic achievements, and leadership amongst their peers are selected as recipients of this scholarship. This year, we have expanded the brand of our Generation Google scholarship to include undergraduate and graduate students!
2013 Scholars' Retreat
We are excited announce the 2014 Generation Google Scholars, along with the universities they attend:
Abril Vela, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor*
Alexandria Vail, North Carolina State University
Alisha Saxena, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Ama Koranteng, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Anushree Dugar, Wellesley College*
Asaeli Matelau, University of Utah
Aswini Krishnan, Univeristy of California, San Diego*
Christine Yang, University of Texas at Austin*
Cindy Yu, Stanford University*
Danielle Okezie, Havard College*
Delia Bullock, Columbia University in New York City*
Eliana Lorch, Minerva Schools at KGI*
Frank Ibem, Texas Tech University
Heitor Castro, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeanine Pearson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Joe Fletcher, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Jordan Kunzika, Dartmouth College
Joshua Thomas, Dartmouth College
Karia Dibert, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Katherine Muhlrad, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Liezl Puzon, Stanford University*
Liqi Xu, University Of Wisconsin - Madison
Marcelo Rioja, University of California, Los Angeles
Maria Pospelova, Carleton University
Marvin Andujar, Clemson University
Marynel Vazquez, Carnegie Mellon University
Matthew Tesfalul, Harvard University*
Megha Srivastava, Stanford University*
Michelle Collins, Georgia Institute of Technology
Shailee Samar, Harvey Mudd College*
Simone Smarr, Spelman College
TianYi Ma, Queen’s University*
Vaughan Nickerson, Georgia Institute of Technology
Veronica Gunn, University of Texas at Austin*
William Lopez-Cordero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
Yekaterina Kharitonova, University of Arizona
*University they will attend in Fall 2014
2013 Computer Science Summer Institute
All scholars will receive a $10,000 (USD) or $5,000 (CAD) award. Current university students will attend the Google Scholars’ Retreat in Mountain View, where they will have an opportunity to attend tech talks, network with other scholars and Googlers, participate in developmental activities and sessions, and attend social activities. Scholars will also participate in a hackathon to create projects related to STEM education and collaborate on ways to actively promote computer science to other underrepresented students in technology.
Current high school seniors will be attending Google’s
Computer Science Summer Institute
this summer, in Mountain View, CA, Cambridge, MA, or in our newest location in Seattle, WA.
Congratulations to this year’s Generation Google scholars, and stay tuned for announcements of our other scholarship recipients in the coming weeks! If you're interested in learning more about our scholarship programs and timelines, please visit our
Google Scholarships page
.
Posted by Azusa Liu, Student Development Programs Specialist
Congratulations to this year’s Google Lime and SVA Scholars!
May 15, 2014
As part of Google's ongoing commitment to advancing computing and technology, we are pleased to provide
scholarships
to encourage students to excel in their studies and become active role models and leaders. We are excited to announce this year’s scholarship recipients from the
Google Lime Scholarship
(in partnership with
Lime Connect
) and
Google SVA Scholarship
(in partnership with
Student Veterans of America
). All scholars have been selected based on their passion for computer science, academic achievement, leadership, and technical accomplishments.
Photo by Robert Fischer, Google Engineer
Below are the list of recipients, along with the universities they attend:
Google Lime Scholarship
Aneesh Pasricha, Amherst College
Eva Schlinger, Carnegie Mellon University
Morgan Ulinski, Columbia University in the City of New York
Trevor Haskell, Fordham University
Dianna Hu, Harvard University
Julien Gascon-Samson, McGill University
Charles Hill, Oregon State University
Kody Dillman, University Of Calgary
Ivan Brugere, University of Illinois at Chicago
Hamid Hamraz, University of Kentucky
William Grussenmeyer, University of Nevada, Reno
Charlie Magnuson, University Of Victoria
Imran Khan, University of Virginia
Google SVA Scholarship
Katheryn Farris, Dartmouth College
William Perry, Norwich University
Peter Zimmerman, Princeton University
David Patrzeba, Rutgers University
Sherry Shi, Stony Brook University
Andrew Gray, University of Florida
Joseph Raetano, University of Tennessee
Gabriel de la Cruz, Washington State University
All scholars will receive a $10,000 (USD) or $5,000 (CAD) award and will attend the Google Scholars’ Retreat at the Google Headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Scholars will have an opportunity to attend tech talks, network with other scholars and Googlers, participate in developmental activities and sessions, and attend social activities. Scholars will also participate in a hackathon to create projects related to STEM education and collaborate on ways to actively promote computer science to other underrepresented students in technology.
Congratulations to this year’s Lime and SVA scholars, and stay tuned for announcements of our other scholarship recipients in the coming weeks! If you're interested in learning more about our scholarship programs, please visit our
Google Scholarships page
.
Posted by Azusa Liu, Student Development Programs Specialist
Build an app to win awesome Google prizes in The AdMob Student App Challenge
November 25, 2013
Are you a student who loves to code or has a great idea for a mobile app? Maybe you’re building one right now. Imagine that one day your app could be seen by millions of users.
You’re invited to take part in The AdMob Student App Challenge, a mobile app contest open exclusively to students around the world. The goal is to build a great app (either Android or iOS), create a revenue stream using AdMob's in-app advertising, and tell us about your experience in a written business report. You can either build the app on your own or form a team of up to five students.
Check out the
YouTube Video
to learn more!
To win the Challenge, you'll need a great app and a good business strategy that focuses on how you manage the project, gain users and leverage AdMob. In the next few weeks we’ll be announcing the respected app industry leaders who’ll be on the judging panel.
We’ve got some awesome prizes if you win: The winning team will receive:
A 7-night trip to San Francisco with spending money, including a trip to the Google headquarters in Mountain View.
The winning app will be featured on the Google Play store and on the Play Store's social channels (certain conditions apply).*
An opportunity to star in your own case study video to tell your story.
A Nexus 7 device for each team member.
As well as one overall winner, there'll be a winner from each of the four global regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific), who'll receive computing devices and an honorary mention on the AdMob website.
The Challenge starts today and you have until March 31, 2014 to build a winning app. Visit the
AdMob website
to learn more and to
register
. The winners will be announced in May 2014.
Follow the
AdMob G+ page
for regular updates and announcements.
*Only apps made available through the Play Store will have an opportunity to be featured. See the
Official Rules
for more details.
Posted by Mike Schipper, Product Marketing, AdMob
Get ready for college with textbooks on Google Play
August 9, 2013
Cross-posted from
Android Official Blog
Heading to college? Be prepared for the typical rites of passage: decorating your dorm room, choosing your classes and buying textbooks. And when it comes to buying textbooks from the campus store, some things never change like long lines, limited supplies and heavy backpacks. Or do they?
Rolling out this week, you can now rent or purchase digital textbooks from the Books section on Google Play. We have a long list of publishing partners, and we’re launching with a comprehensive selection of higher education titles from science and mathematics to history and English, and everything in between.
All your textbooks, anywhere you go
With digital textbooks, there’s no need to worry about which ones you have with you and which ones you left in your dorm room. Because your library is stored in the cloud, you have instant access to the titles you need—when you need them—on your Android tablet, phone, iOS device and on the web. Now an overstuffed backpack is a thing of the past with all your textbooks weighing as much as the device you’re reading them on.
Take great notes, stay organized
With the Google Play Books app, you have convenient tools at hand to make studying simpler and faster. You can instantly search within a textbook for a particular word or phrase, bookmark chapters and pages, highlight and annotate key passages and get quick access to dictionaries, translation tools, Wikipedia and Google search.
Rent and save
Need your textbooks for just a semester or two? You can rent any textbook on Google Play for six months and save up to 80% as compared to buying print textbooks.
Shop for textbooks today on
Google Play
.
Posted by Scott Dougall, Director, Product Management
Giving back in 2011
December 13, 2011
Today, our SVP of
Google.org
, Shona Brown, announced $40 million in Google end-of-year grants, and we’re thrilled to report that nearly $20 million is going toward supporting education—specifically, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and girls’ education.
As a company with computer science at our core, supporting strong STEM programs is in our DNA. We know how important it is to inspire the next generation and introduce students to the possibilities of STEM and CS at a young age. This year, Google.org is funding 15 highly effective STEM programs, including Boston-based
Citizen Schools
and the
D.C. Public Education Fund
(both
100Kin10
partners),
Generating Genius
in the U.K. and
Teach for All
, four organizations that enrich the learning experiences of underserved youth. In total, our grants will provide enhanced STEM education for more than 3 million students.
Our end-of-year giving is also supporting programs that focus on girls’ education, specifically in the developing world. It’s a simple but remarkably powerful fact: give a girl an education and you’ll improve the chances for lifelong success not only for her, but also for her entire family and community. Among others, we’re funding the
African Leadership Academy
, which awards merit scholarships to promising young African women, and the
Afghan Institute of Learning
, which provides literacy classes to women and girls in rural Afghanistan. In total, our funding in this area will educate more than 10,000 girls.
You can see a complete list of education organizations receiving grants
here
(PDF).
Nonprofit organizations play an increasingly crucial role in making sure that vital services reach the people and communities that need them most, and we are thrilled to be able to support the work of so many incredible organizations. In addition to education, Google.org also chose to give to organizations promoting technology for social good and those fighting against modern day slavery. For the complete story of how Google is giving back in 2011, read Shona’s post on the
Official Google Blog
.
Posted by Jordan Bookey, Head of K-12 Education Outreach
New look for Google student job site
October 13, 2011
Today we launched a new version of our
student job site
for the United States, Europe, Middle East and Africa. With the new site layout, we hope to make navigating for job opportunities at Google easier and more intuitive. You can begin your search by selecting your area of interest: technical or sales, general & administrative. You can then select whether you’re interested in full-time roles or internships. Lastly, you can choose your region, or a region where you’d be interested in working. We believe that this process will be much more effective for students, who can now quickly see available opportunities of interest to them.
There’s also more information on the hiring process, programs and scholarships, and what life is like at Google. We hope you like the improvements we’ve made and encourage you to
take a look
around.
Posted by David Santo, People Programs Specialist
Google Map Maker on campus
May 16, 2011
Cross-posted from the
Google Lat Long Blog
As part of the recent
US Map Maker launch
, the Map Maker Community team has begun a series of campus visits across the US.
Our first stop was the University of California at Berkeley, where we gave students and faculty a chance to learn about
Google Map Maker
and work with Map Maker team members in person to map their campus.
Even though the map of Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Campus on Google Maps were already well mapped, students still identified many opportunities to add their local knowledge to the map. Edits included moving location markers, tracing building boundaries, and adding names of campus dorms. The Google Map Maker community team was on site to guide these new mappers and note their thoughtful feedback.
Participants were excited about making corrections and contributions to the map in their area, particularly the
U.C. Berkeley campus
, and seeing the edits they made appear on the monitor that had been set up on the big screen at the front of the room to show
real-time mapping
.
Everyone has local knowledge they can add to the map. Help us make your school look even better! Check out your college campus at mapmaker.google.com and leave your mark on the map by drawing walking paths, adding details to your school's buildings, and more.
For more information on how to get started and to connect with other mappers, check out the
Google Map Maker community forum
. You can also reach out to the Map Maker community team at mapping@google.com.
Happy Mapping!
Posted by Andrew Kornblatt, Map Maker Community Team
Add detail to your campus with Google Map Maker
April 19, 2011
When a visitor asks you for directions to a building at your university, you can probably help them find any location on campus. Students in over
180 countries and regions
around the world have been able to share this knowledge using
Google Map Maker
, a product that lets you add your local expertise for millions of users to see in Google Maps.
With
today’s launch
of Google Map Maker for the United States, we’re excited for students in the U.S. to add that expert campus knowledge to the map and create detailed, up-to-date reflections of their universities. You can mark the academic buildings on your campus, trace the shapes of athletic fields, or move your local coffee shop to the right spot.
To give you an idea of exactly what other students (and alumni) have done with Google Map Maker, this detailed map of IIT in Bombay was created entirely through the contributions of the Map Maker community.
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Now students in the United States can add the same level of detail and comprehensiveness. Even if your campus is mapped out already, you can add paths and shortcuts across campus, or update your favorite local businesses near campus. To confirm the accuracy of user contributions, each edit in Map Maker will be reviewed, and if approved, will then appear on Google Maps within minutes.
To check out real-time mapping examples by users around at world, visit
mapmaker.google.com/pulse
. You can learn more on our
getting started site
, or start mapping now at
mapmaker.google.com
.
Posted by Kaushik Sridharan, Software Engineer
Meet Caltech basketball star and soon-to-be Googler, Ryan Elmquist
April 11, 2011
Today we’re featuring a Q&A with NCAA athlete and future Googler, Ryan Elmquist. Ryan speaks of his experiences at Caltech, his interest in computer science and why he’s excited to work at Google.
Tell us a bit about your background. Where are you from? How did you end up at Caltech?
Ryan Elmquist:
I live in California now, but I’m originally from Woodbury, Minnesota. I went to Caltech because I knew it was going to challenge me academically. I was also excited about continuing to play basketball in college. Finally, getting out of Minnesota into sunny southern California certainly didn’t hurt.
What makes Caltech unique?
RE:
Caltech has a very small student body compared to other similar colleges. It has a really intimate atmosphere, where most of the students know each other and their professors.
Any fun Caltech stories?
RE:
Caltech has several campus wide parties throughout the year. They are all themed and (in true Caltech fashion) built by the students. The themes have ranged from
Tron
to the Wild West (complete with a mechanical bull).
Why did you decide to study computer science?
RE:
The process of breaking down a complex problem into manageable pieces to solve is really fun. I enjoy the projects that we get to work on in class and the fast turn-around when you work on those projects. It’s not possible to see your results almost immediately in many other fields.
What’s been your favorite CS class or class project?
RE:
I took a course on machine learning that involved a project I really enjoyed. We worked on the
Netflix competition
, where we were given a bunch of users’ data and their ratings for various movies. Then we had to use that data to predict their ratings on other movies. It was cool to see the techniques we learned in class translate so well to real world applications.
Any advice for students considering computer science?
RE:
Don’t be discouraged when your programs don’t work the first time; we all have to debug every once in a while. :)
Tell us about playing basketball at Caltech and your recent press whirlwind.
RE:
In the last game of my senior year, we faced a 310 game conference losing streak. While we had won several non-conference games, it had been a while since Caltech had seen success in the conference. With a few seconds left in the game, the score was tied and I was shooting two free throws. Since there was such little time left, these were probably the last shots I’d take in my college basketball career. I made the first free throw, putting us up 46-45, and missed the second. The other team missed a last second desperation shot, and we
won
. After breaking the losing streak, we received hundreds of emails from fans and alumni, and have been interviewed by news reporters across the country. It’s been pretty wild, but I can’t think of a better way to end my basketball career.
How do you use Google products in your daily life?
RE:
I’m a big Gmail user. I use Google Reader to keep up to date on what’s going on in the tech world. Also, having access to Google Maps on my phone has saved me from getting lost while navigating my way through a new city.
What made you want to work at Google?
RE:
Since Google has so many users, the scale at which it operates is intriguing. It’s fun to think about all of the users your work can potentially impact.
Any big plans for post-graduation, before Google? When is your Google start date?
RE:
I’m graduating from Caltech a term early, so I am going to backpack through Europe with a friend. I’ve never been to Europe before, so I’m really excited. My sister is studying abroad in Germany and will be joining us once we get there. I’m joining Google on June 20th.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
RE:
Don’t give up! I think breaking a 310 game losing streak has shown that it’s worthwhile to persevere!
Google Code University goes back to school
September 15, 2010
Fall is on the way — the leaves are changing, college football is in full swing and you're probably already knee-deep in schedules, new books and assignments. At Google, we're also prepping for back to school with the newest version of
Google Code University
. For the fall we've not only made our online course repository more slick and easier to navigate, but we've added new content and features to help you tackle your CS courses.
Some of the newest updates include:
Google's C++ Course
Android Application Development - Cal Poly
We've also recently added several
Discussion Forums
with topics like web security, Python and C++ where you can ask your fellow students questions, or post interesting articles and resources. We'd also love your input on new course content in our
General Forum
.
Good luck with the new semester!
Posted by Mary Radomile, Education Program Manager
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