Instructors¶
Office Hours
Hi, I’m Matt! I’m a new teaching professor at the Allen school this year. I got an M.S. and two B.S.’s from UCLA, where I studied a combination of computer science, math, and economics. I just taught CSE 121 last quarter! My (relatively small) research background is in programming languages, which I’ve also taught (along with web development, data science & machine learning, and software engineering). My go-to “me” activities are listening to music, reading, and video games; recent favourites include Faye Webster‘s Underdressed at the Symphony, Ted Chiang‘s Exhalation: Stories, and LocalThunk’s Balatro. There’s a lot I’m happy to talk about, from “computer science-y” stuff (e.g. getting involved in open-source or why I love programming languages) to completely unrelated things (like my opinions on rap producer tags). Don’t be a stranger!
Note: my second Wednesday office hour is a “drop-in” for all UW students, which includes both you and anybody else!
Teaching Assistants¶
Andy Ruan he/him/his
Quiz Section: AC
Hi, my name is Andy and I’m a sophomore studying CS. This is my 3rd quarter TAing and I’m really excited to meet you all! In my free time, I love playing Frisbee, doing calligraphy, singing, and cooking.
Anju Lam she/her
Quiz Section: AL
Hi, I’m Anju! I’m from Malaysia and I’m a senior majoring in Computer Science. Outside of school, I like to bake, watch anime, and hangout with friends. I also really enjoy cafe hopping so hit me up if you want to know some good coffee places! This will be my 10th quarter TAing and I’m super excited to get to know all of you :)
Archit Patankar he/him/his
Quiz Section: AE
Hi everyone, I’m Archit! I’m from Redmond, WA and I’m a third-year student majoring in CS and minoring in entrepreneurship. Aside from school, I love watching, playing and talking sports, whether it be football, basketball, soccer, cricket, or F1. I also love traveling and watching new TV/movies. I’m very excited to be TAing this quarter and hope to be able to meet all of you sometime :)
Arkita Jain she/her
Quiz Section: N/A
Hi everyone, I’m Arkita! I am from the Bay Area, CA and I am a second-year planning on majoring in Informatics. I love to draw, try new coffee shops, and listen to music. I’m super excited to be TAing again this quarter and am really looking forward to meeting everyone!!!
Autumn Rhee she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AK
Hi, I’m Autumn! I’m a third-year student majoring in Computer Science, and I’m thrilled to be returning as a TA for CSE 121. Outside of classes and coding, I love sampling new foods, walking my dog, and watching the sun set. My favorite season? Probably Winter. Excited to meet all of you soon!
Christian Covarrubias he/him/his
Quiz Section: AJ
Hi everyone, I’m Christian Covarrubias! I am currently a second-year majoring in CS. I’m from Mukilteo, WA and this is my third quarter being a 121 TA! Outside of class I enjoy playing video games, watching sports, and listening to music! I am super excited to meet everyone and ready to have an amazing quarter together!
Hannah Hempstead she/her
Quiz Section: AF
Hi! My name is Hannah and I’m majoring in computer science. I’m super excited to be a TA this quarter and meet you all! Outside of classes I like to hang out with my friends, be outdoors, and eat popcorn. I also really like fish (both looking at and eating). Feel free to reach out anytime – I can’t wait to get started :)
Hannah Swoffer she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AG
Hi, I’m Hannah! I’m a junior from Snoqualmie, WA, and I am a math major. In my free time, I like binge-watching tv shows with my roommates, reading cheesy romance books, and playing racket sports. I also love corgis. Please reach out if you ever want to chat about life or anything!
Heather super cool Coneybeer she/her
Quiz Section: AF
Hey hey folks! I’m Heather, I’m a sophomore, and I’m delighted to be your TA this quarter! I quite enjoy playing video games (especially those that have some kind of simulated ecosystem) and I paint from time to time. Please please please reach out if you have any questions at all - I won’t bite!
Hibbah Khan she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AH
Hi! I’m Hibbah, I grew up in Lynnwood WA and am majoring in Computer Science. Outside of school, I enjoy reading (I would love any book suggestions!), baking, and listening to music. I look forward to meeting everyone this quarter!
Janvi Jagtap she/her
Quiz Section: AB
Hey guys I’m Janvi!! I’m a sophomore majoring in Computer Science from Woodinville WA and this is my 3rd quarter being a 121 TA. I am a big Seattle sports fan especially football can talk about that one for days and I absolutely love travelling and anything outdoorsy (please talk to me about any fun places you’ve been to or yummy food places). I am so so excited to meet and work with everyone this quarter :)))
Jessie Xu she/her
Quiz Section: AD
Hi, I’m Jessie! I’m a third-year studying CS, and am super excited to be TAing 121 this quarter. In my free time, I like to bake, go on hikes, and draw stick figures. Looking forward to getting to know you all!
Jonus Li he/him/his
Quiz Section: AE
Hey everyone, I’m Jonus and I’m a senior CS student. This is my 6th time being a 121 TA and I’m super excited to work with you and have a wonderful quarter together. Other than school, I love to spend my time exploring all kinds of music, walking around in nice parks, and doing sports like basketball. Looking forward to getting to know y’all in the sections! :)
Julia Kharchenko she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AG
Hi everyone !! I’m so excited to be here)) I’m going into my junior year in CS and Info and am really passionate about working to develop NLP in Slavic languages, especially Ukrainian! I’m always free to talk about anything, from cool CS topics to Eurovision) I can’t wait to get to know all of you throughout the quarter! :-) (P.S. I’m always down for cat photos and Eurovision rants sent to my email too..Cha Cha Cha should have won…)
Luke Liu he/him
Quiz Section: AS
Hey guys! I’m a junior studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. During my free time I like to visit new food spots with my friends and sleep! I’m looking forward to meeting all of you guys and I hope this quarter treats you well :)
Maria Protogerou
Quiz Section: AN
Hi all! My name is Maria and I am a sophomore studying applied math. This is my third time being a CSE 121 TA! In my free time, I enjoy listening to music and collecting vinyls, being in nature, and spending time with my two adorable cats (Leo is pictured). I am excited to be your TA this quarter and look forward to meeting you all! Do not hesitate to reach out to me at mproto@uw.edu. :)
Mia Onodera she/her/hers
Quiz Section: N/A
Hi everyone, I’m Mia! I’m currently a Junior studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. Outside of classes, I enjoy weightlifting, reading manga, and baking.
I am excited to meet everyone in person! If you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to email me anytime.
Ritesh Kanchi he/him/his
Quiz Section: AD
Hi all, I’m Ritesh. I’m a second year studying Computer Science. In my free time, I like playing board games, watching movies, and hanging out with my dogs. Really excited to meet you all!
Shayna she/her
Quiz Section: AM
Hi everyone, I’m Shayna! I am currently a second-year planning to major in informatics. I enjoy playing basketball, going out with friends, and going to the beach in my free time! This will be my third quarter TAing for CSE 121, and I am excited to meet you all!
Simon Wu he/they
Quiz Section: AQ
Hey everyone! I’m Simon (he/they), and I’m a fourth year at UW double majoring in American Ethnic Studies and Computer Science. In my spare time, I like to swim, cook, play games, and listen to music. Excited to meet everyone this quarter!
Trey Adams
Quiz Section: AS
Hey everyone I’m Trey! I grew up in Steilacoom, WA and I’m a sophomore. This is my 3rd quarter TAing! I like coding (crazy ik), but in my free time I like reading, weightlifting, and playing video games. This is gonna be an awesome quarter lets have some fun!
Vidhi Jain she/her
Quiz Section: AA
Hi everyone, I am Vidhi! I am currently a senior majoring in Computer Science. I was born in India and moved to Seattle in 2012. I love the rainy and cold weather of Seattle. :)) I have been a TA for this course multiple times! Outside of college, I enjoy watching new TV shows, spending time with my family and friends, and exploring new food places, especially cafes (always open to new suggestions :)). I am excited and looking forward to meeting and working with everyone!!
Vivian Wang she/her/hers
Quiz Section: AH
Hi everyone, I’m Vivian! I am currently a third year Electrical and Computer Engineering student. While I was born in Highland Park, Illinois, I’ve spent most of my life in Portland, Oregon. In my free time, I enjoy reading books, swimming, and painting. I also love traveling and going on long walks. I am so excited to be your CSE 121 TA this quarter! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need support. I look forward to meeting you all :)
Getting Help¶
Having questions or getting stuck on something is entirely expected in the learning process. If you find something challenging with your studies, that is a sign you are learning! Learning is not something that you need to do alone though! In fact, connecting with your peers or asking a member of the course staff for help can add extreme depth to your knowledge.
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Synchronous Help (Office Hours): One place to go to get help is our Office Hours hosted throughout the week. TAs staff office hours for many hours a day to provide you the help you need when you need it! This is a great place to go if you want to review a particular course concept, work on a practice problem with the help of a TA or your peers, or get help on a Creative Project or Programming Assignment if you are running into difficulties.
Tip
A common misconception is that you can only go to office hours with specific homework questions. That is not true! If you have any questions about course concepts (e.g., from class that day), you are super encouraged to go work on that concept with a member of the course staff at office hours! Getting help with a concept earlier, when you first are feeling unsure, is much better than saving it until you need it on the homework.
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Asynchronous Help (Ed Discussion): With a class of our size, directly emailing a member of the course staff is not always recommended. There are many of you and only few of us, so if you email one person directly we can’t make a guarantee how quickly we can respond! To alleviate this one-on-one communication of email, we have a course discussion board that will be a much more lively place for discussion and a way to make sure you can are helped more quickly. The message board is set up so that all of the course staff can help you, which will make it more likely for you to receive a quicker response!
Ed Tips
- If you are asking a general question about the course logistics or content, you can make a public post. This way other students can benefit from seeing your question, and you can even answer each other’s questions to share your perspectives!
- If you want, you can choose to post anonymously so that other students in the course can’t see your name. Note that anonymous posting does not hide your identity from the course staff.
- You’re encouraged to answer each other’s questions as well! Explaining a topic to someone else (even on a discussion board) is a great way to help you better understand the material. The course staff will still look over student answers and can nicely point out some misconception if there is one so that everyone benefits.
- If you have a question that’s pretty specific to your homework solution, or, is about some personal details that you would not want to share with the class (e.g., DRS accommodations), you can make a private post on Ed that is only visible to the course staff. This way, any member of the staff can respond to get you the help you need!
- For sensitive matters that you only want to discuss with Matt, you can instead email Matt if that makes you feel more comfortable. Note that the response time for the instructors’ email is longer than posting on the Ed board.
- If you are asking a general question about the course logistics or content, you can make a public post. This way other students can benefit from seeing your question, and you can even answer each other’s questions to share your perspectives!