Exploration Sessions

Exploration session time/place: Mondays, 4:30-5:20 in EEB125

Each week we will offer a different opportunity to explore extra topics in computer science with one of our TAs. You will accumulate one "exploration point" for each week that you attend the lecture. At the end of the quarter, your total exploration points will be divided by 3 and will be added to your homework points. There will be 166 homework points total, so this isn't adding a lot to your potential score. As an example, if you were to participate in 3 exploration sessions, you would have 1 point added to your homework points, which is like getting one more point on a weekly programming assignment. The idea is to give people a small reward, but not something that is so large that people feel obligated to participate in these optional sessions.

Week 7: Game Programming; Aaron Nech - Monday, December 2nd

  • While some video games are massive projects, developed by hundreds of engineers, many of the most popularly played video games are quite simple under the hood. Come learn the basics of how to make a video game!

    This session will be led by our very own Aaron Nech, a current TA for CSE 142.

Week 6: Computer Security; Karl Koscher - Monday, November 25

  • With more and more data being stored in the cloud, and more and more devices leveraging embedded computer devices, security continues to be one of the important and engaging topics in computer science. Come learn a little about cross-site scripting, smashing the stack, and being in the security mindset.

    Guest speaker is Karl Koscher, a graduate student in the Security Lab here at University of Washington.

Week 5: Robotics; Maya Cakmak - Monday, November 18

  • Robots are used in everything from manufacturing to medical science. Come hear a little about what's happening in the UW Robotics lab!

    Guest speaker is Maya Cakmak, an Assistant Professor and researcher in Robotics here at University of Washington.

Week 4: No Session: Veterans Day - Monday, November 11

Week 3: The Web, and Web Programming - Monday, November 4 from 4:30-5:20 in EEB125

  • Many computer scientists work on "front-end" web applications: applications that involve a human user via a web browser. We'll talk about:
    • Browsers and servers -- what the Internet is
    • HTML/CSS -- the content and style of a webpage
    • Javascript, PHP -- programming languages used to create web applications

Week 2: Seattle's Startup Ecosystem - Monday, October 28 from 4:30-5:20 in EEB125

  • Seattle has been home to some of the most successful tech startups. Iconic giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Expedia all found their beginning here in Seattle. We'll talk about:
    • The lifecycle of a tech startup
    • The high tech 'ecosystem'
    • New startups and organizations in the Seattle area

Week 1: The Industry (Amazon.com) - Monday, October 21 from 4:30-5:20 in EEB125

  • Want to hear about what it is like to develop software in the industry? Come hear from a former Amazon.com employee about the day-to-day life of a software engineer. We'll talk about:
    • The types of problems that Amazonians work on
    • Developing software that works at "Amazon scale"
    • Work and life at a large software company
    • Anything else you might have questions about!

The Exploration Sessions will be facilitated (and sometimes led) by former UW CSE student Whitaker Brand. Questions about the course should go to your TA or your instructor, but if you have a question regarding the Exploration Session, he can be reached at whitab (at) cs.washington.edu