Welcome to CSE 351!

  • The most important information throughout the quarter will be found on the (course policies), the (course materials and assignment specs), and the Weekly Calendar (this week's course events).
  • All announcements for this class are made via the (NOT email), so make sure you are enrolled on Ed and checking regularly.
  • Use the menu bar at the top for navigating to other useful tools and references.

Weekly Calendar

Asking Questions & Getting Help

It is very important to us that you succeed in CSE 351! Outside of lectures and sections, there are several ways to ask questions or discuss course issues:

  1. Find a study group! This quarter, all assignments, other than exams, can be completed and submitted in partnerships (labs) or larger groups (reading, homework), allowing you to discuss material, code, and debug together.
  2. Visit support hours! See the Weekly Calendar for current availability, noting that all support hours this quarter will either be in-person or virtual, but not hybrid.
  3. Make a public post about course content on the , where they benefit the whole class. This also allows other students to answer your question so can receive a faster response. This is the best way of asking questions about class-related topics.
  4. Make a private post to just the course staff on the with any issues you would prefer to discuss privately or questions that involve solutions or partial solutions for ongoing assignments.
  5. Request a 1-on-1 using . If you feel like you need extra time, can't make it to support hours, or want to discuss something privately, please feel free to request a 1-on-1 from the staff!
  6. Send to the course staff. The instructor will try to address the issue and share it with others only as appropriate, but will not have a way to reply to you without addressing the whole class.

Course Staff & Mini-Bios (click our faces)

Staff Mini-Bio: Justin
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
Until 2016, I lived my entire life in various parts of the Bay Area (California). I spent 12 years at UC Berkeley getting all my degrees (BS, MS, PhD). Now a CSE Associate Teaching Professor at UW!  😃

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- ultimate frisbee, board games, hiking, camping, singing (a cappella)
- I am decently dexterous with my left hand.
- I can solve a few variants of the Rubik's Cube (I am NOT a speedcuber).

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- So I have this story that involves kayaking, sea lions, a long night on a rock beach, a 🚁, and the coast guard...
- I once 🏃 a marathon. It was long.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- Teaching CSE351
- Taking care of my 👧
- Leading CSE General TA Training
- Fall Mixed Team League (ultimate)

Justin Hsia

(he/him)
jhsia@cs
Lecture A, B
Staff Mini-Bio: Afifah
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Bellevue, WA! I've always wanted to pursue some form of engineering, but was particularly drawn to the broad applications of computer science. I did running start, so CSE351 was one of the first (and most interesting) classes I've taken at UW with its mix of hardware, software, and ethics topics. I'm currently a CS major and pre-law, would love to chat if you're interested in interdiscplinary studies as well!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I love exploring Washington's nature, whether its through hiking or trail runs! I also picked up motorcycling this year :) Other than that, I just enjoy spending time with friends.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I ziplined off a skyscraper in Dubai this July!

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking machine learning (CSE 446) and data visualization (CSE 442) and would love any suggestions for fall hikes!

Afifah Kashif

(she/her)
afifahk@uw
Section AB/CB
Staff Mini-Bio: Bhavik
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up in Kirkland. Some locals may be familiar, so I’ve specifically been to Ben Rush, Rose Hill, and Juanita. My computer science journey started at the age of 3… kidding. I wasn’t particularly interested in coding until I started playing around with it in high school. I’ve had an amazing first year taking CS courses at UW and I took 351 sp23. The labs easily made this my favorite course so far.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- Hiking, scrabble, and squash are things I like to do frequently.
- I used to play a little too much, and ended up getting good at minecraft bridging.
- Don't play anymore, but my pinnacle piano piece was Unravel (animenz arrangement 😈).
- Picked up the guitar recently and I can kind of play!

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I have some monkeytype records I'm proud of, if anyone wants to try and beat them: 222 on 10 word and 190 on the 15 second. I used to type 80 wpm, so hitting these this June was incredibly memorable.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- edgi eltsnetugk fifitisnhi Smopdn
- I am taking 332 and 312.

Bhavik Soni

(he/him)
bsoni@cs
Section AG/CG
Staff Mini-Bio: Cassandra
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Kennewick, WA! This is my third year at UW. I wasn't really set on a major when I first got here, but through classes and extracurriculars, I started getting super excited about electrical engineering. I'm especially interested in embedded systems, which taking this class definitely contributed to.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I like drawing, baking, sewing, and looking at plants and water.
- I can also do some pretty decent Photoshopping.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I saw a very nice beaver swimming in the river one time!

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'll be taking EE 233/469 and helping with some lab projects.

Cassandra Lam

(she/her)
cdyl@uw
Section AB/CB
Staff Mini-Bio: Connie
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up near Seattle. I was always very STEM oriented and I even wanted to be a software engineer in fifth grade. However, I ended up not taking it too seriously until I took APCSA in my senior year of high school and eventually realized how much I enjoy creating via code. I took CSE 351 last Autumn, and despite thinking I'd never be interested in lower-level topics, it became one of my favorite classes.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
Bouldering, running, reading, painting, driving long distances, doing my nails, hiking, and browsing Pinterest.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
I was a gymnast for over 10 years. It constantly pushed me to my limits but I learned a lot about myself in all aspects.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
cse 427, cse 442, cse 340, TAing, job hunting, tutoring, editing college essays, and self-care.

Connie Chen

(she/her)
cchen16@cs
Section BB/DB
Staff Mini-Bio: David
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up in Bellevue, Washington, and I was mainly interested in Math and finding its applications in CS. Before I took cse351, I considered myself more theory oriented, but this class showed me that finding out how software and hardware blend together is extremely exciting as well. Right now I am a CS, Math double major.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
I've played in orchestra from 5th grade through highschool. I mainly played viola, but also picked up violin and piano along the way. Aside from music, I also play badminton.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
During the year when I switched to violin for my orchestra, I was able to become the concert master for a quarter!

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
Aside from TAing, I will be taking Data center systems and security. I will also try to play more badminton.

David Dai

(he/him)
kun02@cs
Section BA/DA
Staff Mini-Bio: Dawit
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I was born and raised in the Seattle area my whole life. My interest in computer science stemmed from taking a lot of math classes in high school. After taking my first programming class my junior year of high school, I decided that computer science was something I wanted to try out. I found CSE 351 to be one of the more interesting courses that I've taken so far, which led me to TAing this course!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- Going on walks/runs is something I picked up this summer, and I found it to be a great de-stresser. I really enjoy going to sporting events; I'll definitely need to see the Huskies beat Oregon this year :-).
- Although I don't play video games as often anymore, I'll usually be playing Super Smash Bros Ultimate with friends (and routinely be last place or second-to-last place) or Destiny 2. HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I went ziplining for the first time last summer! It's safe to say that I'm still scared of heights.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- TAing this course!
- Taking CSE 451 (Operating Systems) and CSE 442 (Data Visualization)
- Currently a part of Washington Hyperloop as a part of the controls team

Dawit Hailu

(he/him)
dhailu7@cs
Section BC/DC
Staff Mini-Bio: Ellis
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up in LA and moved to Seattle for college. I started taking an interest in programming when I did robotics in middle school, but I didn't take it seriously until high school, when I had some teachers that really inspired me. I graduated from undergrad in the spring and am currently a master's student with a research focus on computer systems and CS education.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I like all kinds of games (board games, video games, card games). My all-time favorite is Hollow Knight. I'm also a big fan of metal music, I play French horn in various UW ensembles, and I like to knit sometimes

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I got to play with Seattle Symphony my freshman year at UW!

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- Taking OS and security, playing French horn, and job-hunting for next year T_T

Ellis Haker

(he/him)
ehaker1@uw
Section AA/CA
Staff Mini-Bio: Eyoel
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I was born in Ethiopia but moved to the Seattle area when I was 5. Ever since then, I've moved around the Kent/Renton area most of my life. I went to Kentridge high school and also did running start at Green River College. I'm now entering my second year at UW!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- Recently I've been trying to start reading books consistently again. I used to read a decent amount but stopped being consistent about 6 years ago. Other than that I also like to game casually (open-world story games and some more competitive stuff like overwatch). I also like to just hang out with friends and family when I get the time.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I recently visited LA and was able to go surfing for the first time in the Pacific coast :)
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I will be taking CSE 446, CSE 333, and ECON 200. I will also be an executive officer for the com2 student group in the Allen school. Other than that I'll also be trying to get involved in research and internship hunting!

Eyoel Gebre

(he/him)
eyoel23@uw
Section BA/DA
Staff Mini-Bio: Joshua
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in California and moved to Washington in middle school. I enjoyed taking math and computer science classes in high school. I did some personal projects to learn more about computer science and did a startup with some friends last year. I am excited to be back in school and am applying to Foster School of Business in the Fall.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I enjoy playing different sports. I played soccer and volleyball when I was young and did tennis in high school. I recently got into golf and pickleball. I am excited to start skiing once it opens.
- Another hobby is playing the One Piece Card Game. I compete in local tournaments and will be competing in Nationals early next year.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I went skydiving last winter and it was an exciting experience. I would like to jump from a higher altitude next time.
- Another memorable experience was serving two years of National Serivce in Singapore after high school. I learned a lot living in another country by myself and met a lot of different people from all walks of life.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I will be taking CSE 344 and CSE 331.

Joshua Tan

(he/him)
joshtan2@uw
Section AH/CH
Staff Mini-Bio: Malak
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Jordan! Moved to the US about 6 years ago. I was initially interested in biochem but my first year at UW I took the CS intro series and it felt much more fullfilling to go down this path :) Now I'm a third year CS student

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I love escape rooms and have recently discovered board game equivalents of escape rooms that I've been spending way too much money on but they're so insanely fun!
- I'm also fluent in Arabic and enjoy weightlifting and binging shows :)

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- Moving half way across the world is pretty memorable, all the cultural shocks!
- I put too much time into playing competitive valorant, got a pretty high rank and competed in some tournaments and won one! Pretty fun stuff

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- Landing an internship for next summer is gonna be my biggest commitment T-T (pray for me) Besides that I'm taking CSE473 intro to AI which is super exciting!

Malak Zaki

(she/her)
mzaki@uw
Section AC/CC
Staff Mini-Bio: Naama
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up near Tel Aviv and moved to Sunnyvale, CA at age ten; I then moved to Redmond, WA right before the start of high school. I took an intro to CS class in my first high school semester and fell in love with it, so I took two AP CS classes before graduating in 2021. I am now a third year CS student here at UW.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- Aside from programming, I also do a bit of art in my spare time. I used to paint with acrylics, but now I mostly work digitally in Procreate. It’s so much fun to work with a different part of my brain for a bit!
- I also love playing video games both solo and with friends. My favorite game right now is probably Hades.
- I’m bilingual (Hebrew and English, though I think my English is better than my Hebrew at this point…)

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I donated ten inches of my hair last spring! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.
- I got to travel a lot over the years and have been to over ten countries. My favorite travel experience is a science trip to Iceland I took when I was in high school.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- Being a TA for this class :)
- Taking CSE 344 (Data Management) and CSE 401 (Compilers), as well as a writing credit.
- On the internship hunt!

Naama Amiel

(she/her)
namiel@uw
Section AC/CC
Staff Mini-Bio: Nayha
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up in Sammamish, WA. I have always been interested in math and logic, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do in college. After taking AP Computer Science and joining a Girls Who Code club in high school, I decided to apply to the Computer Science major at UW. I graduated with a BS in Computer Science and a minor in Neural Computation & Engineering in March 2022, and I am currently a master's student in Computer Science in the BSMS program, with a research focus in NLP and its applications to accessibility.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
I love running and hiking and other outdoorsy activities! I also play piano, and I'm learning to play guitar.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
I climbed a 160 foot Brazil nut tree in the Amazon Rainforest, and I've seen the aurora borealis! I'm also a Husky 100 awardee.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
I'll be taking CSE M 553 (Datacenters) and CSE M 501 (Compilers). I'm also preparing to move to the bay area for a full time role at Netflix after I graduate this quarter! Additionally, I'll be leading an RSO I founded a few years ago called Ability, focused on disability community and accessibility awareness (lmk if you're interested in joining :) !).

Nayha Auradkar

(she/her)
nayhaa@cs
Section AD/CD, BB/DB
Staff Mini-Bio: Nikolas
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I come from Renton, Washington and have been familiar with the Seattle area since I was little. I was in the running start program for 2 years at Bellevue College before coming to UW, where I am in my second year of undergrad and first quarter of being a TA. Last year I took CSE 351, and I still think it’s my favorite CSE class I've ever taken!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
-I enjoy reading loooong sci-fi fantasy epics. The Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive are a couple of my favorites.
-When it comes to physical activity, I'm an avid runner – it's an activity where I can focus solely on my own mind and growth.
-My favorite games to play are 4X strategy games.
-I don’t really think so, but I’ve been told I am good at making impressions and sound effects with my voice.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
When my brother and I were little, we got our hands on a bottle of baby powder and poured it down the vent in our living room while it was blowing. The resulting fog and thin layer of film covering everything in the room was not taken lightly by our parents, and us hiding under our beds did not save us from the massive cleanup we had to do.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
-TA-ing for this class!
-Taking CSE 333, CSE 344, LING 200
-Prepping Advanced Robotics UW to win its 4th competition in a row.

Nikolas McNamee

(he/him)
mcnanik@uw
Section AE/CE
Staff Mini-Bio: Pedro
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

- I moved to the US for UW to pursue a education in CS

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I'm into radical sports such as climbing, skydiving and surfing!

- I like studying languages too, recently I have been focused on improving my french.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- Getting into UW and getting my AFF skydiving certificaiton are probably the two most notable things I have done

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- Besides TAing 351, I'm also working for LabsLand/RHLAB, and taking computer security!

Pedro Amarante

(he/him)
pedroa2@cs
Section AE/CE, BC/DC
Staff Mini-Bio: Renee
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up near Seattle, WA. I enjoyed math in high school and took my first computer science class (APCS) in my last year of HS. From there, I started a few personal projects, and found myself drawn to the problem-solving aspect of computer science.
When I took CSE 351 last winter, I enjoyed both the technical and socio-technical content introduced in the course. Personally, one of the most challenging yet most interesting aspects of this course was how it jumped between many so levels of abstraction--from the specifics of how hardware and software fit together to how computers operate at a high level, and even broader yet, how computers and society interact with one another.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I enjoy exploring the PNW outdoors! Hiking is always fun. I made a day trip to Mt. Rainier this summer and it was super memorable.
- I love to do work in cafes and soak in the soft, soothing ambiance while sipping on a warm oat milk latte.
- Another old hobby I have is speedsolving the Rubik's Cube. I stopped practicing but used to solve it in 20 seconds!

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
Thinking back over the past few years, my most remarkable memory is probably working at MOD Pizza the summer before I started college. I met so many people with backgrounds and stories I will never forget, and whom I probably would never have met had I never worked at MOD.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
I will be taking CSE 333 and CSE 421.

Renee Ruan

(she/her)
rruan7@cs
Section AH/CH, BD/DD
Staff Mini-Bio: Simran
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Sammamish, WA. Math was always my favorite subject. I was introduced to CS through taking AP CSP my freshman year of high school, and I loved it. Currently, I am a second year at UW majoring in CS. CSE 351 was the first class I took at UW, and it was extremely fun and rewarding!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- In my free time, I love crocheting, watching a good thriller web series, reading, playing badminton, or spending time with my friends and family.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- Recently, I visited Norway, where we got to see the Northern Lights! It truly felt magical and was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- Aside from TA'ing 351, I am taking CSE 446 and CSE 331. I am also a high school math tutor, which keeps me busy in the evenings

Simran Bagaria

(she/her)
sbagaria@uw
Section AD/CD
Staff Mini-Bio: Will
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
I grew up in Kenmore, WA! I graduated from Inglemoor High School in 2015, so I am a little older than most of my cohort at age 26. After a few years of working at various jobs, I decided to go to Edmonds College for computer science, and eventually transferred here to UW.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
I really like playing basketball! I don't think I have any notable talents or skills, so I'll give a cop out answer and say that I am good at gathering up the courage to try new things, even if they are intimidating.

HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
When I worked as a control's engineer, a co-worker and I developed an application on an HMI that allowed users to play tic-tac-toe against a robot arm! We got to show it off at the Boston Robotics Summit & Expo and it was surreal having a booth across from Spot the robot dog.

WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
Besides my TA responsibilities, I am taking Distributed Systems and Programming Languages, as well as ASL101 so I can start taking care of my foreign language credit.

Will Robertson

(he/him)
willruw@cs
Section AG/CG

Acknowledgements

Many of the materials posted here were shared and refined by many staff members in previous offerings of CSE 351. This version of the course was significantly influenced by Gaetano Boriello, Ruth Anderson, and Mara Kirdani-Ryan.

This website is derived from simple-courseweb-template, maintained by the CSE Lab and originally written by Xi Wang. The calendaring code was originally written by Adam Blank in 2017 for their common-course project and updated by Aaron Johnston in 19su.

Though we cannot list them all, we are also extremely grateful for the contributions of countless TAs and students who have given feedback and improved CSE 351 from quarter to quarter.