Welcome to CSE 351!
- The most important information throughout the quarter will be found on the (course policies), the (lecture materials and assignment specs), and the (readings and polls). .
- 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.
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:
- 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.
- Visit support hours! See our weekly . Note that all support hours this quarter will either be in-person or virtual, but not hybrid.
- 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.
- 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.
- Request a 1-on-1 using a private post on the 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!
- 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
Staff Mini-Bio: Hannah
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I've spent my entire life in the Seattle area. CSE 142 was the first time I programmed!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I've been learning about supporting PNW native plants and building healthy ecosystems. Ask me about the dumb names that I've assigned to my favorite plants in my garden!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I spent ~17 years as a software engineer before returning to UW CSE to teach. Mostly, I just wrote a lot of buggy (and buggily costly) code
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- This is my first time teaching CSE 351! I am soooo excited, because I love software systems
- I've spent my entire life in the Seattle area. CSE 142 was the first time I programmed!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I've been learning about supporting PNW native plants and building healthy ecosystems. Ask me about the dumb names that I've assigned to my favorite plants in my garden!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I spent ~17 years as a software engineer before returning to UW CSE to teach. Mostly, I just wrote a lot of buggy (and buggily costly) code
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- This is my first time teaching CSE 351! I am soooo excited, because I love software systems
Hannah C. Tang
(she/her)
hctang@cs
Lecture
Staff Mini-Bio: Alan
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I was born and raised in Renton, WA! My journey into computing likely started when I spent hours playing the space pinball game on Windows XP, and countless hours of other computer games after that. I discovered programming and computer science when I took my first robotics course in high school, which opened the door for me to apply my typing skills into an actual field of study. Who knew video games could lead me here? 👾
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I'm a lifelong gamer--Minecraft, CS, Pokemon, Mega Man, Civilization, Geometry Dash--I've played nearly every genre. I love swimming, playing tennis, hiking in new places, and camping. I'm also trying to learn new languages to travel the world someday. It may sound corny but I always enjoy challenging myself and trying new things.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- Anything ocean related. I once saw a sky full of stars for the first time walking along the WA coast. I've gone crabbing in the Puget Sound and pulled up giant pots full of crab. Saw whales and boated alongside dolphins along the CA coast. And I'll never forget seeing the gorgeous beach sunset on the Big Island in HI.
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking CSE 484 and a few other courses, TAing (obviously), working out, and prepping for interviews. Wish me luck! :)
- I was born and raised in Renton, WA! My journey into computing likely started when I spent hours playing the space pinball game on Windows XP, and countless hours of other computer games after that. I discovered programming and computer science when I took my first robotics course in high school, which opened the door for me to apply my typing skills into an actual field of study. Who knew video games could lead me here? 👾
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I'm a lifelong gamer--Minecraft, CS, Pokemon, Mega Man, Civilization, Geometry Dash--I've played nearly every genre. I love swimming, playing tennis, hiking in new places, and camping. I'm also trying to learn new languages to travel the world someday. It may sound corny but I always enjoy challenging myself and trying new things.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- Anything ocean related. I once saw a sky full of stars for the first time walking along the WA coast. I've gone crabbing in the Puget Sound and pulled up giant pots full of crab. Saw whales and boated alongside dolphins along the CA coast. And I'll never forget seeing the gorgeous beach sunset on the Big Island in HI.
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking CSE 484 and a few other courses, TAing (obviously), working out, and prepping for interviews. Wish me luck! :)
Alan Ly
(he/him)
alanly@uw
Section AE
Staff Mini-Bio: Chendur
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Bothell, WA. Since I was a little kid, I was very interested in Math, doing math competitions such as AMC. However, when I took my first computer science class, I realized how much further I could take my math and logic skills in computer science. I am now a second year here as an undergrad. I have developed a love for teaching before coming into undergrad, and I want pursue a career in CSE Education sometime down the road while developing valuable technical skills through UW CSE!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I play tennis and the piano! I also solve Rubik's cubes and tutor high school students in my free time!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I've reached over 2 million views on my TikTok (@chenthetutor) on photos that displayed all my 5s on 15 AP Exams 😂
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking Machine Learning this quarter (pray for me 😭). I'm also part of UW's Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures as a Web Development Intern for the Svoboda Diaries Project.
- I grew up in Bothell, WA. Since I was a little kid, I was very interested in Math, doing math competitions such as AMC. However, when I took my first computer science class, I realized how much further I could take my math and logic skills in computer science. I am now a second year here as an undergrad. I have developed a love for teaching before coming into undergrad, and I want pursue a career in CSE Education sometime down the road while developing valuable technical skills through UW CSE!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I play tennis and the piano! I also solve Rubik's cubes and tutor high school students in my free time!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I've reached over 2 million views on my TikTok (@chenthetutor) on photos that displayed all my 5s on 15 AP Exams 😂
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking Machine Learning this quarter (pray for me 😭). I'm also part of UW's Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures as a Web Development Intern for the Svoboda Diaries Project.
Chendur Jayavelu
(he/him)
chendurj@cs
Section AB
Staff Mini-Bio: Chetan
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Bellevue including high school where I did running start at Bellevue College. I am currently a sophomore at UW majoring in Computer Science and Finance.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I recently started skiing, something I did a lot during winter break. I also enjoy watching sports, cooking, and reading even though I haven't had time recently.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I studied abroad over the summer in Rome!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- My main commitment this quarter will be teaching this class!
- I grew up in Bellevue including high school where I did running start at Bellevue College. I am currently a sophomore at UW majoring in Computer Science and Finance.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I recently started skiing, something I did a lot during winter break. I also enjoy watching sports, cooking, and reading even though I haven't had time recently.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I studied abroad over the summer in Rome!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- My main commitment this quarter will be teaching this class!
Chetan Sidhu
(he/him)
chetan7@uw
Section AA
Staff Mini-Bio: Chloe
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- 🏠🌳🏫🎒💻🎓
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- 🎂🍪🌶️🍽️🧑🍳😴📺🎶💃
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- ☀️🌑🕶️🤯
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- 🏫🎒📚🖥️🧑💻🧑🏫🔬🎃
- 🏠🌳🏫🎒💻🎓
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- 🎂🍪🌶️🍽️🧑🍳😴📺🎶💃
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- ☀️🌑🕶️🤯
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- 🏫🎒📚🖥️🧑💻🧑🏫🔬🎃
Chloe Fong
(she/her)
cf2024@uw
Section AD
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 in 22Au, and despite thinking I'd never be interested in lower-level topics, it became one of my favorite classes. This is my third time TAing for 351!
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 studied abroad in Italy this past Spring!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
cse 484, cse 440, TAing, job hunting, reading, and self-care.
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 in 22Au, and despite thinking I'd never be interested in lower-level topics, it became one of my favorite classes. This is my third time TAing for 351!
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 studied abroad in Italy this past Spring!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
cse 484, cse 440, TAing, job hunting, reading, and self-care.
Connie Chen
(she/her)
cchen16@cs
Section AC
Staff Mini-Bio: Josh
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I moved from Singapore and grew up in California. I moved to Washington in middle school and went back to Singapore for military service. I took some math classes in high school and enjoyed it. I took a computer science class in high school and really liked the concepts which got me interested in this field.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I love playing sports and recently got into bouldering. I play tennis and learning to play golf. I also play the One Piece card game.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I went skydiving in Hawaii.
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- CSE 455: Computer Vision
- I moved from Singapore and grew up in California. I moved to Washington in middle school and went back to Singapore for military service. I took some math classes in high school and enjoyed it. I took a computer science class in high school and really liked the concepts which got me interested in this field.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I love playing sports and recently got into bouldering. I play tennis and learning to play golf. I also play the One Piece card game.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I went skydiving in Hawaii.
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- CSE 455: Computer Vision
Josh Tan
(he/him)
joshtan2@cs
Section AE
Staff Mini-Bio: Marcin
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Redmond, but my extended family is from Poland. I got interested in programming after playing around on Scratch.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I can juggle 5 balls, solve a Rubik's cube in 60 seconds, and design PCBs. My favorite programming language is Rust.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- In total, I spent over 30 days backpacking with the YMCA in North Cascades National Park and Olympic National Park.
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I help build and fly remote-controlled airplanes at Husky Flying Club's Drone Team. I commute to UW by bus from Redmond.
- I grew up in Redmond, but my extended family is from Poland. I got interested in programming after playing around on Scratch.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I can juggle 5 balls, solve a Rubik's cube in 60 seconds, and design PCBs. My favorite programming language is Rust.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- In total, I spent over 30 days backpacking with the YMCA in North Cascades National Park and Olympic National Park.
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I help build and fly remote-controlled airplanes at Husky Flying Club's Drone Team. I commute to UW by bus from Redmond.
Marcin Anforowicz
(he/him)
manfor@cs
Section AB
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 fourth-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. Very excited to pick up Hades 2!
- I’m bilingual (Hebrew and English, though my English is definitely better than my Hebrew at this point…)
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I donated ten inches of my hair in the spring of 2023! 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?
- Taking CSE 452 (Distributed Systems), CSE 461 (Networks), and SOC 287 (Sociology of Sexuality)
- Being a TA for this class for the sixth time :)
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 fourth-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. Very excited to pick up Hades 2!
- I’m bilingual (Hebrew and English, though my English is definitely better than my Hebrew at this point…)
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I donated ten inches of my hair in the spring of 2023! 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?
- Taking CSE 452 (Distributed Systems), CSE 461 (Networks), and SOC 287 (Sociology of Sexuality)
- Being a TA for this class for the sixth time :)
Naama Amiel
(she/her)
namiel@uw
Section AF
Staff Mini-Bio: Neela
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up in Los Gatos, California! Most of my life I wanted NOTHING to do with computer science (I thought it was only for boys), until I accidentally watched a Youtube video about the dark web in high school. I then decided I was going to take a CS class. I found that I was mostly interested in how computers actually worked, so I set out to study computer engineering (specifically architecture) at UIUC. Central Illinois is a cool place but I missed the West Coast so I’m back for my PhD! My research focus is still computer architecture.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- Cooking, baking, yarn/needlework crafts, kickboxing, hiking, shopping, hanging out with my dog.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I got to stand inside the target bay at the National Ignition Facility, where fusion ignition was achieved for the first time in history!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- TA-ing obviously, CSE 567, starting some research, exploring Seattle, and teaching kickboxing!
- I grew up in Los Gatos, California! Most of my life I wanted NOTHING to do with computer science (I thought it was only for boys), until I accidentally watched a Youtube video about the dark web in high school. I then decided I was going to take a CS class. I found that I was mostly interested in how computers actually worked, so I set out to study computer engineering (specifically architecture) at UIUC. Central Illinois is a cool place but I missed the West Coast so I’m back for my PhD! My research focus is still computer architecture.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- Cooking, baking, yarn/needlework crafts, kickboxing, hiking, shopping, hanging out with my dog.
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I got to stand inside the target bay at the National Ignition Facility, where fusion ignition was achieved for the first time in history!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- TA-ing obviously, CSE 567, starting some research, exploring Seattle, and teaching kickboxing!
Neela Kausik
(she/her)
neelak2@cs
Section AC
Staff Mini-Bio: Tiffany
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- I grew up here (Seattle). I entered UW intending to major in MechE or Aero&Astro but discovered I hated statics, so here we are :)
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I enjoy hiking, knitting, and journaling. If you like hiking too, try Ira Spring Trail during Winter!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I used to be heavily involved in an engineering RSO here, called ARUW. We've been the champions of a robotics competition held in North America for the past 3 years I had been in the club!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- CSE 371 (rip), internship hunting, etc. :)
- I grew up here (Seattle). I entered UW intending to major in MechE or Aero&Astro but discovered I hated statics, so here we are :)
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I enjoy hiking, knitting, and journaling. If you like hiking too, try Ira Spring Trail during Winter!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I used to be heavily involved in an engineering RSO here, called ARUW. We've been the champions of a robotics competition held in North America for the past 3 years I had been in the club!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- CSE 371 (rip), internship hunting, etc. :)
Tiffany Nguyen
(she/her)
tiffnayn@uw
Section AD
Staff Mini-Bio: Waleed
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? WHAT WAS YOUR ACADEMIC PATH?
- SF Bay Area! I always loved messing around with technology, which inspired me to study CS very early on!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I'm a huge fan of motorsport! I've recently also picked up baking, which is super fun (when I don't mess it up)!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I once eye-balled the quantities of all the ingredients for a pumpkin pie and it turned out just fine!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking a few CSE courses, so I'll definitely have my head buried in that! I'm excited to TA for this course :)
- SF Bay Area! I always loved messing around with technology, which inspired me to study CS very early on!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES, TALENTS, AND SKILLS?
- I'm a huge fan of motorsport! I've recently also picked up baking, which is super fun (when I don't mess it up)!
HAVE YOU DONE OR EXPERIENCED ANYTHING REMARKABLE OR MEMORABLE?
- I once eye-balled the quantities of all the ingredients for a pumpkin pie and it turned out just fine!
WHAT COMMITMENTS WILL BE CONSUMING YOUR CYCLES THIS QUARTER?
- I'm taking a few CSE courses, so I'll definitely have my head buried in that! I'm excited to TA for this course :)
Waleed Yagoub
(he/him)
walyag@cs
Section AA
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, Justin Hsia, and Mara Kirdani-Ryan.
This website is derived from , maintained by the CSE Lab and originally written by Xi Wang.
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.