CS373 Fall 2021: Week 4

What did you do this past week?

This past week, I worked on a project for my Neural Networks class as well as took part in the Career Fair last Wednesday.

What’s in your way?

The Neural Networks project has been a bit of a bother for me. I won’t lie, a lot of lecture content has been flying over my head this week. I have been spending a lot of time reviewing lecture material to help me finish up this project. Hopefully, I will be able to finish it up before the deadline.

What will you do next week?

Next week, I will be taking my first quiz for Physics 2. This class is known to be tough, so hopefully I do not screw it up. I also plan to spend some time reviewing previous Neural Networks lectures and make sure I understand the material before the next class.

If you read it, what did you think of the Paper #4: What Happens to Us?

I think this week’s paper does a great job on highlighting a huge problem in many technology-related fields today. Each colleague’s account of sexism and racism serves as an effective reminder that these scenarios exist and affect the lives of the many people involved. Hopefully articles such as this will raise enough awareness and push people to work towards solving this issue within their workplace.

What was your experience of Collatz, exceptions, and types?

I thought the Collatz project was a great opportunity for me to brush up on my Python programming skills as well as the basic workflow of how projects with Professor Downing are structured. The lectures about exceptions and types have given me an enhanced understanding over how Python handles each subject. I do not code in Python often and do not have much knowledge over how the language works, so each of these lectures have given me something new to learn.

What made you happy this week?

The Career Fair went better than I expected since I was able to engage in meaningful conversations with the recruiters there. Hopefully I will have a better chance to push through the application processes for these companies.

What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

When working on a tenuous software project, make sure you take a break every once in a while. Long hours can easily drain your thinking, thus affecting your productivity. A simple break could be enough for your mind to refresh and get back to work. This is especially helpful with collaborative projects, in which long hours could create a sour mood amongst the group.