Joel's Questionnaire

1. your name:
Joel Pfeiffer

2. the intended topic area for your PhD:
Machine Learning

3. most important reason for you personally to get a PhD
To follow my personal research interests

4. name three computer scientist which YOU consider most important for the field and what you consider their contribution
4.1. Turing. Turing test, turing machine.
4.2. von Neumann - von Neumann architecture.
4.3. Dijkstra - Dijkstra algorithm, structure of programs
4.3.5 Euclid - First algorithm? Kinda cool...

5. name the three most important, professionally relevant books which you have read
5.1. Hennessy and Patterson - Architecture.
5.2. Thomas Corman, Charles Leiserson, Ronald Rivest, Clifford Stein: Introduction to Algorithms
5.3. Tannenbaum - Modern Operating Systems

6. assuming you will collaborate with researchers and explore ideas outside of CS during your PhD studies — which domains are the most likely candidates for this effort
6.1. Psychology
6.2. Mathematics.
6.3. Cognitive Sciences.

7. briefly characterize your own digital literacy:
7.1. which programming language do you know (mention them in an order of decreasing familiarity)
C, C++, Java, Php, vbscript, scheme

7.2. describe the top three projects (problem, programming language used, for what) which you have done in the past
7.2.1 Procedure Reference Language - C++ - Automate paper procedures
7.2.2 Power Monitoring System - C++ - Monitor power on the SCOUT rover
7.2.3 BASIC compiler - C, Flex, Bison - A compiler for an older version of BASIC

7.3. which are the top three applications that you are familiar with (e.g. Photoshop, Canvas, Dreamweaver, iMovie, ….)?
Emacs, Gdb, Visual Studio

8. List your three favorite topics that you would like to see discussed in this course!
8.1. Fellowship writing
8.2. Finding a thesis
8.3. Keeping focused on an end goal that seems a long way off.

Last modified 2 September 2007 at 9:36 pm by joelpfeiffer