About Me

  • Name: Elizabeth Liang
  • Nickname: Liz
  • Hometown: Bellevue, WA
  • Class Year: 2011
  • Other Classes: CPS104 BIO118 Latin1
  • Hobbies: print/web design, frisbee, intervarsity, typography, baking, chelsea, napping

Links

Assignment One - Autobiography

August.31.2009

When did you first start using a computer?
The first time I used a computer was as a small child. My family had a really old computer in my room that you could play educational games on. I didn't really like the computer that much as a kid--there were other things to spend my time on.

What kinds of computers have you used?
I currently use primarily macs. I work for Dida (Duke Innovative Design Agency) and we work on imacs. My laptop is a MacBook Pro. Before last year my only extended experience was on PCs so I am familiar with both. I used a linux operating system briefly over the summer.

How do you use computers on a daily basis?
I use computers on a daily basis to connect to the internet and design. If I'm not working on a print or web design, I'm probably using the computer to create documents or powerpoints. My computer is also used to stay in touch with people like my family and friends (through IM and skype).

What event(s) made you interested in studying computer science?
The first time I heard about computer science was in highschool. My friend at the time was taking AP computer science as well as doing a variety of computer science activities outside of class. I didn't have a very good grasp of what it was except that it involved coding. About this time I also got involved in webdesign and began experimenting with html as a language. I had a pretty limited and negative concept of computer science as nerdy and boring but webdesign was completely different. After I got into duke, on a whim, I applied for the computer science DES program. After taking cps4 and cps6 and working with Professor Rodger I figured out that I really like the problem solving and design aspects of computer science and decided to major in it.

What do you think a computer scientist does on a daily basis?
I think that a computer scientist spends alot of this day meeting with his team, thinking about the particularly problem he is trying to solve, writing code, reading code, and debugging code to test solutions.

Describe your best (or worst) programming experience; what made it so good (or so bad)?
The best programming experience I've had so far in my experience is probably solving my first extra credit APT. It was a tough problem (or I thought so at the time) and because it was extra credit, I felt like I wasn't made to code--it was a choice because I wanted to be challenged. The green lights that show up when i finally got the solution was extremely satisfying.

Describe your most (or least) favorite programming project; what made it so appealing (or so unappealing)?
I really enjoyed working on the name commonality assignment in cps100. It was really appealing because the final product (a program where you could search a particular name and it would display the popularity of that name from the last century) was really fun to play with and exciting to show to my friends. I enjoyed working on it becauase it was more than simply creating a problem, it was a neat program that could be shown and understood by those not into computer science.

How do you see yourself using computers in the future?
I see myself continuing to use the computer to connect to others and believe that as the internet continues to grow into a larger presence in our lives this will continue. I would like to continue using the computer to create designs as a hobby. I'm not sure if my career in the future will be directly related to computers but I am positive computers will be a useful tool no matter what field i decide to go into.