2017 Tutor Proﬁles - National Computer Science Schoolncss.edu.au/ckeditor_assets/attachments/28/booklet-2017.pdf · 2017 Tutor Proﬁles. ... belting out Taylor Swift on the way

2017 Tutor Profiles

Aleksa SaraiSchool or University?

Bachelor of Science (Advanced), Majoring inComputer Science / Physics. I'm in my third(ish) year,hoping to graduate in 2018. But I also work part-timeat a free software company (SUSE).

Favourite course?

INOF1903 (James' course) is pretty cool as itsummarises a bunch of Unix knowledge. COMP2129is pretty good too. Of course, I'm biased andPHYSxxxx courses are objectively the best .

What are your career plans?

Tough question. I want to continue working as a software developer, but I also really wantto go into theoretical physics research.

What's your favourite programming language, and why?

C has always been special to me (pointer hijinks ), but I've been writing a lot of Gorecently. Though, even James will agree Java (aka EnterpriseLang 2.0) is the bestlanguage of all time.

How many tennis balls fit inside a school bus?

Are the tennis balls African or European?

NCSS Background

I was an NCSS student twice 20{14,15} and this is my first time tutoring.

Why are you "that person"?

My clothing choices usually cause eye strain for those around me. Also I've been known tonot sleep.

How was your 2016?

The LIGO results (gravitational waves produces by black holes ) was probably one ofthe _only_ positive things to come out of this year. General Relativity, do you speak it?!

Q: Star ?

Craft II. But no, Star Wars is objectively the best. Star Trek is goat too .

Q: Lord of the ?

E͘te̴rn͠al ͘D͜a̕rk̡ne̶ss̢

Alex HogueSchool or University?

I did Computer Science / Pure Maths at Sydney

University so yeah I guess you could say I'm a bit of a

jock

Favourite course?

I really liked learning about um hacking in ELEC5616:

Computer and Network Security at USYD (@ other

tutors fight me if you disagree) . One part of the

course was to get the lecturer's License Number!


hahahahaha hey everyone check it out, they think I have CAREER PLANS

NCSS Background

This year will be my 86th NCSS. I've been a student, tutor, teacher, chef at Women's

College, site visit bus driver, secret-post-platinum-tier sponsor, and once I was even James

Curran himself.


I make dumb one-use websites (http://oneu.se) and also I do ~magic tricks~ (ask me to

show you!)

How was your 2016?

In 2016 Vice Magazine wrote about me and referred to me as 'A hacker who goes by the

name "Alex"', so that's my hacker name now and there's nothing I can do about it.

Industry Mentors: Title + Job

I'm a "Security Intelligence Analyst" at Atlassian. This means I keep the hackers away. I

write code to detect hackers or make life hard for them, and also I "respond to Security

Incidents"

Alex McCullochSchool or University?

USYD, Bachelor of Computer Science and Technology,

graduating (hopefully) in 2020

Favourite course?

INFO1905 - Advanced Data Structures


I plan to live forever, so far so good.


python 3 because snek


About a kiloTim

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2015 and 2016. Best NCSS memory would have to be Jack Reichelt

belting out Taylor Swift on the way to SIT in 2016


My initials are AM, so I guess you could say I'm a morning person

How was your 2016?

My 2016 was pretty good, started with NCSS, got into usyd, started privately tutoring kids

in python, ended with getting accepted as a tutor for NCSS and going to New York for

Christmas.

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Alison WongSchool or University?

I have finished my third year of a Bachelor of Science(Adv) at usyd, and this year I'll be doing Honours inphysics.

Favourite course?

INFO1903 Informatics (Advanced) and COMP3530Discrete Optimization


None so far


Python 3


At least 3

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2013 and 2014


I like to eat, but I'm slow, so I'm 'that person' that everyone has to wait for

How was your 2016?

This year I got my P's!!!!

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Amanda HoganSchool or University?

Most recent Masters Education (CSU) Graduated 2015

Favourite course?

So many! It's a bit left field but I loved "How to LearnMath" part of a MOOC run by Jo Boaler (Stanford). Itwas interesting to reflect on the limits people setthemselves with regards to maths.


I'm teaching computing at High school and I want toremain teaching in whatever that shape that takes.Pretty keen to be involved in implementing the National Technology Curriculum in NSW


I really like Python but as a teaching language rather than how to bend it to my will. It isreally accessible to students who are learning to code and now with MicroPython the sky'sthe limit.


Once the elephant school tennis team and the coach get on there you're lucky to fit 6.

NCSS Background

Doing lego in a formal gown at the 20th Anniversary dinner


My twitter stream is full of the graphical notes I do at conferences. I started doing them tohelp me stay engaged and then people asked me for them. I still maintain I cannot draw.

How was your 2016?

I got to go to Pycon and even presented during the education pre-conference. I carried aTuba solo in our community band and was awarded with hi-fives from my kids for notstuffing it up. (so proud)


Computing Teacher

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Flies

Andrian YangSchool or University?

I completed my Bachelor of Science (Advanced) withHonours in Bioinformatics at University of Sydney in2013. I'm now in my second year of my PhD at VictorChang/University of New South Wales.

Favourite course?

My most favourite courses are INFO1903 InformaticsAdvanced, which was taught by James, followed byCOMP3456 Computational Methods for Life Sciences,which introduced me to bioinformatics.


I plan to complete my PhD and work in academiaand/or bioinformatics/computer science related field afterwards.


Python! It's a very versatile language.


A finite number.

NCSS Background

I've been tutoring in Challenge since 2010 and NCSS since 2014, thus making this myfourth NCSS!


I spent most of my free times reading books and listening to vocaloid. I also enjoy playingrhythm games and solving puzzle games, especially escape rooms.

How was your 2016?

Pretty good! I got to travel to Japan for the first time and it was a very fun experience.

Q: Star ?

Aligner

Q: Lord of the ?

Sky

Ben PaparoulasSchool or University?

Bachelor of Information Technology (2005) Graduate

Diploma of Education (2012)

Favourite course?

Assembly language because you can have so much

more fun with computer hardware.


Since my attempts to take over the tech world have failed, I will continue my job as a

computer science curriculum manager.


Python 3 rocks my world! It just works for me.


Infinity, because I would use CSS object fit because no one said the school bus was

physically real.

NCSS Background

I have been a teacher in the past. My best NCSS memory was wrestling Blake one year to

win a game. I can't remember the game but I won. That's all that matters, am I right?


I love food, definitely a Jamie Oliver wannabe.

How was your 2016?

I'm smiling so it must have been a good year

Q: Star ?

Can I have Trek and Wars the decision was just too difficult

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Ben TaylorSchool or University?

Graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science andTechnology (Adv) in 2011, currently studying a Masterof Learning Science and Technology part time. Both atSydney Uni.

Favourite course?

A subject I did last year called "Innovations in LearningTech and Practice". In ten years school is going to bevery, very cool - you know or maybe not.


Right now I work as a programmer at Grok Learning. I quite like it, I'm hoping to stickaround. I'm particularly interested in developing effective learning technology.


I've never really stuck with one for long. They all have their merits. I think my employmentcontract at Grok requires me to answer Python (but secretly I quite like Swift).


Hopefully a power of two.

NCSS Background

I was a student back in 2006 & 2007 and I had so much fun that James hasn't gotten ridof me since.


I love too post lukewarm takes on the bad website twitter dot com

How was your 2016?

The company I was working at went under - - - but now I work for Grok which is rad.


On the Grok website it says "Learning Engineer" which is something I just made up. I willhopefully be making Grok's learning tech more effective.

Q: Star ?

Lord

Q: Lord of the ?

Dance

Benjamin Brentpronouns:they/them/theirSchool or University?

The University of Sydney

Favourite course?

INFO1903


to become a level 93 queer


JavaScript ( ͡°( ͡° ͜ʖ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʖ ͡°) ͡°)

https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat


NULL

NCSS Background

This is my -2147483648th NCSS


I wear bunny stockings ^_^

How was your 2016?

Got diagnosed with a lifelong, incurable, debilitating chronic illness.

Best year ever!


Intern Developer at Atlassian.

I'm working with the JIRA Server QA team over summer, building tools which help our

developers deliver high quality and reliable code.

Q: Star ?

tTLS

Q: Lord of the ?

Memes ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Bruce FudaSchool or University?

I've got a few now - my first was my B Inf Tech from

ANU in 2003, my most recent a M Ed in 2011.

Favourite course?

It's hard to pick a favourite - but I really enjoy teaching

algorithmic complexity to students, so yeah, that'll

work.


One day, when I grow up, I want to be a teacher...


One day, python 2 and 3 will merge and we'll have a universal programming language that

will do everything :)


more than fit in , but fewer than the number that fit inside

NCSS Background

Does being a teacher being a student count as being a student? I did that in 2011 and 12,

and keep coming. I usually find out what I'll be doing each year since about half hour

before registration...


I'm the teacher you all wish you had for IT in high school. Ask Kat.

How was your 2016?


N/A

Q: Star ?

That's not fair, especially this year...

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Caitlin ManganSchool or University?BSc majoring in Computer Science at USyd

NCSS BackgroundI was a student twice, and this will be my fourth year tutoring.

Why are you "that person"?My hobby is starting and inevitably abandoning new hobbies.

This month's hobbies are drawing, rock climbing, and telling

people that my hobby is running.

Industry Mentors: Title + JobI'm a Graduate Software Developer at Optiver. The "Software Developer" part means I write

C++ to trade stuff on exchange markets super quickly. The "Graduate" part means I ask

heaps of questions.

Calla KlafasSchool or University?

I graduated from USYD 2.5 years ago with two pieces of paper,

written with the words: Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical)

(Bioelectronics) (Hons I) and Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics)

Favourite course?

Equal first place: LNGS1001 Structure of Language and

LNGS1002 Language and Social Context with Prof Bill Foley.

Amazing professor and a great overlap of science, language,

sociology and psychology.


Creating our robot overlords


Python is pretty versatile


Depends how you pack them. Let's go with an optimistic 200,000.

NCSS Background

First time at NCSS


I'm the engineer with an arts degree. aka B.A,B.E

How was your 2016?

TBD


Electronics Engineer - I help make quick electronic prototypes from design to test and

manufacture.

Q: Star ?

Trek

Q: Lord of the ?

Flies

⊗

Chris RybaSchool or University?

I'm a second year maths PhD student at MIT (I've got

another 3 years left).

Favourite course?

There are too many good things to mention them all,

but I'm a big fan of representation theory, which is

more or less the study of symmetry and how it arises

in various spaces.


Please ask again in 3 years...


Python 2.7 has always been there for me in times of great need.


I don't know, probably quite a lot. Who even comes up with these questions?

NCSS Background

Once upon a time I was a student... now this is my 6th time tutoring. For me, the company

of so many great people is the thing that makes NCSS memorable.


I do a lot of maths, I've electrolysed vegemite, melted (and cast) chewing gum, the list

goes on...

How was your 2016?

My 2016 was complex. It had successes and setbacks, drama and boredom, joy and

sadness. All you can do is learn what you can from it, and move on. Bring on 2017.

Q: Star ?

Craft

Q: Lord of the ?

dunno lol

Daniel BuckmasterSchool or University?

I did a combined degree at Sydney Uni: B.E.(mechatronic engineering) and B.Sc. (computerscience). I definitely recommend it if you like hardwareand don't mind spending 5 years at uni.

Favourite course?

AMME3500 (control systems 2). The maths wassuper painful, but also super interesting. It was thehardest course I've done that didn't involve transistors,and the most rewarding.


Right now: for my 2-person startup to survive. Immediately after that: take over the worldvia renewable energy.


Any language that I haven't yet had the displeasure of actually using.


I asked Wolfram Alpha and it told me 170,000, with an upper bound of 180,000 if you havehectic packing density. It didn't understand when I asked how much 180,000 tennis ballswould cost.

NCSS Background

I was never a student, but I've tutored once before and done two masterclasses - one onHaskell, and one on writing chat bots for Slack. I don't have a best memory; it was all thebest!


I apparently laugh far too much. At everything. I'm not laughing at you - it's just my defaultresponse!

How was your 2016?

I learned a LOT this year thanks to Startmate. So it was a good year.

Q: Star ?

man, waiting in the sky. He'd like to come and meet us, but he thinks he'd blow our minds

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Deanna AroraSchool or University?

I'm in my 3rd year studying Bachelor of IT at University ofSydney

Favourite course?

I loved INFO1903, it was challenging and I loved learning UNIXutils, python and sql :P. I also loved COMP2022, learning thetheory of computation using regular and context freegrammars.


No Idea :P but i'll keep on learning and trying things out until Ifound what I'm passionate about in CS. Maybe a hacker :P orData Scientist! Who knows...


Python!!! Cause it takes one line to print "Hello world" ;) Ohhh and C !


Google it...? That's not cheating, right? :P

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2014 & 2015, so tutoring NCSS for the first time! EVERYTHING, but if Ihad to pick just one... board games, murder, pizza, nutbush, new friends and my dancingskills on the table ;)


If you can hear someone from the other side of the uni, its probably me! I love HP, talking,laser tag, fanfic, raving and did i mention talking ;).

How was your 2016?

I finally got tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!!!!!!!

Q: Star ?

Dust

Q: Lord of the ?

wings (chicken wings ;))

Emma KrantzSchool or University?

I just finished my 3rd (and final) year at UWA

Favourite course?

AI. Conceptually simple, but very powerful.


Hmmmm. Good question.


My laptop has a python sticker on it. It's good for getting

simple stuff done quickly. Also, C# has good syntax, good

libraries and a great IDE (visual studio)


Several.

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2012. The best thing was the friends I made


I am owned by the most precious cat in the universe.

How was your 2016?

I went to the ACM ICPC (huge programing competition) world finals!

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Dance

Evan KohilasSchool or University?

This year will be my second year as a hostage of UNSW. But I think I have Stockholm Syndrome due to studyingComputer Science and Maths, so I guess it’s all cool.

Favourite course?

COMP2041 was similar and as enjoyable as NCSS, whilethe security courses (COMP3441, COMP9447) andMATH3411 were fun and covered interesting topics onthe inner workings of security and information.


Someone asked me this once and they replied “Good!You shouldn’t know!”. So I guess my career plans are to to keep living with passion and never stop dreaming.


You don’t understand how deep your love for python is until you’re forced to write a perlscript that converts perl to python. I became a different person by the end of thatassignment.


I’d ask the bus driver, I’ve never been in a school bus.

NCSS Background

My experience in 2015 as a student at NCSS was life changing, so I was lucky to return in2016. I think my favourite NCSS memory was watching Nicky kneecap someone right before myeyes.


I’m that person with the colourful glowy lanyard that whistles the Samsung message tone. Jackets are to me as Towels are to Ford Perfect.

How was your 2016?

Oh boy… considering I had just left high school, 2016 wasn’t that bad… The combination ofstarting Uni, doing what I was passionate about, and meeting awesome people made it apretty good year!

Q: Star ?

This is a star . Stars are my favourite shape. Real stars have 5 points. (Don’t let anyonetell you otherwise) Here’s how you make a star with python ``` from turtle import * for _ inrange(5): forward(100) right(180-36) ``` If you approach me with a sheet of A4 paper I’llshow you how to make a 5-pointed origami star.

Q: Lord of the ?

Underground, better known as Asgore

�

Georgina WilcoxSchool or University?

BSc (Maths) with honours in computer science

Favourite course?

My job at the moment is basically learning as much as Ican as fast as I can about a lot of really cooltechnologies... I like my job :)


Do we take the school kids out first?

NCSS Background

I've tutored once a year since 2008. If I could do it moreoften I would!


I like watching documentaries, the more specific and obscure the better. The in-flightcatalogue on my most recent flight had a surprisingly good selection. Ask me becausethis box only fits 200 char-


I'm a Site Reliability Engineer, on the team responsible for making sure your queries get tothe Google server(s) and back again. My job is mixture of coding, designing systems andbeing oncall.

Giovanni DursoSchool or University?

PhD UTS (multi robotics)

Favourite course?

Experimental robotics at usyd was my fave course becausewe got to make our own robots and learn about currentresearch. Computer vision was also pretty great


Finish my PhD then head off to europe and join the ESA(European Space Agency) to work with space robots


Python because who doesnt love grabbing a library thatsolves nost of your problem, so you can focus on gettingthings done quickly. Also you can import future.


My answer first assumes a spherical bus in a vacuum. . .

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2009/2010 and my fave memory is decorating our roombas with teethand cardboard spoilers then watching them go and work together


I can happily ramble about robots and space for hours. Also I love puns and dad jokes sosend any of them my way :D

How was your 2016?

Pretty awesome, I got to teach kiddos at space camp twice and watch a sunset inSingapore in the rain. It's been a terrible year in ways but it has some upsides and goodtimes

Q: Star ?

Traveller

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings ftw

Greg DarkeSchool or University?

University of Sydney

Favourite course?

Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours)


Spend another couple of years in San Francisco playing

with cool technology before heading back home to

Sydney


For experimenting, analysing data, or just building

something awesome -- Python. If I need something to be

fast/efficient at work, then c++.


5? Maybe 6, depending on how big the tennis balls are

NCSS Background

Never been a student at NCSS, though this is my 9th time I have been a tutor.

My favourite memory was of the 40 player game of Mafia that was run one night by one of

the tutors


I have that one dad joke that I keep using -- the one were you say "I'm $something", then I

reply with: "Hi ____, I'm Greg". This has been used soo much, that now other people use it

verbatim.

How was your 2016?

I got to do a bunch of travelling, my apartment has not been destroyed by an earthquake

yet, and I am back in Australia for summer -- so pretty awesome!


I am an SRE at Google on App Engine, helping other teams (and customers) make their

apps work more reliably. Remember the magic answers: Exponential backoff, Jitter, and

Even key distributions.

Q: Star ?

Realms

Q: Lord of the ?

Flies

Hayley van WaasSchool or University?

University of Canterbury, Bachelor of Science majoringin Computer Science and Statistics, graduating in mid2018.

What's your favourite programming language, and

why?

Python, because it makes it so easy to turn an ideainto code.

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2014 and 2015. My best memory is when the *one* other kiwi and I atNCSS 2014 bought cork hats in order to blend in with you locals.


I call my shoes jandals.

How was your 2016?

I had to cook for myself all of this year, and I am still alive *high five* (sadly, this is a bigachievement).

Q: Star ?

Wars

Jack ReicheltSchool or University?

University of Queensland, Bachelor of Science (Comp. Sci.),

grad. 2015

Favourite course?

Network & Operating Systems Principles


I'm a developer! I make all sorts of experimental apps


Python 3. It's just so fast to whip up something quick and easy.


We weren't allowed balls on the bus.

NCSS Background

I was a student in '09 and '10, and a tutor '15, '16, and now. There are too many memories

to count.


I just won't shut up about roleplaying games.

How was your 2016?

It was the best year of my life. I moved city!


I don't really have a title! I do whatever programming I can get my hands on.

Q: Star ?

Trek

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Jake BloomSchool or University?

UNSW Bachelor of Computer Science, graduated 2016

Favourite course?

Operating Systems


I'm moving to San Francisco in February to take a jobat Facebook, which is super exciting but also heapsdaunting


C because I had to write an Operating System using C and I now have StockholmSyndrome HELP PLEASE WHY CAN'T I LIKE JAVASCRIPT LIKE THE OTHER KIDS


10 balls across a seat by 5 down, and 25 from floor to ceiling. Most buses fit 54 seatedand as a rough guess I'd say ⅔rds of the space is seat. That leaves us with 1.5 x 10 x 5 x25 x 54 balls

NCSS Background

I was a fresh faced student back in 2012 and a returner in the infamous weather balloonyear of 2013. I taught a master-class on security in 2015 and in 2016 I gave tours atAtlassian.


I run heaps and love the beach. I typically eat 4-5 green apples in one day. I love going tolive music gigs and the beach. I think I mentioned that already? I did grow up at Bondi...

How was your 2016?

2016 was pretty great tbh! I was Co-President of the Computer Science and EngineeringSociety at UNSW, I made a whole bunch of new friends and got offered a great job!

Q: Star ?

Boy (ha ha ha haaaa ha ha ha haaaaa)

Q: Lord of the ?

Memes

James ConstableSchool or University?

Finished a BIT at Usyd in 2009, hung around for a bit of

postgrad research, then finally set off into the big scary

world last year.

Favourite course?

James and Tara's first year course, Foundations of

Information Technology Advanced (I'm not being bribed

:P), although Theory of Computation and first year

linguistics were also pretty mind-blowing.


I always wanted to be a palaeontologist / clockmaker /

astronaut / marine biologist / author / musician /

physicist / artist / linguist / software engineer. I'm currently working on the last bit.


Right now it's Haskell, but really I like any language that forces me to think a bit differently.


723 070, assuming a non-articulated STA bus with seats removed. The State Transit Bus

Infrastructure Guide is oddly compelling reading at 3am.

NCSS Background

Student in 2005–06, tutor from 2007–15, and helpful gatecrasher in 2016. My fondest

memory is The Embedded Weather Balloon Incident of 2013. Two back-to-back all-

nighters. Ah, how they suffered.


I have the neat whiteboard writing, and know too many made-up languages.

How was your 2016?

Constantly on the brink of disaster, but somehow... really fun? I took a holiday last month,

and ended up marooned on a flooded island in Thailand!


Software Engineer at Arria NLG. I write software that turns data into human-readable text.

Q: Star ?

...man, waiting in the sky...

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Jessica DAliSchool or University?

Bachelor of IT at UTS. I just graduated last year (2016).

Favourite course?

Any programming subject.


Would love to would in a film/animation company (doing

IT, of course).


Python, as my first language, holds a place in my heart.

However, I have recently come to adore C#.


Not as many as you think. Trust me on this!

NCSS Background

I was a NCSS student in 2013 and 2014. I returned as a tutor last year, and have come

back once more for another awesome NCSS year.


I'm a pro at Disney karaoke. So I tell myself, anyway.

How was your 2016?

Between my graduation and the release of Zootopia, last year was pretty good. And also

attending NCSS 2016, of course!

Q: Star ?

Lord

Q: Lord of the ?

Fries

Jim MussaredSchool or University?

UWA Comp Sci 2005

Favourite course?

Computer Architecture


This space intentionally left blank


JCPL


Laden or unladen school bus? African or European tennisball?

NCSS Background

The weather balloon.


I am easily distracted by interesting things.

How was your 2016?

I turned 2^5, changed jobs, did micro:bit stuff, went sailing a lot.


Grokker

Q: Star ?

gazer

Q: Lord of the ?

bad puns

Joanne YangSchool or University?

Graduated with a Bachelor of IT and Arts with Honoursin 2014, majoring in Computer Science andLinguistics.

Favourite course?

INFO3600 Major Project - basically a course where youwork with a team of students to build a web app for aclient. I'm sure others will also mention INFO1903,taught by James - both fun and useful!


1. I like programming and problem solving, so I plan tocontinue that and see where it takes me. 2. Helppeople and make the world better in some way :)


Python


Too many

NCSS Background

I was a student in NCSS 2009 and also taught a masterclass before.


I love arty things and the arts (music, musicals, theatre and photography).


Developer at the Reserve Bank of Australia - I work with business and technical people towrite code and fix bugs to help make other people's jobs easier

Q: Star ?

mie (Pokemon)

Q: Lord of the ?

Flies

∃

Joe GodbehereSchool or University?

I forgot everything from my Maths degree (Bristol, UK). Now Ican start forgetting everything from my Computer Sciencedegree (Sydney), while I work on my PhD (Sydney)

Favourite course?

Yes. Wait, what? I have to narrow it down? ComputationalGeometry, Bioinformatics, Formal Languages and Logic,Programming Languages and Paradigms, Algorithms andComplexity, AI, and and and and...


So far, I'm a Paperboy-Cashier-MathStudent-WaiterBOFH-Explorer-Salesman-PhoneMonkey-TechMentorTrainer-ServerNerd-Gentleman-NerdStudent-UniTutor. What next? Moar edumacation.


Python for toying with ideas, as it's so quick to work with. C if runtime is more importantthan my time. Haskell is fascinating, but makes me feel like someone has applied an eggwhisk to my brain.


I've never been inside a school bus. Are the tennis balls yellow or green?

NCSS Background

This is my fifth consecutive year tutoring at NCSS.


"The hairy one with the ridiculous name"

How was your 2016?

I enjoyed crashing face first into the road more than I ought! Then there was the relaxingprocess of writing my honours thesis. My lowest point was being invited to lecture a unicourse in 2017.

Q: Star ?

Dark ____

Q: Lord of the ?

Potatoes

Joel StanleySchool or University?

University of Adelaide, Bachelor of Electrical andElectronic Engineering (Computer Systems) in 2010

Favourite course?

Coding and Cryptography


Continued employment


why?

C is a great compromise between low and high levellanguages. It's easy to reason about a line of C and what the hardware will do, while stillbeing able to write and maintain complex programs


1 school bus sized tennis ball

NCSS Background

I missed out on being student. Last year I was a mentor for the first time, and I still tellpeople stories about the amazingly creative projects my embedded stream group created


I have a beard

How was your 2016?

I'd give it an 7 out of 10. I ported MicroPython to a soft core processor running on a FPGA.I also climbed some mountains, abseiled down some canyons, and bet my personal bestat Parkrun four times


Linux Kernel Hacker at IBM. I push squares to make open source codes appear on theinternet, that make your computers go

Q: Star ?

Gate

Q: Lord of the ?

); DROP TABLE Mentors;--

Jonathon GriggSchool or University?

4/7th of a Bachelor of Science (Electrical Systems) plus aDiploma in Informatics completed @ UoM

Favourite course?

COMP30020 Declarative Programming is right up there forintroducing a completely different way of thinking about writingsoftware. COMP30023 Computer Systems might surpass it thisyear though


What clothes are you going to wear in X years time? BasicallyI'm not sure yet - we'll deal with that as it comes! Hopefullysomething that has a greater purpose in life than simply makingmoney


Python for simplicity but you feel like a boss when you can get C to work. Haskell was eyeopening and so is also up there for the feeling of expressive power


010010100110000101101101011001010111001100100000010000110111010101110010011100100110000101101110

NCSS Background

Innocent student in 2013 and somehow invited back for 2014. Trying to build and launch ahigh altitude balloon in a week was highly ambitious and not entirely successful, butcertainly a highlight!


I spend way too long thinking about the state of the world I ran a phone repair businessduring high school (no I can't fix your phone now) and feel like I enjoy my Melbournelifestyle way too much

How was your 2016?

During my midyear break, I burnt both my legs on motorbike exhausts, got lost in a jungleon dusk and nearly missed two flights in two days. I'm still here and had a blast, so it's ayes from me

Q: Star ?

UML (don't get me started)

Q: Lord of the ?

Flies

Julia WongSchool or University?

I started off doing the BIT co-op program at UTS in 2013.Halfway through 2014 I made the switch to study BIT (ComputerScience) at USYD. I'm doing honours this year and then I'llgraduate.

Favourite course?

INFO1903 Informatics (Advanced) because of Python and Unix. COMP2129 Operating Systems and Machine Principles becauseit taught C, parallel programming and had a competitive side toit.


Find a job where I'll be happy and always learning. I'd love towork for a tech company when I graduate.


Python 2, what's not to love?


I dunno, let's ask Novak Djokovic.

NCSS Background

Student in 2012 and 2013. I went to the 2014 and 2015 industry dinners. One of the 2015students who is now tutoring ate my cake.


I'm short and llamas are my favourite animals.

How was your 2016?

Very 2016-like. Got an offer to intern at Atlassian.

Q: Star ?

Llamas

Q: Lord of the ?

Llamas

Kat GillSchool or University?

I'm doing a BIT at ANU, and I'll finish at the end of 2018

(unless I'm convinced to do honours).

Favourite course?

This one time Bruce made me write and compare a

Minimax and a Monte Carlo AI for tic tac toe, which was

fun.


Computers


Python is so nice but Haskell is so funky


Cover all the windows and the windscreen. Schrödinger's balls.

NCSS Background

I've been a student twice. I have so many good memories, it's hard to choose one. Meeting

Alex Hogue was quite alright though.


I love animals so much that I cry at most cute animal videos.

How was your 2016?

I got accepted to be a tutor at nerd camp, so not bad at all.

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Katie BellSchool or University?

Graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of IT (honours) at Sydney

University.

Favourite course?

The best courses were the hardest ones. I particularly

enjoyed a Computational Geometry course in my 4th year

and it turned out to be very useful for my work later.


I worked for 6 years at Google, first in Sydney then in

Switzerland. Two years ago I came back to Sydney to work

for Grok Learning which is awesome so I'll keep doing that.


I dislike all programming languages.

"There are only two kinds of languages: the ones people complain about and the ones

nobody uses." - Bjarne Stroustrup (creator of the C++ programming language)


At least one.

NCSS Background

This is my 9th time tutoring. The most rewarding part of being an tutor is watching your

students learn and grow. Over many NCSS's I've watched James slowly become a

competent Jungle Speed player.


I am that person who hates puns.

How was your 2016?

Pandas are no longer endangered, SpaceX successfully landed a reusable rocket and

driverless cars are almost here.


I change my title depending on the situation, mostly I'm a Software Engineer but I also

write programming courses, tutor students and do whatever else needs doing.

Q: Star ?

anise

Q: Lord of the ?

epic adventure trilogy

Kelly StewartSchool or University?

Second year Bachelor of Computer Science at Universityof Sydney

Favourite course?

INFO1903 (Informatics), though PHIL1012 is a closesecond


Something something software developer


Python for all of it's neat little features, though I alsoreally like Elisp


At least two.

NCSS Background

Student in 2014 and 2015. Best memory is probably being part of the first group ever tomake a newspaper tower shorter than the original stack of paper, and still getting 4thplace.


I'm a member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and have fun hitting peoplein armor with sticks!

How was your 2016?

Well, 2016 was the year I moved to Sydney and started uni, so I'd say it was actually apretty good year for me :)

Q: Star ?

Lord

Q: Lord of the ?

Vale

Kosta DunnSchool or University?

Going into 3rd year of BIT (Comp Sci) at University ofSydney

Favourite course?

INFO1903


Not completely sure. As long as it's fun and involves code :)


Python 3 because it's simple, versatile and good for the soul.


Tennis balls are small. School buses are big. Therefore - lots and lots.

NCSS Background

Student, Returner, 1st time tutor last year.


I am known as "the one who ate all the cake"

How was your 2016?

How WAS my 2016???

Q: Star ?

ship

Q: Lord of the ?

Memes

Liam CallawaySchool or University?

University of Tasmania - BSc & BComp, Majoring inApplied Mathematics & Software Engineering

Favourite course?

Data Analytics - Turns out "Big Data" is actually kindainteresting... Numerical Methods & Computational Techniques -Basically how computers cheat at doing maths.


Step 1: Graduate Step 2: Leave Tasmania Step 3: Become uber 1337 h4x0r


Python 3. It's like Python 2, but better!(Though I've been using C# a lot lately and I might actually be starting to enjoy it...)


1 / the number of school buses fit inside a tennis ball

NCSS Background

Student - 2012, 2013 Tutor - 2014, 2015 & now 2017


I spend a significant amount of time hitting large Japanese drums. I'm also a Level 13 Enlightened Agent and my average daily podcast listen time iscurrently 212 minutes.

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Lucy BainSchool or University?

I went to the University of Mary Washington (in the

US). I graduated with a degree in Computer Science in

2011.

Favourite course?

I've been part of a couple study groups after uni and

really enjoyed continuing to learn with other interested

people. My favourite was probably a JavaScript

course - it had lots of hands on projects!


Working to be a better developer! I work at Atlassian as a front end dev, and I hope to be

with them for a while :)


I love Ruby's readability and simplicity, JS's low barrier to entry, Python's ubiquity in the

academic community. Every language has something to offer!


200,000

NCSS Background

I haven't been to NCSS before - as a student or a tutor! I'm really excited to be here :)


I'm also a Level 13 Enlightened Agent and my average daily podcast listen time is

currently 212 minutes.

How was your 2016?

Good, I'm really enjoying my life here in Sydney!


I'm a front end developer, which means I write HTML, CSS, and JS. When you click a

button on a website - someone like me put that button there and hooked it up with it's

action.

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Lucy DawkinsSchool or University?

University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Commerce,Diploma of IT

Favourite course?

Web based coding


I plan to revolutionise the online fashion retail world,with algorithms that improve your shopping experience.


Python 3, CSS, Javascript


A hell of a lot of them

NCSS Background

This is my first NCSS experience


I own a beautiful cat, I love fashion and makeup, and I'm very loud! I stand out in a crowdmost of the time, and that's how I will always be!

How was your 2016?

My 2016 was a mix of bad and good, but you have to take it as it is and love it anyways.


Not sure..

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Maddie WagnerSchool or University?

Bachelor of Information Technology / Bachelor of Arts at

USyd, I finish at the end of 2020

Favourite course?

I have two favourite courses so far: History of Twentieth

Century Europe and Data Structures, as they were both

really interesting and super fun.


Hopefully combining history and IT, somehow, I got a

while to figure it out anyway


python 3 because it was the first one I learnt and it is the

one I am most comfortable with.


3141

NCSS Background

I was a student back in 2015, and my best NCSS memory is playing Jungle Speed.

Q: Star ?

Light

Q: Lord of the ?

Dance

Matthew AlgerSchool or University?

I studied theoretical physics and computer science at

the Australian National University.

Favourite course?

I loved theoretical physics. Classical mechanics,

quantum mechanics, and special relativity. Statistical

machine learning is a close second-favourite.


I'm currently looking to do a PhD, probably in

astrophysics.


Haskell is real nice.


Arbitrarily many, depending on the bus and the tennis balls.

NCSS Background

Student in '12 and '13, tutor in '15, ran a masterclass in '16.


I really enjoy terrible media - bad movies, literature, games, etc. I'm slowly working my way

down the IMDB Bottom 100.

How was your 2016?

I spent the year working on a research project applying machine learning to astronomy,

and I finished my degree!

Q: Star ?

...yu!

Nicholas AkinyokunSchool or University?

PhD Engineering, to graduate in 2019

Favourite course?

Information Seeking and Retrieval


Academia


why?

Android


I love Mr. Bean comedy series

How was your 2016?

Very good

Nick ArmstrongSchool or University?

I did a Bachelor of Science at The University of Sydney,majoring in Computer Science and Physics, with Honours inComputer Science. I just finished at the end of 2016 :D

Favourite course?

Security (INFO5011)! Getting to learn by actually trying tobreak and protect things was really fun (and useful!).


Right after this NCSS finishes, I'll be starting at Google inSydney. Much excite!


Python, because I can do whatever I like in it! But also Goand Haskell seem pretty cool.


At least one.

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2012/13 and a tutor for the past 2 years.


I like languages without latin characters. я люблю русский язык

How was your 2016?

Pretty chill, I finished uni and got an awesome grad job so that's nice :P

Q: Star ?

star kwargs

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Nicky RinglandSchool or University?

PhD Computer Science (computational linguistics),

Grad Cert Computing, Bachelor of Arts (Languages)

majoring in Linguistics, German and Digital Cultures,

all at the University of Sydney.

Favourite course?

More variety than one specific course. I've studied

languages, linguistics, literature, psychology, education, CS. I really enjoyed spending 2

semesters overseas at the University of Potsdam, Germany.


Co-found Grok Learning.

Finish PhD.

☐ World domination.


Python. I also quite like Chef, (Hello World Cake with Chocolate sauce) and Shakespeare

(programming with Shakespearean insults), though I wouldn't want to have to use them in

an exam or interview.


Enough for every dog on the Gold Coast to have one.


I know the difference between 'less' and 'fewer'.


Dr. It means I am the world expert in a very, very, very specific part of a specific discipline.

Q: Star ?

-crossed lovers

Q: Lord of the ?

Tutors

Owen BrasierSchool or University?

Electrical Engineering - I graduated in 2011

Favourite course?

Computer architecture


Keep doing what I love doing - whatever that happens to be


Brainfuck - it makes me happy that something so pointlessactually exists and is actively maintained


250,000

NCSS Background

I lectured last year for the first time. Loved it!


I run MadMaker - an online program through Sydney Uni teaching kids how to do scienceand maths with hardware and coding

How was your 2016?

There has never been a more exciting time to watch the world burn.


Embedded Lecturer - I lecture the embedded stream

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Peter WardSchool or University?

BIT@usyd, graduated 2012

Favourite course?

programming languages & paradigms: building acompiler was pretty fun


google’s pretty fun, think I might keep working there for awhile


every language has its pros & cons, and differentsituations call for different languages. python is my go-tooption, however.


~20000. does fitting them in a bus make someone’s life better? can we use trains insteadto get more capacity? polystyrene balls are lighter and pack more efficiently.

NCSS Background

student in ’08, returner ’09, tutor ’10–present. best NCSS memory was the time the FinalCountdown played on all the lab computers simultaneously.


I occasionally make dad jokes.


I’m a Site Reliability Engineer! I make (web)sites (photos.google.com, blogger.com,blogspot.com) reliable (fast & always available) by engineering(designing/configuring/coding/monitoring systems).

Q: Star ?

Kid

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Rebecca YangSchool or University?

University of Sydney (Bachelor of IT/Bachelor of Science)


To be a nanoscientist


Java


4800

NCSS Background

No, was still in the Philippines lol


Some guy on the bus once insisted to me I was Thai

How was your 2016?

The year I discovered the wonderful world of programming

Q: Star ?

k Industries

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Renee NobleSchool or University?

Combined Bachelors of Engineering (Chemical and

Biomolecular) and Bachelors of Science (Computers

Science and Chemistry) Graduated 2014

Favourite course?

Maths! You just have to love it! There's no end to the

use of maths whether it's a cool computer science

algorithm, observing patterns in nature or human

behaviour, or using it for music and dancing.


Use programming to make the world a more equal, fun and helpful place! Teach some

people some cool stuff and have fun along the way!


Python!! Whether you're a beginner, doing hard core machine learning or something in

between, there is something in python for everyone :D


100000? More if I can take the children out before filling the bus with balls.

NCSS Background

This will be my third year tutoring NCSS! I also run the Girls' Programming Network for all

you NCSS sisters out there!


I am a die hard Lindy Hopper! That's swing dancing! Which they did in the 20's-50's. I will

often be found dancing in corridors or getting down to jazz music! You are welcome to

join my jamming!

How was your 2016?

Intense, non-stop, full of joy, best year ever! Taught more girls to code than ever and did it

all over Australia! Danced more dances than ever and did it all over the world! So many

amazing people!

Q: Star ?

Jump

Q: Lord of the ?

Dance

Saivan HamamaSchool or University?

The University of Sydney and lost sleep!

Favourite course?

Man... thats like asking me to choose between mykids! Well I dont have any kids... But if I did, this wouldbe like asking me to choose between my kids!!!!


Someday, I will make the words "I hate math" seeminsane.... Someday I'll make kids all over the worldlove learning nearly as much as I do (thats alot!)


Well that depends what I'm doing... I mean if developing the frontend for a website, bothpython 2 and 3 are just way too much effort! A big fan of the right tool for the job!


The dual of this question is how many school busses fit outside of a tennis ball. Theanswer to both of these questions is of course... 42

NCSS Background

I was a student once... but not at NCSS. Now I feel like I've missed out 0_0


This is a loaded question, that I can only answer with a riddle... Unfortunately, I'vemisplaced the riddle

How was your 2016?

Well it would be rude of me not to ask how your 2016 was first, so how was your 2016?


Well I teach machines how to learn things for a living... I figured teaching machines mightbe easier than actually trying to teach a real person 0_0 lets see how this all pans out!

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Sam ThorogoodSchool or University?

CS at USyd, ӕons ago.

Favourite course?

Computational Geometry . It's a type of ComputerScience that I'd never thought about before.


JavaScript using ES2015/ES6+ features. It's a whole newworld!


NCSS Background

My best memory is students going through the recycling to prove they won progcomp. And I was never a student, but I started tutoring before you all even started kindergarten,you whippersnappers.


I'm generally vegetarian but my exception is to eat kangaroo. Ask me why!

How was your 2016?

I spent ⅓ of 2016 living, working and travelling overseas: plus I gave a bunch of talks, andwrote a ton of software. It was a pretty good year.


My team is called Developer Relations: I evangelise the Web. Ask me about `will-change`,Service Worker, or CSS flexbox; plus find me on YouTube! ... I also build Google SantaTracker

Q: Star ?

Lord

Q: Lord of the ?

Fries

Samuel WalladgeSchool or University?

I'm studying a Bachelor of Software EngineeringHonours at CDU (externally). Currently in 3rd year andhope to graduate mid-2018.

Favourite course?

Probably HIT400 - discrete math. In software engineering where focus seems to be moreon business applications, it was fun to learn more about numbers and algorithms.


The computer/tech industry is way too broad! Maybe somewhere where I can designsoftware, maybe in education... not sure.


Python 3, partly because it's the language I'm the most comfortable with, and partlybecause it's just so neat.


A busload. ;)

NCSS Background

I was a student in the Challenge 2010-2013, then a tutor for the Challange 2014-2016.Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to NCSS as a student, but now I'm here tutoring for thesecond time.


I'm the one that couldn't think of an answer to this question. Oops, I just did.

How was your 2016?

2016 was great!

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

¿

Stephen MeritySchool or University?

Masters of Computational Science and Engineering, Harvard

University, 2014

Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours), University of

Sydney, 2011

Favourite course?

Q asks "best thing studied": computer graphics as it gave me

a new view of the world. It weds fascinating topics

(quadratic formula (!), physics, statistics, efficient code) to

make pretty pictures :)


I'm in San Francisco. I worked for a startup, MetaMind,

before Salesforce acquired us in April 2016. From then I've been entirely focused on

research in machine learning, specifically neural networks.


Python 2.7 ... I'm so, so sorry.

(even a work colleague saw this answer and winced in pain)


American or Australian? Are the doors on the bus open?

NCSS Background

I've been a student, returner, & tutor. Too many memories - but when I was a student, my

group leader accidentally ripped a hole in the wall trying to close the magnetized doors.

"Don't tell James..."


My nickname is more me than my name. I'm potentially the pickiest eater you'll ever meet.

I spend large portions of my time upside down or in strange positions. No good reason for

any of the above.

How was your 2016?

I live in the US, so 2016 has been "complicated". The best news though is that it's been

over a year and a half since I was last in Australia and I just arrived home the morning of

December 25th :)


Senior Research Scientist, Salesforce Research

The basic idea is that I find tasks and/or datasets that machine learning does poorly on

and then try to make computers infinitesimally smarter.

Q: Star ?

Kleene

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Tian PuSchool or University?

I graduated with a combined Bachelor of IT (Honours)and Bachelor of Commerce from Sydney University in2014.

Favourite course?

At USyd, either INFO1903 Informatics (Adv),COMP3608 Intro to AI (Adv), or FINC3021Mathematical Finance. I also enjoyed the FunctionalProgramming Principles in Scala course on Coursera.


// TODO


Python 3, although I'm starting to really enjoy Scala.


At least one.

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2008 and 2009, and tutored in 2011, 2014 and 2016. This will be my 4thtime tutoring.


I love the outdoors and I'm a fairly active person.

How was your 2016?

Great! Probably the most noteworthy thing: I ran my first half (21.1km) and full marathon(42.2km) and lived to tell the tale.


I'm a Developer at Atlassian, and that means I think about code, discuss code solutions toa problem, write code, and review other developers' code. Feel free to ask me more :)

Q: Star ?

gazing

Q: Lord of the ?

Fries

Tim DawbornSchool or University?

PhD from the University of Sydney in 2015, and a B. I.T.(Hons) from the University of Sydney in 2009.

Favourite course?

This is always a hard question. It would have to be a tiebetween two of the courses I have tutored: INFO1903Informatics (Adv) and COMP3109 Programming Languagesand Paradigms.


World domination by teaching the masses to program.


Python, C++, C, and Haskell.


_Please_ let this be a normal field trip. With the Frizz? No way!

NCSS Background

This will be my 13th NCSS. I was a student, then a returner, and this is my 11th yeartutoring or lecturing.


I have *all* of the lanyards.

How was your 2016?

How is it 2017 already‽Industry Mentors: Title + Job

CTO and co-founder of Grok Learning. I make stuff work.

Q: Star ?

Anise

Q: Lord of the ?

Fries

Téigan PennaSchool or University?

UTS - TBA: Bachelor of Science in InformationTechnology

Favourite course?

Web Systems - Linux is pretty neat


Travel the world as a Billionaire Gameboy


Python 3 - hissssssssss


100000

NCSS Background

Student in 2015 & 2016 - Locking myself out of my room in a towel was fun the secondtime


If you can't find me by my hair, I can't help you

How was your 2016?

Travelled Australia, had lots of fun, worked hard - nothing to complain about


Software Developer - 90% Stackoverflow + 10% Coding

Q: Star ?

Wars

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Vivian LiSchool or University?

Bachelor of Science (Adv) (Hons)


Make the world a better place.


why?

Python 3. My first language, and (thankfully) one of

the ones I use the most in my job. I love how easy it is

to start with Python, all the cool things it can do, and

now I even love all its quirks.


87891

NCSS Background

I was a student in 2009. Almost my first interaction with James, aside from registration,

was having to tell him that I broke the mirror in my room by slapping it really hard while

killing a mozzie.


I love a good young adult fantasy novel.

How was your 2016?

My 2016 was great. I learned to dance forró in 2016.


Engagement Engineer at Grok Learning. The job title doesn't mean much, I do what needs

to be done!

Q: Star ?

fruit

Q: Lord of the ?

Rings

Documents

2017 Tutor Proﬁles - National Computer Science Schoolncss.edu.au/ckeditor_assets/attachments/28/booklet-2017.pdf · 2017 Tutor Proﬁles. ... belting out Taylor Swift on the way