Computer Science Department Alumni
Erik Schweller
Graduate Student
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI
Web site:
http://treads.emich.edu/
Professional Profile: Growing up about one hour south
east of the University of Idaho's Moscow campus, Erik's childhood home was the
Clearwater River town of Orofino, ID. Erik's interest in computers developed
early in high school, probably influenced by video games. "At some point I wrote
a small modification to the game of the day, Quake 2, which met with some popularity.
From that point on I was hooked. I did get to work with computers at Orofino
High School which had a course that allowed me to pick up a CCNA , and CompTIA
Network+ and A+ certifications." These certifications attest to Erik's demonstration
of broad knowledge in hardware, networking and operating system concepts.
Unlike most of his classmates, after Erik received his B.S. degree in Computer
Science in 2006, he headed east to begin graduate studies at Eastern Michigan
University. He is currently working towards a M.S. in Computer Science.
While attending the University of Idaho Erik was active in the the student
chapter of ACM, a member of the Residence Hall Association, and participated
in the annual College of Engineering Scavenger Hunt. He continues to be involved
in community-oriented activities. "I now go to Detroit with the World Medical
Relief group to repair and sort donated medical equipment intended for third
world countries. I get the most gratification working on projects that will
benefit others. "
Making social contributions both inside and outside
your career field are important and rewarding.
Erik's research at EMU also continues his interest in being a socially responsibility
member of society. "My master’s thesis is on automatic text summarization for
special education students in secondary education. I’m investigating ways to
make texts more accessible to students with special needs and implementing those
methods into a (to be) open source web-based application that will be free to
schools." A demonstration of the software, which is currently in its infancy,
is available at http://treads.emich.edu/.
"There are a million ways to spend time, but creating something or doing something
that will surely be utilized, and appreciated, is the best reward for the effort."
If graduate studies are in your future, participating
in research as an undergraduate can be invaluable.
Commenting on his experience at the University of Idaho, Erik had this to
say, "I think the availability of the instructors was an important factor in
my current success. I was actively helping with a research project while at
the University of Idaho, which is probably the experience that encouraged me
to peruse a graduate degree. I was given a solid educational base to work from."
Some courses are more challenging than other, but
the headaches often pay off in the long run.
"Speaking of a solid educational base, the compiler design course [CS 445]
in particular is a gem. I suppose the structure of the course demanded some
extra depth of study to really succeed. Many universities seem to no longer
require a compilers course for graduation, but I appreciated the headaches that
course brought. The techniques and tools developed have served me well."
About the transition from an undergraduate program to a graduate program,
Erik remarks, "I did feel prepared for graduate studies and I didn't notice
a big difference in the transition. For the first semester I didn't do
any research work, so I just worked and did classes. Now the biggest difference
is the constant work on one project [research] vs. a semester to semester variation
in studies. Focusing in depth on a single topic, and a single large report,
is a change, but a good change."
After he finishes his M.S. degree Erik would like to work in industry for
a while before continuing his education. "I feel that I need to see more problems
before I can really contribute in a way that feels PhD worthy. As for professional
work, I'm still very undecided what I'd most like to do, but custom solutions
as part of a small programming group sounds appealing."
March 2008
The views expressed on this page are those of the individual being
profiled and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University
of Idaho or other institutions. References to specific organizations and companies
does not constitute endorsement of their products or services by the University
of Idaho.
Copyright © 2008 University of Idaho Board of Regents
