Computer science professor promotes connectivity
Associate Professor of Computer Science Jorge Silveira helps students, both majors and non-majors, discover potential applications for their field.
Posted by: Megan Kita Tuesday, January 16, 2024 1:05 PM
Associate Professor of Computer Science Jorge Silveira taught Introduction to Data Analytics last spring.Photo credit: Christy Morris
Right next to Associate Professor of Computer Science Jorge Silveira's office is a lounge lined with armchairs and tables, and large windows overlooking the faculty offices. He has a sign posted on one of those windows that says, “Do not hit the glass.” You end up scaring programmers. ”
That's proof that the computer science students who hang out there don't take themselves too seriously. Further evidence: the existence of a “nerd club,” as students on the university's competitive programming teams call themselves. The club meets weekly throughout most of the semester, and up to four times a week as competitions approach. Silveira, the team's coach, attends all meetings and travels with the team to games each semester. This is an integral part of the Muhlenberg experience for participating budding computer scientists.
“We have great alumni who are participating in the Nerd Club because it helps them with the types of interviews needed for really tough jobs.”
“The Nerd Club is one of my favorite activities at Muhlenberg,” said Silveira, who came to the university in 2016. “I've become much better at programming myself by attending meetings like this…Every time, by the time we leave, we've learned something.”
The team is also talented and won the Northeast Regional University Consortium Programming Contest last spring. It was the second consecutive victory for the Muhlenberg team and the third time since 2019. Silveira sees her students bond, develop skills, and go on to great careers.
“We have great alumni who are part of the Nerd Club because it helps them with the kinds of interviews you need for really tough jobs,” he says, adding that former team members have worked at Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, MIT and the Broad Institute, jointly managed by Harvard University.
Although Silveyra has a close relationship with these self-proclaimed “nerds,” he is equally passionate about bringing computer science to both majors and non-majors. His favorite courses to teach the major are Data Structures and Algorithms, which follows two introductory level courses. He likens the introductory course to showing students all the different types and shapes of Lego. In Data Structures, students start putting pieces together to create something useful. For the final project, students build a mini-search engine, which is typically a graduate-level assignment, Silveira said. He says it will help build the resumes of undergraduates who complete the course.
When it comes to non-majors, he believes in computer science education for everyone. [business majors]They took CS classes and now they're doing it as a job. “Because they were the most knowledgeable about his CS among his contemporaries,” he says. “Being computer literate can be a game-changer.”
“The fact that they have a liberal arts education helps them become better speakers and writers. Our job is to give them tools to solve problems, think, and act ethically. It's about giving them more than just computer science classes. [that lead to success]. It's the whole package. ”
Data analysis is a course that typically attracts non-majors, and he assures them they'll be able to do something useful by the end of the semester. This course teaches you how software is made, what you can do with it, what's important for those looking to manage large teams that include the people who create it, and skills that extend beyond specific programs. Students will have a deeper understanding.
“I try not to teach technology,” Silveira says. “Technology quickly becomes obsolete. I try to teach concepts.”
Silveyra's personal academic background spans disciplines. She trained as a computer engineer (working with both hardware and software) in her native Mexico as an undergraduate. He studied computer science (primarily software) as a graduate student at Texas State, where he worked in a computational epidemiologist's lab. He had to take classes in immunology, biology, biostatistics, and genetics to understand the research, which involves devising models that replicate human immune system responses.
He recently used his public health background when he co-taught the Panama Public Health Muhlenberg Integrated Learning Abroad (MILA) course in Panama with students and co-instructor Erica M. Sutherland, Associate Professor of Spanish. It took two weeks to reach its climax. Silveyra's interests outside of academia include cycling, video games (Zelda is her favorite), and going to the gym. He goes to the gym almost every night and gets to know his students and colleagues.
What attracted Silveira to the small liberal arts institution, an educational model that has not historically existed in Mexico, was not necessarily the breadth of the curriculum, but the close relationships he could form with students. . He recalls that when he visited Muhlenberg for interviews, the students he met were engaged at a level he had never seen at any of the larger institutions he had attended. Muhlenberg certainly offers close relationships, but as students go on to explore the world, they also realize the power of the liberal arts.
“The fact that they have a liberal arts education helps them become better speakers and writers. Our job is to give them the tools to solve problems, think, and act ethically. ,” he says. “Computer science classes are not held alone. [that lead to success]. It's the whole package. ”