Posts

SMART Goals

Personal SMART Goal: I want to develop an app that has moderate success as a puzzle game application.  Specific: I want use Android Studios and JAVA to code a puzzle game app which will have increasing difficulty and appeal to all ages. Measurable: Once I get the app on the app store, I will set up goals based on how many people download the app. Achievable: This goal is within my scope because I have experience with coding in JAVA and I have done a lot of research on puzzle games and app stores. Relevant: This goal is relevant because it applies to my general interest in STEM and it will be a great addition to my resume for future job and academic applications. Time-Bound: I would like to complete the coding for my app by the end of June so that I can put it on the android app store this summer. Professional SMART Goal: To get into graduate school for a PhD program. Specific: I will take the GRE and any GRE subject tests I may need, complete applications for three PhD
1 comment
Read more

Who can you ask for honest feedback?

Prompt: Who can you ask for honest feedback? My older brother, Miles, has a PhD in math and he is a reliable source of honest feedback regarding my academic endeavors. He helps me to recognize my limitations both as a student and a person. In  Mindset  by Dr. Carol Dweck, she discusses the importance of being open to and aware of accurate information about yourself (p. 11). My brother and I have an open line of communication through which we can give each other constructive criticism, and this improves my awareness of myself and my abilities.  Dweck, C. S. (2016).  Mindset: The new psychology of succes: How we can learn to fulfill our potential: Parenting, business, school, relationships . New York: Ballentine Books.
1 comment
Read more
There are some tricks and tips that I have learned from my community college experiences that have held true at ASU: 1.        GO to class 2.        Create a calendar and look at it every day 3.        Get involved 4.        Talk to your professor (before you NEED to) These simple guidelines have served me well, however, if I could go back a year, I would remind myself that pursuing an education is a quest for learning, not necessarily the degree. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Dr. Carl Gardner

Image
This semester I have been fortunate to have Dr. Carl Gardner as my Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations professor. Dr. Gardner received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institue of Technology in 1981 and is a faculty Professor for the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.  Not surprisingly, in 2017, Dr. Gardner received the Charles Wexler Teaching Award, an award presented to an outstanding teacher of undergraduate mathematics. He is incredibly brilliant, patient and inspirational and it is these qualities that encourage all of his students to be better than they are. What do you like best/worst about being a professor?  I love both teaching and research, especially at ASU.  I would basically do this job for free!  (However, I do not enjoy grading or committee meetings!) Why did you decide to enter your field? When I was six years old,  in our local park one night,  I saw a gigantic meteor flash across the sky.  I decided then that I
Post a Comment
Read more

Most surprising positive thing about ASU West and/or transferring

Image
Everybody knows that a college education opens doors to better jobs and better income. In fact, for most of us, that is why we are here. Every class we take, every semester we conquer brings us that much closer to success and a better life. What is surprising about transferring is that college is also a lot of fun. As a student of ASU West, I have gotten to do some amazing things outside of the classroom that will help me in my future career. There are so many activities where I have had the opportunity to meet smart and interesting people, some of whom may become lifelong friends and colleagues. But, probably the most surprising positive thing about ASU West is the free food at many of the events!!                                           
1 comment
Read more