BE Undergraduate Newsletter
Announcements
Competitive Programming Club for UCSC
Hi everyone,
My name is Nhan Nguyen, and I'm a sophomore here at UCSC. My proposed major is Computer Science: Computer Game Design. I have been programming since I was in 9th grade, and I have a deep passion for this subject.
For the past 2 years, I have been very devoted to a field in Computer Science called Competitive Programming (CP for short). Throughout the course of 2 years, Competitive Programming help me explore many programming techniques and algorithms that catapult my programming skills to the next level (to name a few simple ones: Binary Search, Two Pointers, DP). As my skills steadily improve, I found myself in many different coding contest from large companies like Google, Facebook, etc (my most recent one being Facebook Hacker Cup). Being involved in the Competitive Programming community for a long time also exposes me to a very prestigious contest called ICPC ( https://icpc.global/), and from there I realized that one of my biggest dreams is to compete in the ICPC.
So I got to work looking for a UCSC club that covers the topic, and I was disappointed to find that our campus lacks such a club. Since UCSD and most UCs has such a club and we don’t, I have started and currently am running a new club that specializes in Competitive Programming here at UCSC. The end goal of this club is to improve fellow programmers personal coding skills with a variety of problems to participate in the once-in-a-lifetime ICPC contest, compete in other prestigious contests like Facebook Hacker Cup or Google Codejam, and also gearing them up with the necessary skills to ace coding interviews.
I am looking for advisors and executive members for this club. If you are interested in Competitive Programming and want to support what I'm doing or being an executive/advisor in general, please message me through my UCSC email: nhtrnguy@ucsc.edu, or you could join the clubs' discord here at: https://discord.gg/aw8EqPCbWy
P.S: If you don't know what Competitive Programming is you can see this video for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueNT-w7Oluw&t=1s
Interested in AI or Natural Language Processing? Consider Applying to the UCSC NLP Master's Program!
Call for Applications: 1 year M.S. Program in NLP at UCSC Silicon Valley
Natural language processing (NLP) is a rapidly growing field with applications in many of the technologies we use every day, from virtual assistants and smart speakers to autocorrect. UCSC has created a unique Master’s program in NLP to provide students with the skills and in-depth knowledge of NLP algorithms, technologies, and applications that are in high demand in both industry and academia. Our program goes beyond the classroom by supplying students with industry-relevant projects for the kind of real-world experience that is essential for a successful career in NLP.
Please visit https://grad.soe.ucsc.edu/nlp/ for details.
Program Highlights:
- 1-year program, including a 3-quarter capstone project
- Core courses covering all aspects of NLP
- Instruction and capstone project collaborations with experts from industry giants like IBM, Microsoft, Amazon and Bloomberg
- State of the art facilities in the heart of Silicon Valley
We are seeking a diverse pool of applicants to this program.
Some partial fellowships may be available.
Applications are now open. See https://grad.soe.ucsc.edu/nlp/ for instructions.
Application deadline is February 15, 2022 for Fall 2022 admission.
Questions can be directed to the NLP Program Team at nlp@ucsc.eduReaders/Tutors needed for CSE 100 (logic design) and CSE120 (computer architecture), Winter 2022
Hello all,
I am in urgent need for reader/tutor positions for both CSE100 and CSE120 for W2022.
Please apply here if you are interested!
- Prof Sagnik Nath
Tutoring Sign Ups Open January 14th!
Learning Support Services is reaching to share that tutoring sign ups for students will open this Friday, January 14th at noon!
LSS's mission is to provide UCSC undergraduate students with inclusive learning sessions facilitated by advanced peer educators to build strong foundations for success while engaging with a community of learners. With your help, we can strive towards this goal!
How do students sign up to reserve their spot?
After Wednesday, January 14th at Noon students can sign up through our tutoring portal, Tutor Trac. Please direct students to our website for written instructions and video tutorials to assist them in navigating the system. Please note that all tutoring will take place over zoom this quarter.
If you have questions after reviewing our website, please email lss@ucsc.edu or visit the LSS Front Desk! Our current hours are remote support through Zoom (Monday - Friday 9-6pm).
180 Degrees Consulting Recruitment - Winter 2022
Hey there Slugs!
Are you interested in building essential skills that translate into diverse industries? Consider joining 180 Degrees Consulting, the world’s largest student-run consultancy for nonprofit organizations.
We partner with nonprofit organizations, assess areas of improvement, conduct research, and develop solutions for them to increase their social impact. We are eager to recruit a new class of Consultants for Winter 2022 and are looking for driven students with a passion to grow professionally within a team setting.
Consulting at 180 Degrees is a great way to strengthen critical industry skills. Some of the key takeaways our consultants get are:
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Gaining professionalism through collaborative projects and presenting to real-time professionals.
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A like-minded community of students that share similar interests and career goals.
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Working on projects with a real social impact within our communities.
These experiences can help students develop their skills for their future opportunities. Consultants at our branch here at UC Santa Cruz have worked with companies such as Airbnb, NVIDIA, and Northrop Grumman in roles relating to finance, software engineering, marketing, and more.
Students of all majors and levels of experience are welcome to apply! Fill out this form if you are interested and would like to receive more information: Winter 2022: 180 Interest Form
Creative Tech Design: Intern Applications
Interested in becoming a CTD Intern?
Creative Tech Design’s officer applications are open now until January 28th! Apply to join our team and gain more expertise UX and design leadership.
Link to application available in bio and via email/slack.
2022 Straus Scholarship Informational Webinar October 19th at 4:00 pm
Donald A. Strauss Scholarship
The Donald A. Strauss Scholarship Foundation allows students to pursue a public service project during their junior or senior year. The scholarship provides $15,000 for expenses of the public service project and for some tuition, fees, books, room and board. The Foundation will award scholarships to full-time students who have:
- Demonstrated an interest in public service
- Outstanding leadership potential
- Developed and can demonstrate effective communication skills
- The desire to "make a difference” in local, regional, national or international communities
- One or two years remaining until graduation
- A GPA in the upper 1/3 of their class
- Submitted an innovative, original, public service proposal
MBARI Summer Internship Program
June 6 – August 12, 2022
MBARI’s Summer Internship Program provides an opportunity for talented college students (undergraduate and graduate) and educators to work directly with MBARI scientists, engineers and communicators. MBARI’s state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, including research vessels, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), offer educators and students unique opportunities to collaborate on advanced research and development projects. The program immerses interns in collaborative teams as they learn innovative research and engineering techniques and improve communication skills. Each intern will have an MBARI mentor who will supervise a specific project for a 10-week duration. Interns also serve as peer-mentors to each other.
Applications for the 2022 MBARI internship (June 6 – August 12) will be accepted through February 7, 2022 at 8 am (Pacific).
We are currently planning for an in-person internship but may have to switch to a virtual program if COVID issues are still prevalent. Summer interns are selected following a rigorous application procedure and merit review. Hailing from around the world, MBARI’s interns represent a variety of lived experiences and education levels. We encourage all students and educators interested in a STEM career to apply.
How to apply:
Suggestions for those applying can be found here. All applications must include:
- A cover letter describing:
- general interests/goals as well as specific interests/goals relative to MBARI,
- your project preference (please choose from this list),
- your relevant coursework and grades, and
- how you hope to use your upbringing, and/or unique lived experiences to enhance your internship participation
- Curriculum vitae
- One letter of recommendation
Winter Opportunities in the Tech4Good Lab
The Tech4Good Lab has several positions open next quarter for undergraduate students from all majors. We are looking for people who are extremely responsible, love learning, and have a strong drive to apply technology for social good. For next quarter, we have positions doing the following types of work:
- User research: interviewing and analyzing interviews to understand user needs and context,
- Usability evaluation: conducting evaluations of interfaces for usability,
- Interface design: designing and iterating on web interfaces in Figma,
- Web development: coding an app using an Angular/NgRx/Firebase stack,
- DevOps: building tools to support developers and operations across lab projects,
- AI & economics: modeling economic systems using multiagent reinforcement learning,
- NLP: build topics to identify similarity and create clusters of short text responses,
You would be contributing to a variety of projects in the lab related to designing systems to better support the future of education, work, and community engagement. Some of the platforms we are working on include:
- An app aimed at scaling apprenticeship learning, which supports people in learning through micro-roles while supporting non-profits as they learn,
- An app aimed at microlearning through small groups to create learning environments supporting curiosity, creativity, and relationships,
- An app containing short activities for team/group community building, and also creating "small group networks" that can facilitate interesting collective goals,
- An app aimed at supporting chat-based career mentorship between industry professionals and groups of students,
Joining requires a commitment of 10 hours/week for the quarter for independent study credits. If you are interested, fill out the Tech4Good Lab Interest Form and send an email to David Lee (dlee105@ucsc.edu).
P.S. Follow our Facebook or Instagram to hear about future student opportunities in Tech4Good!
Participants needed for a research study
Participants are needed for a research study evaluating an initial mobile app aimed to capture, reproduce and creatively design flavour cues. The study involves small group workshops (~2 hours), followed by individual interviews (~45 min).
We are looking for about 20 participants who are: 18 years of age or older, UCSC students, and familiar with smartphones and mobile apps (HCI/design training is desirable).
Upon completion of the study, participants will receive a $13 Amazon voucher via email.
The study will take place in Jan 2022. If interested, please contact Prof. Corina Sas at csas@ucsc.edu.
Google Developer Student Club - Machine Learning Study Jam
Come join us in learning the fundamentals of Machine Learning through Google provided QwikLabs! We will cover data preparation, data flow, Google Cloud Speech API and reinforcement learning. This will take place on February 26th (Saturday) from 11-4pm PST in Room E2-506 and E2-599 (Baskin Engineering) as well as on Zoom.
Zoom: Meeting ID: 957 635 9540, Passcode: 000652
RSVP: https://bit.ly/ML-JAM
Second Chance to Learn about the UC Santa Cruz Natural Language Processing MS Program!
Second Chance to Learn about the UC Santa Cruz Natural Language Processing MS Program!
For those of you who missed our first session, on February 2nd at 9am PST, the Baskin Office of Graduate Student Affairs will be hosting another information session about the Natural Language Processing (NLP) Master's program at UC Santa Cruz.
Natural language processing (NLP) is a rapidly growing field with applications in many of the technologies we use every day, from virtual assistants and smart speakers to autocorrect. UC Santa Cruz has created a unique master's program in NLP to provide students with the skills and in-depth knowledge of NLP algorithms, technologies, and applications that are in high demand in both industry and academia.
Program Highlights:
- 1-year program, including a 3-quarter capstone project
- Core courses covering all aspects of NLP
- Instruction and capstone project collaborations with experts from industry giants like IBM, Interactions LLC, Linkedin, Microsoft, Amazon and Bloomberg
- State of the art facilities in the heart of Silicon Valley
Join us on February 2nd at 9am PST to learn more about the course offerings, application process, and unique advantages of the NLP MS program at UC Santa Cruz.
To attend this virtual event, please register by 8am Pacific Time on February 2nd by completing this online form: https://ucsc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0of-mprzIvGtRPXVI87bQEGiQmg124EkqH.
Please be sure to visit https://grad.soe.ucsc.edu/nlp/ to read more about the NLP program.
We look forward to seeing you at the event!
Follow us on:
-Facebook: ** @UCSCNLPMS (https://www.facebook.com/UCSCNLPMS/)
-Twitter: ** @UCSC_NLP_MS (https://twitter.com/UCSC_NLP_MS)
-LinkedIn: ** UC Santa Cruz Natural Language Processing Master's Program (https://www.linkedin.com/school/ucsc-nlp-ms/)
-Reddit: **r/UCSC_NLP_MS (https://www.reddit.com/r/UCSC_NLP_MS/)
-YouTube:** UCSC Natural Language Processing Master's Program (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMshmhPfkHubXRtBq5gNXGQ)
ACEC California Scholarship Deadline Extended!
The American Council of Engineering Companies of California (ACEC California) will be awarding several scholarships totaling up to $50,000 for the 2022-2023 academic year. We ask that you distribute the following flyer that is attached or forward the link below to your engineering and land surveying students for an opportunity to receive a scholarship towards their degree.
The scholarship application deadline has been extended to 5:00 pm on February 11, 2022. If you know of any qualified students who might benefit from receiving a scholarship, please encourage them to apply. Help promote the Scholarship Foundation on social media by posting about the application and tagging ACEC California on Facebook and/or Twitter.
ACEC California is a nonprofit association of private consulting engineering and land surveying firms. As a statewide organization, we are dedicated to enhancing the consulting engineering and land surveying professions. We work to promote the use of the private sector in the growth and development of safe buildings, environment, transportation and water. Our members provide services for all phases of planning, designing and constructing. Such member services include civil, structural, geotechnical, electrical and mechanical engineering and land surveying for all types of public works,
residential, commercial and industrial projects.
Our scholarship program not only recognizes hard working and dedicated students, but serves as a valuable way for our members to identify the best and the brightest students about to enter California’s increasingly competitive job market. If you know of any qualified students who might benefit from receiving a scholarship, please encourage them to apply.
Projects from Top Banks/Consultancies - Ending Soon!
The following projects/challenges will be wrapping up soon. Each of these is from top banks/consultancies:
Top Bank: Project Community Impact - This challenge asks solvers to design the bank’s ESG website and give insights into what they think the layout and focus should look like. Renders, mock websites, and prototypes are highly encouraged!
https://www.mindsumo.com/
KPMG: Propose a way to keep contract talent engaged in between projects
https://www.mindsumo.com/
Student Focused company: Design a digital solution to help students prepare for life after school
https://www.mindsumo.com/
NOTE: A note/tip if you plan to solve it - the company is not looking for ideas that already exist (e.g. peer to peer). They also do not want students to just elaborate on the problem but actually put in a well thought out idea to solve that problem.
Top Financial Firm: How can an auto/property insurance company better engage with consumers under 35?
https://www.mindsumo.com/
Reach out to isha@mindsumo.com if you have any questions.
Jobs
Digital Dynamics is Hiring for Hardware Engineering Interns
Digital Dynamics is Hiring for Software Engineering Interns
Digital Dynamics is Hiring for Software Quality Assurance Interns
Digital Dynamics Has Full-Time Career Positions Open
Join Digital Dynamics to start or enrich your career in an exciting and innovative culture.
DDI is a growing technology company located in beautiful Scotts Valley, only minutes from Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley. Our company designs, manufactures and sells advanced controls solutions for demanding global industries. DDI technology controls billions of dollars of mission critical equipment in factories worldwide.
We offer competitive salaries and benefits. DDI is an employee-owned (ESOP) company where employees earn equity as part of their benefit package. Please use this link to apply to open positions: https://www.digitaldynamics.com/careers
Tutor needed for CSE 101!
I am looking for a personal CS tutor who is familiar with CSE101 in C/C++. I am looking for someone who can sit down with me a couple times a week to guide me. I am willing to pay. Please email me at jmlafond@ucsc.edu
Hollywood Special Ops is Hiring a Robot Operator
I am looking to employ a college graduate for a position as robotics expert in Los Angeles for my company, Hollywood Special Ops. You can see what we do at www.hollywoodspecialops.com. We’ve recently purchased a “Mia” six axis robot arm by Motorized Precision with hardware by Kuka and we want to hire someone to be its partner. We do high end specialty camera work for television, ads, and motion picture. This will be a very fun job for the right person. Please let me know if you can point me in the right direction. Best way to reach me is by phone (818-648-6572) or email drew@hollywoodspecialops.com
Thx!
Drew Lauer
Hollywood Special Ops
cell (818) 648-6572