Capstone Showcase

1. Where are you from?

I’m from Hillsboro, KS, a small town about an hour north of Wichita.

2. Why did you choose Integrated Computer Science as your major?

I started out in the College of Engineering's Computer Science because I enjoyed the logical, problem-solving aspect of it and found that it’s a lot of fun to program software you can interact with like games and websites. I switched my degree to Integrated Computer Science later on because it allowed me to focus more on the applied side of programming along with the ability to do a concentration in another subject area.

3. What concentration did you pick? Why?

My concentration is in English (emphasis in writing). I chose this because even though I love logical processing, I also love to use the creative side of my mind, and I’ve been writing stories since elementary school. At first, I wasn’t sure if this concentration would add much to my major, but I’ve discovered that there’s many applications of it even though they aren’t as obvious. For example, by continuing to grow the creative side of my brain, I’m better able to think outside the box when I’m having a hard time solving programming problems.

4. How have you integrated your concentration with programming in this capstone project?

I decided to develop a story-based video game for my capstone project since this involves both programming and creative writing.

For the technical aspect, the game is hosted online and was created using React, a JavaScript library for web development with Redux for state management. The player can use various options on the screen to play the game and interact with npc’s, make new discoveries, etc. My hope is for the overall feel to be somewhat like a more relaxed, very story-driven escape room.

In terms of the premise, I centered the game around an employee working in a large hotel laundry room. The employee ends up discovering many hidden mysteries and teams up with her coworkers to save the world from being taken over by the evils residing within the hotel.

 

Check out Sarah's game: Starlight Hotel

Check out Sarah's code: GitHub

 

5. What you plan to do post-graduation with your ICS degree?

I would love to find a job where I get to develop applications or websites, and I am particularly interested in front-end development (though I still enjoy some of the back-end programming as well). Even though I’m interested in game development, I don’t see myself doing something like that professionally.

6. Do you have any tips for incoming freshman?

I would definitely say my biggest tip, which I know is cliché, is just to not give up. You’re learning even when you can’t seem to get your code to compile. Learning to code can be pretty difficult at times and I was tempted to give up at multiple points during my freshman year. I had no real programming experience before college, and it felt like my classes were moving far too fast and like I never knew as much as everyone else did. Eventually though, I started to get the hang of things, and I realized that even when I felt like I wasn’t learning anything, I was actually getting pretty good at debugging and problem-solving, which is a huge skill to have as a software developer.

1. Where are you from?

I am from Derby, KS.

2. Why did you choose Integrated Computer Science as your major?

I originally started at K-State as a Math major because I love logic problems and coming to a distinct answer at the end of an assignment. After a few semesters I added Psychology. One requirement for the Math degree is a computer programming course, which I took and enjoyed because of its similar use of logic and problem solving to create a fully functioning program at the end of an assignment. I was discouraged at first about my odds of continuing along a path of programming since adding a Computer Engineering major or switching completely would require several more classes, money, and time. Luckily, the ICS major had recently been announced, and I caught wind of it and decided to try out a few classes. Eventually, because the courses were enjoyable and very involved, I decided to pursue this major along with Psychology and make Math my minor.

3. What concentration did you pick? Why?

My concentration is Psychology. I have always been interested in learning how people work, what events in early life can cause certain outcomes later, and how people suffering from disorders can be cared for.

4. How have you integrated your concentration with programming in this capstone project?

Because I chose to do my project in conjunction with the Computer Systems Administration course, it was a little challenging at first deciding how to integrate my concentration, but since the project was more of a “thought experiment” and consisted of a technical writeup and simple prototype portion, I decided to analyze and configure a preexisting locally hosted health software and discuss how it could be utilized in a mental health clinic.

I wanted to focus on software that could benefit people without access to cloud resources and a stable internet connection that would allow them to utilize online counseling and patient management software. In my video presentation, I speak about possible data exportation methods, showcase a webpage I coded for an easier startup access point that can also serve to provide more information to users about the clinic, and outline a possible addition to the software by showing a past coding project I completed in Advanced Programming. This possible addition would be that of digitalized diagnostic modules that allow mental health service providers to receive automatic diagnostic results based upon information entered into the program, assisted with user-friendly GUI panels. SQL databases connected to the software instance could then be updated to hold the results. The main portion of this project is the technical writeup where you can read about how this software, called OpenEMR, can be a locally hosted solution to the lack of digitized mental health software in communities lacking a stable internet connection.

Check out Allison's video taking us through her project:

Read about Allison's project here: Final Project Writeup.

What do you plan to do post-graduation with your ICS degree?

Although I quite enjoyed my time with the ICS department, I am excited to graduate because I have accepted a full-time position with Koch Engineered Solutions that I will begin in February. I interned with this company last summer as a Technology Enablement Intern, which was a position in the IT department of my company that allowed me to work with people and technology in order to help different IT teams better understand technical changes within their teams, provide training materials, develop apps, and assist with other projects within the department. My combination of ICS and Psychology was actually what interested my manager and the recruiters in contacting me for this role, since they understood that I have knowledge in both the people and computer realms. In my full-time position, I will continue exploring both of my interests that I have gotten to expand within the ICS journey.

Do you have any tips for incoming freshman?

My general advice to freshman would be to enjoy the college experience while you can, because it passes by in a flash. This includes joining clubs, actively learning and asking questions in your courses, and having fun outside the classroom. To those students hoping to explore the ICS degree, do not be intimidated to ask questions just because everything is virtual. The professors are very kind and willing to help you succeed and understand the material.