Alumni

Alumnus receives international recognition for undergraduate thesis

Alexandra Grace Wilson — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 21:42:41 +0000

Alumnus receives international recognition for undergraduate thesis Alexandra Grac… Thu, 11/21/2024 - 14:42

Nathaniel Collins (Math'23) received the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award from the Vienna Center for Logic and Algorithms for his work, "Count-Free Weisfeiler–Leman and Group Isomorphism" completed under supervision from Associate Professor Joshua Grochow.

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Avinash Ratnavel wins alumni engagement medal

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:23:48 +0000

Avinash Ratnavel wins alumni engagement medal Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/29/2024 - 12:23

Ratnavel (MCompSci'18) was recognized by the College of Engineering and Applied Science for bringing support to networking events, mock interviews, events for career exploration and on-campus job interviews, among other accomplishments.

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Lucky Vidmar: Engineering and ethics intertwined

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 18:09:19 +0000

Lucky Vidmar: Engineering and ethics intertwined Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/22/2022 - 12:09

Grace Wilson

Lucky Vidmar (CompSci'94; M'97) is working to empower ethics-focused engineers and honor his friend and mentor through the Moulakis Lecture Series within the Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics & Society.

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Alumna on a mission to break barriers and make new connections

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Alumna on a mission to break barriers and make new connections Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/01/2022 - 00:00

Rupa Dachere (CompSci’94) recognizes the challenges women software developers still encounter in the workforce. She recently moved back to Colorado and is also looking to expand her network of women in science and engineering in Boulder.

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�鶹��Ѱ��Alum Creates AI Robots to Sort Recyclables

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 23:50:25 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Alum Creates AI Robots to Sort Recyclables Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/26/2021 - 17:50

Matanya Horowitz (ApMath, CompSci, Econ, ElCompEngr’10; MElEngr’10) is using artificial intelligence to elevate the recycling industry.

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Alumni-founded website connects outdoor users with nonprofits

Anonymous — Fri, 14 May 2021 20:04:23 +0000

Alumni-founded website connects outdoor users with nonprofits Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/14/2021 - 14:04

Spencer Wegner (CompSci'20) and Sarah Brondum (MechEngr'19) co-founded Bevara to help outdoor enthusiasts connect with Colorado’s outdoor nonprofits. Through Bevara’s web platform, users are able to find donation, volunteer, and advocacy opportunities that contribute to land stewardship efforts across the state.

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From tech management to Oscar nominee: Alumnus Mike Scheuerman

Anonymous — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 20:10:53 +0000

From tech management to Oscar nominee: Alumnus Mike Scheuerman Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 04/24/2021 - 14:10

Catherine Arnold

For alumnus Mike Scheuerman (MTeleCom’95), his �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder training in technology and project management proved incredibly valuable when his career shifted to working as a film producer in the social-impact space.

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Bees form scent-driven phone tree to pass along messages

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 16:22:00 +0000

Bees form scent-driven phone tree to pass along messages Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/29/2021 - 10:22

Daniel Strain

Honeybees play a scent-driven game of telephone to guide members of a colony back to their queen, according to a new study led by Orit Peleg, an assistant professor in the BioFrontiers Institute and Department of Computer Science at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.

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Alumnus’ startup harnesses blockchain for secure, trustworthy PPE purchasing

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 22:04:02 +0000

Alumnus’ startup harnesses blockchain for secure, trustworthy PPE purchasing Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/24/2021 - 16:04

Catherine Arnold

Russ Decker

At a time when companies struggled to locate masks and other PPE at affordable prices in a highly stressed supply chain, �鶹��Ѱ��alumnus Russ Decker (CompSci’18) and co-founder Jake Deichmann decided to use their technology skills to help.

The two used blockchain — a list of data records organized into blocks that are chained together in chronological order — to empower purchasers and manufacturers to check one another’s financial stability, interact securely and transfer large payments.

Since they founded PPE Exchange in June 2020, their system has helped companies secure roughly 36 million units of PPE and transfer $48 million in payments.

“In the future, having a good process in place will allow us to avoid scams like those we saw happening early in the pandemic,” said Deichmann, referring to cases such as an attempt to defraud a federal government agency out of $750 million in nonexistent PPE orders.

Blockchain Benefits

Friends since high school, Decker and Deichmann both have backgrounds in technology development. A 2018 graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in computer science, Decker has developed systems for healthcare companies, including the Mayo Clinic and a large consulting company’s pharmaceutical work. He quickly realized blockchain technology could help companies verify PPE suppliers and manage large financial transactions.

Decker had been interested in such technology since his time at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, when he did a class project on big data that analyzed blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

He noticed medical records are segregated and historically difficult to link up.

“That’s when I got super-interested in blockchain and how it can join records,” he said.

Starting the Company

In spring 2020, Decker heard from a doctor friend that companies were struggling to buy PPE at affordable prices. After conducting market research, he called Deichmann. They concluded their skills could help the market.

Soon afterward, they began talking with a subsidiary of the North Carolina Healthcare Association that needed masks and supplies for small medical facilities.

“They were having problems finding a source for around $4,000-$5,000 worth of PPE,” Deichmann said. “Manufacturers quoted them 3-4 times the market price.”

The two friends had a manufacturer contact who could handle the order, and they agreed to set up a software system to handle it. Still employed full time at other jobs, they worked nights building software to collect payments, shipping addresses and other information from 35 North Carolina facilities. Very busy by June 2020, they left their jobs and began full-time work at PPE Exchange. They had partnered with 16 state hospital associations and 41 smaller medical associations by March 2021. The team has hired nine employees, including Senior Engineer Alex Urbanski (CompSci’19), the company’s first hire.

“What particularly impresses me about PPE Exchange is their combination of providing a much needed service — PPE during a pandemic — and the way they have used blockchain technology to build a trusted system,” said Bobby Schnabel, external chair of the Department of Computer Science. “And they’ve accomplished something that can be so difficult for technology startups: reaching a profitable state in a short time.”

How the System Works

The company uses blockchain to track supplier credentials: references, financial scores and any other information that can be used to flesh out a manufacturer’s identity. The system also uses systems that prevent payment until buyers receive and review their merchandise.

“In short, blockchain helps us build trust in our marketplace. When the supply chain is strained, like for PPE supplies during a pandemic, that trust is very important,” Deichmann said.

How It Helps Others

PPE Exchange allows small, regional care providers — local dentist offices, long-term care facilities and others — to group together and create a large purchase order.

“It’s given these smaller providers access to PPE, at the same prices a massive hospital would get,” said Decker.

The company also allows flexibility. Unlike many group purchase order (GPO) agreements in healthcare, buyers don’t have to sign a long-term agreement with PPE Exchange.

“Like Uber and others, we’re more of a dynamic, self-serve marketplace,” said Decker.

Post-COVID Plans

While working with thousands of manufacturers and buyers over the last year, Decker and his business partner realized they have plans for the post-COVID-19 supply chain.

“I think COVID showed that in terms of supply chains, if one supplier goes down, it all falls. We want to build a marketplace where you can source the same material from multiple suppliers without worrying you’ll get a fraudulent product,” said Deichmann.

They plan to continue to diversify the supply chain, suggesting that their buyers spend 5-10% of orders with U.S. suppliers to keep domestic industry in action.

“So when this does happen again — and hopefully it won’t — we’ll have the infrastructure to be ready,” said Deichmann.

With blockchain supporting their system, the two think their business will continue to expand. They’ve already hired their first employee, another �鶹��Ѱ��Engineering graduate.

“The average Amazon customer spends around $600 a year. Our average customer order is for much more than that,” said Decker. “That’s because we’re able to build that trust, and we want to bring that service to more customers.”

Decker has become truly passionate about his work.

“I really believe in the ability of two parties to transact on the Internet without having met or a 10-year business relationship. In this industry, that’s what you need to transact. We’re excited to make an impact, creating a trustworthy system for customers to interact and getting PPE to everyone.”

Alumnus uses technology background to help small and medium-size companies order of PPE during COVID-19.

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Dave Kasik (MCompSci'72)

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 22:50:01 +0000

Dave Kasik (MCompSci'72) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/19/2020 - 15:50

I grew up in Denver (a Regis High grad) and started computer science in 1968 as an undergrad at Johns Hopkins. By way of context, Hopkins and Baltimore taught me as much about life as computer science. The East Coast was filled with demonstrations against the Vietnam War and assassinations. I saw troop movements in front of my apartment after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

At Hopkins, I discovered computer animation and made films working for Bill Huggins. I was fascinated with the technology and learning how to communicate via pictures and motion. Computer graphics has been my career focus ever since. The graphics experience, a desire to return to Colorado, a poor job market and a draft deferment led me to apply to CU. I was accepted and became a teaching assistant in 1970, the first formal Computer Science Department master's class.

�鶹��Ѱ��gave me opportunities to explore and push boundaries. The faculty (e.g., Bob Gammill, Lloyd Fosdick, Bill Waite, Lee Osterweil, Harry Jordan) got me to work in multiple languages and explore disciplines other than graphics. �鶹��Ѱ��had no computer graphics per se. Working in other areas broadened my base and convinced me that graphics was my preference. The professors gave enough latitude that TAs could deviate from the syllabus and introduce new concepts. Grad school assignments were broad enough that alternative solutions were encouraged and accepted. I specialized in unconventional thinking, a hallmark for my next 50 years.

My professional career started at a research lab in Columbus Ohio. Bob Schiffman (CU’s computer center boss) made the connection. I was the first hire in the lab’s nascent graphics group, perhaps because I could spell "graphics." After five years, my wife, infant daughter and I decided to move back West to work for Boeing. Lee Osterweil, the �鶹��Ѱ��professor, was on sabbatical at Boeing. He convinced me to take the position even though we know no one in Seattle.

Boeing named me senior technical fellow in 2009, the highest rank for a technical person. Overall, I spent 35 years at Boeing. I had the opportunity to work with brilliant people across multiple disciplines. Boeing encouraged me to reach outside to professional organizations. I’ve been active in ACM, ACM-SIGGRAPH and IEEE and was named ACM Fellow in 2012.

Dave as a student

I’ve developed key software systems (user interface management systems, massive model visualization, visual analytics, a commercially-marketed CAD system). I believe that computer systems should let people do their jobs better and make their lives easier by reducing repetitive, mundane tasks. I’ve often done things without approval to demonstrate my ideas. My philosophy is that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

My later career was marked by contact with thousands of students around the world. Part of my message has been to take jobs that are not necessarily in the computer industry. I valued my Boeing and research lab jobs because I directly experienced a wide range of technologies and technologists. As a techno-junkie, seeing breadth made me a better computer scientist because I could determine and solve other people’s problems.

I believe the same breadth is essential for computer scientists over the next centuries. It’s all about people and their problems. Seeing those problems first-hand has helped me immensely.

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Alumni

Alumnus receives international recognition for undergraduate thesis

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Avinash Ratnavel wins alumni engagement medal

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Lucky Vidmar: Engineering and ethics intertwined

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Alumna on a mission to break barriers and make new connections

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�鶹��Ѱ�����Alum Creates AI Robots to Sort Recyclables

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​Alumni-founded website connects outdoor users with nonprofits

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From tech management to Oscar nominee: Alumnus Mike Scheuerman

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Bees form scent-driven phone tree to pass along messages

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Alumnus’ startup harnesses blockchain for secure, trustworthy PPE purchasing

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Dave Kasik (MCompSci'72)

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�鶹��Ѱ��Alum Creates AI Robots to Sort Recyclables

Alumni-founded website connects outdoor users with nonprofits