Tell us a little about yourself. What are your interests? Hobbies? Plans for the future?

I am a junior in high school. Throughout my life, I have been very interested in all things computers and technology. I thoroughly enjoy using and manipulating computers for many hours each day. Currently, I have a new-found avocation of physical fitness and exercise. I frequently exercise and strive to maintain a level of personal fitness.

In the future, I would like to go off to a university to study computer science to the PhD level. This has been a dream of mine ever since I was about 7 years old and I have every intention of pursuing it.

What interests you about Science Online?

Unlike many other events, Science Online gives me the unique opportunity to learn so much about scientific topics that particularly interest me. Science Online is destined to be an intellectual experience of a lifetime that many dream of and only few have the opportunity to experience. I am privileged to be able to attend such an event.

You’re going to be presenting at the conference. Tell us what you plan to share with the audience. What do you hope the audience shares with you?

I would like to present the use of customizable Wiki pages in science education with the audience. I feel that this topic is something I can finely elaborate on and represent well. I hope the audience shares their intelligence, insight, and appreciation for science with me.

Who are you excited about meeting at Science Online? What do you hope to get from the experience?

I am thoroughly excited about meeting technology and computer enthusiasts like myself at the Science Online conference. I hope to gain as much knowledge as I can and meet new people with whom I can remain in contact.

Tell us a little about  yourself.  What are your interests?  Hobbies?  Plans for the future?

I’m a sophomore in high school and my favorite hobbies include listening to music and podcasts, reading, and taking care of animals. I come from a family of dog lovers and love nothing more than going to the local pet shop and helping the employees train and take care of dogs. I’m an avid reader and love the works of David Foster Wallace, John Green, J.D. Salinger, J.K. Rowling, and Chuck Palahniuk. I also love listening and collecting vinyl records from some of my favorite bands (The Zombies, The Beatles, The Stones, Bruce Springsteen, The Doors, The Kinks, and The Velvet Underground). I’m also a crazed college hunter. You can always find me flipping through college magazines and looking up my dream schools online, comparing acceptance rates and calculation GPA’s. Like most high school students, my ambitions constantly flip flop; usually I go back and forth between journalism and medicine. All I know is that I want to make some sort of difference in the world. Not necessarily to life as we know it or to all of mankind, but if I could help some in need of help through my profession I consider that a life well lived.

What interests you about Science Online?

Obviously as a student lucky enough to attend the conference, I’m aware of the incredible opportunities Science Online presents. Besides being a platform to meet amazing professionals in the field of science media, I’m really excited to go to all of the presentations. At last year’s conference, I was completely enraptured by the endless topics and people there. My favorite was definitely Carl Zimmer’s presentation, as I’ve been a fan of his work for a year or two now.

You’re going to be presenting at the conference.  Tell us what you plan to share with the audience.  What do you hope the audience shares with you?

I plan on presenting on using YouTube and podcasts to help interest students and get them academically involved with stimulating online communities. I got the idea from one of my favorite YouTube channels, the Vlogbrothers. Hank and John Green have communicated through their vlogs and quickly became an online phenomenon. They’ve created a wonderfully supportive online community full of supportive intellectuals who talk about the economy, literature, history, philanthropy, traveling, politics, science, and environmental awareness. The discovery of their project has made me more socially aware, and I’m sure similar online groups can get kids all over the world excited to learn.

Who are you excited about meeting at Science Online?  What do you hope to get from the experience?

I’m really excited about meeting  the subject of my interview, Seth Mnookin, as well as his fellow presenters Brian Switek, Sheril Kirshenbaum, and Maryn McKenna. Their panel discussion “Blogs as a Book Writing Tool” seems tailored made to my interests and the anticipation of going to their presentation is driving me crazy! More than just a name to drop on a college application or something to brag about, I truly want to go to Science Online for the educational and social experience of a lifetime. I know that it’s going to be one of the highlights of my high school career, and I can’t wait to board the plane!

Tell us a little about yourself. What are your interests? Hobbies? Plans for the future?

My name is Naseem and I’m a freshman in high school. I love science and it’s been my favorite subject since, at age 4, I asked my dad why the sky was blue. I’m an amateur pianist, an ardent reader, blogger, twitter-er, and soccer player! I really like to spend my time, when I’m not busy with school participating in my favorite hobby: photography (psyched for science/nature photography). During my spare time, I love to watch movies, play Scrabble, and do my homework. Apart from science fairs at school and the labs, I haven’t been exposed to something as ‘scientifically significant’ as Science Online. I think my whole understanding of science and its importance totally changed when my class was introduced to Extreme Biology, and helped me figure out how I personally feel on some issues that affect the world around me. That’s a really important aspect of science literacy—being able to understand what’s happening and than being skeptical about of what you hear about it. When I grow up, I want to be an anesthesiologist, a psychologist, a neurologist, or a pathologist. My future career choices used to be doctor, lawyer, politician, or CIA agent…but I feel like it’s pretty narrowed down now to just the field of medicine. In small words, I want a future full of success, and I know I’ll have to work pretty hard for it.

What interests you about Science Online?

Other than the fact that it has to do with science and the Internet (the infatuation of my generation), I’d have to say the most compelling aspect of Science Online, for me, is the idea that I am actually going to meet real scientists in the flesh. What I particularly would love to see is actual scientists collaborating on their ideas! It’s so cool! I never actually realized the impact the Internet actually has on today’s scientific community, how it lets scientists from one part of the globe to another share ideas and information in mere seconds. This conference has ‘opportunity’ written all over it, and I can’t wait to come back from this amazing experience to share what I learn!

You’re going to be presenting at the conference. Tell us what you plan to share with the audience. What do you hope the audience shares with you?

Very very very exciting news…that I’ll share at the conference! Also, more stuff on science literacy. The audience? I hope they don’t pound me with questions! I’m sure Mr. Zivkovic is looking for payback from his interview! I’m glossophobic though… so we’ll see what happens.

Who are you excited about meeting at Science Online? What do you hope to get from the experience?

Of course, I’d be thrilled to meet every single person at the conference! It’s going to be awesome, but I am extremely excited to meet some of the scio11′ers that I’ve already been acquainted with via twitter, like Karyn Traphagen and Glendon Mellow and my interviewee Mr. Zivkovic who I’m particularly enthusiastic to meet in person! I’m also eager to meet the other ‘big scio11 guy’ Mr. Anton Zuiker and who wouldn’t be amazed to meet Carl Zimmer? Who knows, from this experience, I’ll probably be transformed into a whole other being, sputtering scientific concepts and technological codes like a wild maniac!? Truthfully, I expect to make many more connections with the scientific community and become more educated than I am currently. This I also expect of my fellow peers that are attending with me, who are equally as excited to go to scio11! In addition, I really want to get a sense of the role lifestyle choices play in your overall health from medical related sessions, like ‘Patient blogging as therapy.’ Even though I am an avid surfer of the internet, I consider myself a noob when it comes to all these new features the web offers like digg and tumblr, and hope to learn not only of new conveniences to my lifestyle but how they impact science! For instance, I have no idea what wordpress is and the Internet’s my generation’s infatuation. That says a lot. I’ve looked through the program of this year’s conference, and I’m particularly looking forward to everything it has to offer! From the fantasy of today’s entertainment to how blogging benefits your career, all I have to say is bring it on!

Xeporad, a game series created by Jack

Tell us a little about yourself. What are your interests? Hobbies? Plans for the future?

I’ve always been interested in computers and that interest has led me to my constant need to make programs to do all sorts of things. I have multiple flash game projects that I’ve been working on along with my new project to design a tumblr theme. I also play the piano and write music, some of which I create for my projects. Although I spend a decent amount of time at the computer, I still enjoy hanging out with friends, and also snowboard in the winter. As for my plans for the future, I have short term and long term goals. For the short term, I’m hoping to release a few games in the next year, but the amount depends on my workload from school. I also don’t want to spend all day every day in front of a computer. Keeping my grades up is pretty important for my long term goal (and more or less dream) of eventually going to MIT.

What interests you about Science Online?

I’ve always known how important the internet is to scientific developments and discoveries, and Science Online is a place that allows people to explain how to push the limits of the internet to achieve greater things. The world wide database of information gives most anyone the ability to find information on almost anything thinkable. Though some knowledge is still unaccessable, what exists online already is enough to allow scientists to get the information they need in an instant. There’s also the ability to collaberate and cooperate instantly over the internet. Even further, the internet is the perfect place to distribute discoveries so they can spread over blogs and networks to make the science more known. I’m interested in Science Online because I’m interested in meeting and talking with the people who want to make the internet a fountain of scientific knowledge.

You’re going to be presenting at the conference. Tell us what you plan to share with the audience. What do you hope the audience shares with you?

I’m hoping to show the audience that there are students out there who also want to participate in this online scientific revolution. I’m hoping to show them how I’m active in learning about and spreading science, and therefore ways that they can do the same. Of course, I’m also hoping to learn even more ways to be able to be a part of science in the making, along with scientific things I can use to further my knowledge of the everyday things that I do.

Who are you excited about meeting at Science Online? What do you hope to get from the experience?

Honestly, I’m exited about meeting everyone at Science Online.  Everyone has a story to share, a creation to show, or just a reason to be there, and therefore I can learn something from everyone who goes.

Tell us a little about yourself. What are your interests? Hobbies? Plans for the future?

My name is Samantha and I’m attending the Science Online Conference. I love music and I play three different instruments: the piano, the trumpet, and the cornet. I also participate in sports such as soccer, softball, and one of my favorites, skiing. I’m not exactly sure what I want to be when I get older, but I have some ideas. I always wanted to be a lawyer, but now I am exploring some other careers in fields such as science and medicine. Anything in the field of science interests me, so chances are I will pursue a career in this category. Maybe I could become a cytotechnologist, an environmental consultant, a neurologist, or even a dermatologist.

What interests you about Science Online?

I think that it is SO cool that I’m going to meet with real scientists. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I am very honored to be going.

You’re going to be presenting at the conference. Tell us what you plan to share with the audience. What do you hope the audience shares with you?

Recently, I have received very exciting news that I will unveil during our presentation. It’s a surprise! But, I can tell you that I really enjoy blogging about the environment and making it known to children my age, and even adults, how important and vital it is to protect our planet. I write blogs on how to help recycle objects and the latest news involving the environment. Blogs are a key example of how technology is advancing the field of science and how it is becoming even more available to people on the internet

Who are you excited about meeting at Science Online? What do you hope to get from the experience?

I’m excited to meet everybody at the conference, especially Andrew Farke the paleontologist I interviewed a few weeks back. This conference is going to change the way I look at science.  I will learn new ways to stay in touch with the latest science news and meet so many interesting people.

Tell us a little about yourself. What are your interests? Hobbies? Plans for the future?

My name is Michael. I have always had an interest in the sciences, Biology being one of my favorite subjects. I guess you could call me a Science/English person because Science/Math person wouldn’t accurately describe me. Some of my hobbies include playing guitar (or my rendition of guitar), designing web pages (basic ones but you have to start somewhere), and blogging/social networking. I also enjoy public speaking and attend many Model United Nations Conferences, including one in Philadelphia, one in China, and hopefully one in Dubai this summer. My plans for the future right now aren’t very clear. I have an interest in Marine Biology and would love to pursue a career in that, but on the other hand I love to debate. My family always tells me I’m going to become a politician.

 What interests you about Science Online?

Science Online is perfect for me because I love science and I love the internet. And when you have a conference with both, I wouldn’t miss it. The conference is a great way to spread ideas and get to know many important people in the science community. Listening to others’ ideas is the best way to develop your own ideas by hearing all the facts. Also, because I love marine biology, I am looking forward to meeting some marine biologists to get opinions and ideas from. And you never know when you might meet somebody that could change your perspective and maybe even change your career choice.

You’re going to be presenting at the conference. Tell us what you plan to share with the audience. What do you hope the audience shares with you?

I want to share the importance of Vlogs. A Vlog is basically a blog that is recorded with video. The same basic idea is used when making a Vlog as in when making a blog. Vlogs are extremely useful in the same ways that blogs are, they get ideas around quickly and efficiently. I believe that Vlogs could be even more useful than blogs  because you can basically carry a video camera anywhere and easily and quickly capture wherever you are, whereas you cannot do the same with a written blog. A Vlog that I have seen before that the Science Channel puts out is Nerdabout. It is just somebody with a camera video taping people telling the world what they are a nerd about. Some examples are drum nerd, heavy metal nerd and dog nerd. There are also other Vlogs that Nerdabout has and they show people doing something they love or enjoy. A few examples of those kinds of videos are their Mythbusters Reveal video, where the crew of Mythbusters discussed what they were a nerd about, and there is also some about photography and art. So as you can see Vlogs are very useful in sharing things.

I hope the audience will understand the usefulness of Vlogs and help think up ideas for more Vlogs and maybe even try it themselves.

Who are you excited about meeting at Science Online? What do you hope to get from the experience?

Well, I am excited about meeting two people in particular, Kevin Zelnio and David Shiffman. Why? They are both marine biologists. I think it would be great to talk to somebody in the field I want to be in and really get to know what it’s like. I met David Shiffman last year and had the chance to interview him in person.  This year, I interviewed Kevin Zelnio online and I look forward to talking to him in person.  Besides the marine biologists I want to meet, I really just want to meet as many people as possible and really absorb as much as I can from everyone.  Overall I am so excited to go back to Science Online and I am looking forward to it!

Kevin Zelnio is the assistant editor of Deep Sea News and a PhD student at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.  He’s described five new species of shrimp and anemones found near deep sea hydrothermal vents.  Currently, he’s studying populations of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus (a type of saltwater mussel) and their hybrids in the Gulf of Maine.

As a marine biologist, what is your role at Science Online?

Although my training is in marine biology, I come to Science Online each year to discuss how we are doing as group in communicating science. There is always lots of room for improvement and Science Online provides the perfect venue to get new ideas, share what has worked and network with professionals from fields that I would never come into contact with otherwise. It is a rare place where scientists, journalists, writers, students and editors from all over the country and world – who are very passionate about science and information – can get together and exchange ideas and experiences. This doesn’t happen at a marine biology conference.

The way I contribute though is to use my experience communicating from the “field” and highlight blogging that is done that really relay the sense of adventure in doing science. My colleagues and I have done this for years now. We organize sessions that discuss the difficulties, what to expect, how to overcome technological obstacles, in addition to success stories and how our blogging makes it way around the web. This upcoming Science Online in 2011, we will be discussing the Gulf of Mexico BP oil disaster. Deep Sea News, where I am the assistant editor, has been at the forefront of oil spill blogging since it happened in early April. Other blogs have also played important roles and our session will look at various issues concerning our blogging of it, the mainstream media’s portrayal of the spill and the outcomes from blogging about the oil spill.

In general, is marine biology a promising career choice?

It’s tough to say. I never thought I would be a marine biologist, much less a scientist, when I was in High School. I always thought I was going to be a rock star. I tried too, and lets just say it didn’t pan out…

Proper training in marine biology can prepare you for a lot of great career choices. So I would recommend it but would caveat that with keeping an open mind about what do or work on. Focus on the concepts and learn about all the fields of science, physics, geography and geology are just as important as biology and chemistry! I can’t stress how important it is to get comfortable with math (especially statistics) and writing. Scientists, and honestly EVERY profession, relies on analyzing data and writing it up. It is not going to be the formulaic lab report you are forced to write up in your classes. Science writing require thought, planning and making a logical argument based on the data you have.

I think careers in ocean sciences will have a bright future though. It is getting more and more recognized how connected the ocean is to everything, climate change for instance. Medical companies are interested in marine life because of their search for new compounds with antibacterial or other medicinal properties. As we have depleted many of our ocean resources we’ll need more people who understand the ocean to help manage those resources. There is also no shortage of basic research that needs to be done and teaching others about the ocean. NOAA, government, universities, and non profit conservation organization are the probably the biggest employers. But other people go into science writing and editing, consult for private environmental management companies and teaching.

Do you recommend any colleges for marine related studies?

Getting to the coast is clearly a good choice. It provides inspiration and easy access to opportunities. Most, if not every, coastal state have universities with really good marine biology programs. The key is choosing a school where YOU will excel at. Getting an education somewhere where there are no marine science programs is just as valuable. Getting a degree in marine biology, doesn’t put you in an advantage necessarily. I did my B.Sc. in Evolution and Ecology at University of California, Davis and I am from Iowa (about as removed from the ocean as you can get!). It was a great choice for me. If you are at a landlocked university, there are lots of programs to get your sea legs during the summer and semesters abroad.

Do you attend a lot of science conferences? Are any others based on the Internet and web technology?

I attend 1-3 conferences a year. Science Online is the only one based on internet and web technology. All others are concerned with pure research.

I understand you’re a musician. Who are some of your musical influences?

Just about anything! At so many periods of my life I was into different musical styles. When I was in high school in the early to mid 1990s, we grew up with the “Seattle Sound”, or grunge, scene. So Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains all have a special place in my heart. My older brothers were punk rockers and my parents listened to Motown and rock and soul from the 60s and 70s so I listened to a lot of that growing up. Now, I can have some east coast hip hop one song and a Bob Dylan tune the next and it won’t phase me. My “style” is mostly rooted in folk and Americana though. Most high-schoolers probably wouldn’t know the amazing songwriters that I listen to, but I think the band Uncle Tupelo encapsulates the majority of my current influences and what I like to play.

Hannah Waters is a lab technician in molecular biology.  Her blog, Culturing Science, discusses topics related to ecology and evolution.  She also blogs about marine ecology on Sleeping with the Fishes.

Have you been to the Science Online conference before? And what compelled you to attend this year?

I have not been to Science Online before.  I didn’t start my blog until the end of 2009 and was not even aware of the 2010 conference as it was happening – that’s how out of the loop I was back in the day!  But I’m very excited to get to attend this year.  As a new-ish blogger, it will be a great opportunity to learn about science writing and blogging from the other attendees and from the sessions.  And, in the process, I’ll get the chance to meet all my bloggy friends in real life, meet new people, and learn about other blogs!  I have very high expectations for the weekend, to say the least.

I looked at your website and couldn’t understand exactly what it is that you do.  How would you describe your profession?

The reason that you couldn’t figure out my profession from my blog is that my blog is completely unrelated to my profession!  I have long been interested in ecology and evolution, especially related to marine biology and oceanography.  But there aren’t too many jobs in those fields in Philadelphia, so instead I am working as a lab technician in molecular biology.  I use my blog to keep in touch with and learn about ecology and evolution even though I don’t get to study these topics at my job.

One cool thing about my job is that I work in two labs that are in the same field, but do their research from different perspectives.  Both labs are interested in the aging process: how does the molecular biology of a cell change as it gets old?  In particular, we look at the epigenetics of cells – not changes in the DNA itself, but changes in the molecules and proteins that are bound to or associated with DNA.  And while both labs also study aging using yeast as a model organism, each lab has a different definition of what an “old cell” is and the experiments are completely different.  I had to learn a lot of information and techniques very quickly when I first started, but now I’m a pro.

Why do we care about an how a cell ages?  As many organisms get older, including humans, there is a greater chance of developing diseases such as various cancers, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.  If the aging process of a cell is linked to these diseases, by learning what precisely is changing at the molecular level we could help develop therapies to reduce the occurrence of these diseases.

Lastly, when did you realize that you wanted to go into the field of science?

I have been interested in science since I was in middle school, but even when I was in college, I wasn’t positive that I wanted to be a scientist.  In biology class, I always felt like I was not as smart as the other students and, although I loved it, I doubted that I would ever be able to know enough to be a scientist.  Over the years I developed a sense that being a “good scientist’ isn’t necessarily about memorizing facts (though it helps), but is rather a way of evaluating information, making observations and asking questions about the world.  While sometimes I imagine what life would be like if I had instead become a Latin scholar, I’m glad that I decided to stick it out, get over my insecurities, and begin a lifelong journey in SCIENCE.

Ever since I was young I’ve found paleontology to be very interesting.   Recently, I wrote a blog post about the two new species of dinosaurs that were just discovered.  When I saw that Dr. Andrew Farke, a paleontologist at the Raymond M. Alf Museum, was coming to Science Online, I decided to contact him for an interview.

Dr. Farke blogs at The Open Source Paleontologist and The Open Dinosaur Project.

Andrew Farke at a dig site in Madagascar

Why are you attending this Science Online conference?

I’m very interested in the role that the Internet plays in science – from blogs to peer-reviewed journals to databases and more. ScienceOnline is a great chance to meet many of the movers and shakers in this realm, and to compare notes about doing science in the digital age. Reading and commenting on blogs is great, but there is just something intangible about meeting in person!

How long have you been studying paleontology, and what inspired you to become a paleontologist?

I first got interested in paleontology when I was four years old. When we were on a family vacation, my parents took me to Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota. The giant concrete statues there, of animals like Triceratops and Apatosaurus, really grabbed my attention and never let go. So, you could say that I’ve been studying paleontology ever since! Professionally, I published my first paper when I was 16 (a short write-up of a science fair project), and I’ve been pretty active in the field to this day.

Is this your first Science Online Conference or have you attended previous ones?

I first attended last year, and enjoyed it so much that I decided to come back.

Andrew Farke on a camel in Gansu Province, China

Have you ever made a significant discovery in the field of paleontology?

I suppose it depends on what you mean by significant. . .the work of which I’m most proud has been that unraveling the function of the horns in Triceratops and related animals. In addition to many other functions, it looks like they were also using the horns for combat between members of the same species. I’ve also been fortunate to help name a few new species of dinosaurs – including Kosmoceratops, Utahceratops, and Coahuilaceratops, which were named earlier this year (in collaboration with my colleagues Scott Sampson, Mark Loewen, Cathy Forster, and others). There are a few more new animals in the pipeline – hopefully they’ll be officially named next year.

Ryan Somma (@ideonexus) is computer scientist who writes on his blog about technology issues, computational thinking, and the philosophy of science.  He cleverly describes himself as a “mild-mannered software developer by day, and an amateur scientist ninja by night.” He has an outstanding collection of science images on Flickr.  At Science Online ’11 he will be leading a demo session on the use of MemexPlex, an open source blockquote/meme and reference management tool.

The image of Ryan was taken with WireGoogles, an Android app written by Brian Nenninger. It’s available on the Android Market.

Why have you chosen to attend this year’s Science Online Conference?

I attended a Science Online conference four years ago, and was immediately hooked. I write a blog on science, technology, and whatever other geeky things catch my fancy, and that drew me to my first conference. Then I kept coming for the fascinating discussions I got to enjoy. There are some very challenging topics about the role of media and the ethical questions presented by new technologies on which I enjoy hearing different perspectives. I also get introduced to all sorts of new developments in Internet technologies as well. I find it more enlightening about what’s new in online discourse than my membership to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

As a professional in a computer-related industry, what programming languages do you use most frequently and which do you find to be the most useful?

I’ve worked with some very obscure technologies, such as a programming environment called Edify, which was like playing a video game where, instead of writing code, you put logic blocks together on a grid representing the flow of logic. Because my work focuses on web applications, I have worked primarily with VBScript and PHP for server-side application functionality. I also work heavily with JavaScript for front-end functionality, which I have watched mature into a wonderful language for making interactive Web interfaces. It’s really amazing the things web sites like Netflix, Google, and others are doing with JavaScript, but most of my peers dislike JavaScript because you have to account for the ways different web browsers interpret it. JavaScript that works on Google Chrome may not work in Internet Explorer.

As for what languages I find most useful. I find anything that supports object-oriented programming is best. I started out programming procedurally, just one big block of code from start to finish; however, I became a convert to object-oriented programming three years ago, and it has really made my life easier. With OOP, you greatly increase the reusability and maintainability of your code. You also abstract away the complexity of your code as well, so you don’t have to think as hard about the problem immediately in front of you. I’ve been slowly converting all my JavaScript code to the object-oriented paradigm.

My wife and I attended the Random Hacks of Kindness event in Washington DC, where programmers volunteer to take part in a weekend coding marathon for charity, and almost all the projects there used Python, so I’ve wanted to learn that language when I get the time. Once you learn one programming language, it’s pretty easy to learn others.

What revolutionary technological innovations do you hope to see appear in the near future?

I have a lot of hope for the semantic web (SW), if it can get off the ground. SW offers a fantastic potential for bringing us search engines that answer questions directly instead of giving us a list of websites that may or may not have what we are looking for. It also provides the possibility of linking data online in a meaningful way, allowing us to customize our searches in more detailed fashion, like with the Freebase database, which allows you to query Wikipedia for specific results, like getting a list of all computer scientists born before 1950 who attended Harvard.

Wolfram Alpha has also been a fascinating example of a semantic search engine; although, I don’t think it’s a semantic web application, but rather a really advanced algorithm and database allowing you to ask questions like, “Where is the ISS?” and get an answer on the International Space Station’s current position.

What is the most interesting software development project that you have been a part of?

Professionally, the most interesting project I’ve worked on has been an ongoing effort to modernize the United States Coast Guard’s aviation logistics systems. I’ve been tasked with developing new software development standards and applying the latest cutting-edge solutions to the intranet application. It’s very challenging because I have to do a lot of research to keep on top of the best practices, but the challenges keep things very interesting. Each day brings a new puzzle to solve.

There is also a great deal of responsibility that comes with working on information systems. Last week we had a new software release go out, but a serious bug had slipped through testing, which resulted in pilots not being able to sign for their aircraft. Our help desk phones rang off the hook all day Monday and pilots had to resort to paper records until I was able to figure out where the problem in the code was and get an emergency fix released.

Although, I got off pretty easy. PC Pro just did and excellent article, “When Computers Go Wrong” about famous examples of programming errors causing disasters. It really stresses the responsibility that comes with working on important information systems.

As a personal project, I’ve been working on an application called MemexPlex (memexplex.com and .org), which I wrote to manage all the little blockquotes I collect from the different books I read. I’m currently working the bugs out of it so that the public can start using it too. It’s my first time setting up an open-source software application, so I have a lot of documentation to write so other developers can understand the code I’ve written. I’m hoping to have it ready to go live in time to present at the conference. What I have online right now is very unstable.

Thanks for your questions. I love the opportunity to talk IT. : )

Looking forward to seeing your class presentation at the Conference!

Ryan Somma
ideonexus.com