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CECS Celebrates Accomplishments of Its Graduates and Alumnus

Group shot of Louise and Mike Mahoney, left, with their son, Tom, and COE Dean Forouzan Golshani

Computer science alumni Tim Mahoney says he loves Long Beach State so much that he has a black-and-gold mug in his office at Apple, where he works as a software engineering manager. Son of former College of Engineering Dean Mike Mahoney, who is now provost and vice president of academic affairs for Cal State East Bay, Tim said he attended five schools over seven years before earning his degree.

At CSULB, he received almost all As. In fact, Mahoney still remembers the one faculty member who gave him a B.

After graduating in 2013, he applied for more than 100 jobs and toured Silicon Valley companies to distribute his resume in person before receiving the fateful call from Apple. “Not everybody thinks they can apply to their dream job and get it, but there’s no harm in trying,” said Mahoney, recipient of a CECS Outstanding Alumnus award.

Dean Forouzan Golshani advised graduates to find their passion—and stay in touch with faculty. “I’m so glad we’re here to celebrate your success,” he said. “You overcame obstacles. You pulled through and you’re here.” Continue reading “CECS Celebrates Accomplishments of Its Graduates and Alumnus”

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Google Offers CECS Students Advice for Surviving a Technical Interview

It’s the subject of numerous books, blog posts, and tutorials: How to get hired at Google. On Thursday, CSULB Computer Engineering & Computer Science students had a chance to get the inside track on how to join a company that’s long been seen as a top workplace for tech talent.

Sponsored by the CSULB Career Center and the CECS Department, the workshop drew about 200 computer science and engineering students who heard from a trio of Googlers about “20 percent time,” social groups and “the Google 15.”

“Google would be an amazing place to work,” said Aimee Threlkeld, a computer engineering senior who is interning with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena and has already applied at Google. With an interest in embedded systems, Threlkeld was hoping that the workshop would help her clear her technical interview in the event she got a callback. Continue reading “Google Offers CECS Students Advice for Surviving a Technical Interview”

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CECS Celebrates 2016 Grads

Computer Science and Computer Engineering graduates said goodbye to fellow students and faculty at Monday’s department graduation in ECS-105.

“You did it. You survived the ups and downs of student life. Now you’re ready to join the hottest field on the planet, which is computing,” said Chair Burkhard Englert, in congratulating the graduates.

“We are helping to solve the world’s problems” in established fields and in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things, said Englert, adding that “It is a great time to graduate with a degree in computer science or computer engineering.”

Continue reading “CECS Celebrates 2016 Grads”

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New Languages for CECS Students

python logoBeginning this semester, CSULB Computer Engineering and Computer Science students will have a chance to learn new programming languages. Python will replace Java in “Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving” (CECS 174) and C++ will replace Java in the new CECS 275 class for Computer Engineering majors. Computer Science majors will continue to learn Java, however, in their “Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures” (CECS 274) class.

Python is replacing Java in the intro class because it’s easier to learn, said CECS Chair Burkhard Englert. According to an article in Communications of the ACM, Python is now the most popular language to use for teaching introductory programming, favored by nearly 70 percent of top U.S. universities. A general-purpose language with a simple code base, Python allows extensions to be added as necessary. Continue reading “New Languages for CECS Students”