My name is Omar L. Owens, currently a junior majoring in Computer Science at Winston Salem State University. My goal is set on obtaining my Masters in Computer Science by 2018. I am a member of our Robotics group and also Black Men for Change. I participate in research activities with our departmental groups where I gain the knowledge and networking connections within the WSSU computer science community. My reason for majoring in Computer Science is because computers have interested me since my typing course in third grade. My instructor would tell me I was very advanced and I learned quickly. She motivated me to follow her steps, which led me to study in the field of computer science.

To receive my Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, I am completing the curriculum guide outlined by WSSU. My freshman year I took programming intensive classes where I learned the basics of Java and was introduced to C++. My sophomore year I started taking hardware and database classes.

My freshman year academic research focused on remote ICREATE Robots. During this research the team used remote listeners to communicate with the robots. The team tasks consisted of utilizing the RemoteButtonEvent demo to transfer the instructions of one robot to another robot, Identify the IP address of a second robot and use the Remote Listener to process the signal from the remote iCREATE, and Execute the task programmed into the iCREATE sending the signal, with the robot receiving the signal with the push of a button. At the conclusion of the teams project, they determined that iCREATES could be used as remote devices.

I am currently attending an internship sponsored by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) Research Experience for Undergraduates in Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). In this internship we will be working with satellite images of Antarctica to validate the ASAID Basal Stress Boundary (ABSB) versus the Natural Basal Stress Boundary (NBSB). Inconsistencies within the ABSB versus NBSB as well as changes over time will be documented in a chart.

After obtaining my Bachelors Degree in Computer Science I plan on continuing my education toward getting my masters degree. After obtaining my master's degree I plan on starting my career in the Computer Science field.