I first became interested in computers my freshman year of high school.  As a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University, I was accepted into the Office of the Naval Research Scholarship program that is affiliated with NASA and NOAA, which gives me the opportunity to become a student researcher.  Not being exposed to a lot of courses in computer science and applications in operating systems prior to acceptance into the program, it gives a learning experience as well as a research experience.  In the program various topics are covered in mathematics, science, and technology, which give opportunity for participation in research teams such as GLOBE, UNIX, Multimedia, Networking, Physics, and Satellite Imagery.  As a computer science major who has a concentration in GIS/Remote Sensing, the opportunity has been given to work in the Satellite Imagery team last semester.  Research was conducted and a paper entitled “Processing HRPT and SeaWifs Data from Polar-orbiting Satellites (NOAA) and Orrbview-2 Satellites” were presented.  After that nurturing and educational experience, there was an eagerness to learn more in the remote sensing field.

 This past summer was enjoyable and provided a different experience.  The ability was given to complete a seven-week summer internship at Norfolk State University with the RESS (Researching Earth System Science) program.  I was able to be on the Digital Earth research team where we presented our research entitled “Analyzing the Effects and Trends of El Nino in Ecuador’s Economy Using Satellite Imagery”.  From the combined experiences of last semester and this summer, the idea of having many different projects in which to conduct research analysis were enjoyable.  It invites the excitement of learning new things with each project.

 From the ONR program a strong background was gained in computer operating systems and researching.  While participating in summer internships every summer that is available hands-on experience will be gained in the field of computer science.  These skills will be an important tool in pursuing a goal of becoming an effective research scientist in the field of computer science.