My name is Paula Rene Harrell
and I am a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, North
Carolina. My major is Computer Science with a minor in Mathematic. My objective
is to work in an environment that will allow me to excel in Computer Science.
While in high school, subjects
I found most interesting were math and science. Therefore, it's very necessary
to expand my knowledge in these subjects. I've always performed well in both
math and science. Both subjects alone are needed in order to function properly
in a society that focuses on advanced technology. I enjoy participating in extra
curricular activities. In high school, I participated in clubs such as: Future
Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Students Against Destructive Driving (SADD),
Youth Legislature, Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), Peer Mediation,
CERTL, and Office Assistance. Presently, I am associated with the Math and Science
Club. This club involved teaching others HTML, which is used to build web pages.
Currently, I participate
in the Office of Naval Research (ONR) program at Elizabeth City State University.
This program has really broadened my horizons. It has helped to introduce me
to various software such as: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, C++, HTML,
Mathematica, UNIX, Adobe Photoshop and Pagemaker, and FAWAV. ONR has also allowed
me to participate in internships.
My first internship was
within the ONR program. I was on the System Administration Team (2000-2001).
Dr. Linda Hayden was the Principal Investigator and Dr. Pendharkar was the mentor.
The purpose of our research was to do an in depth study on the potential of
programs to secure a system against outside attacks and virus spreading software.
We also rebuilt an Indigo 2 from spare parts and created log on accounts. Our
main objective was to achieve an understanding of the ins and outs of System
Administration on the UNIX platform across different types of environment.
ÒCompression and Denoising
of Astronomical Images Using Wavelets' was the title of my second internship.
This internship was part of the Undergraduate Research Institution in Astrophysics
(URIA) program as South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
The purpose was to rid of noise due to the intrinsic quality of the charge-coupled
devices (CDDs) along with the bias and other image contaminants. We also had
to compress wavelets using software called FAWAV. I participated in this eight
internship during the summer of 2001. Both of the internship taught me how to
interact better with my peers.
Upon graduation from Elizabeth
City State University with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, I will attend
graduate school to obtain a master's degree in Computer Science. Afterwards,
I would like to pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Science. After receiving my degrees,
I plan to work for a leading technology firm.