Greetings. My name is Diaminatou A. Goudiaby and I’m currently a sophomore majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Business Administration. Being from Senegal, West Africa, one of my main concerns is to find out ways to help in African development through scientific education.

During high school, I was given the opportunity to take Cisco Systems classes. Since that time, my love for computers and software continues to grow. In fact, between 10th and 11th grade, I completed 4 CCNA(Cisco Certified Network Associate) in the Cisco Networking Academy Program of which were the CCNA 2(Routers and Routing Basics of the Cisco Program) and the CCNA 1(Networking Basics of the Cisco Program).

Upon graduation in 2010, I wish to attend a graduate school, and pursue a Master degree, then a Doctorate degree in the field of Computer Science with a specialization in Computer Software Engineering. The explosive impact of computers and information technology on our everyday lives has generated a need to design and develop new computer systems and to incorporate new technologies into a rapidly growing range of applications. As computer technology, the tasks performed by computer software engineers evolve quickly, reflecting new areas of specialization or changes in technology. It’s nice to know because it is a guarantee that my passion for that work is going to keep growing as one goes along.

This summer 2007, I’m participating in the URE(Undergraduate Research Experience)program. Along with Ashley Berryman(Elizabeth City State University) and Phillip Moore (Saint Augustine’s College), I’ve been placed on Dr. Jinchun Yuan’s team. Dr Yuan is the Director of research and a researcher in CERSER(Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research). Our research’s title is “A Multiple Linear Regression of pCO2 Against Sea-Surface Temperature, Salinity and Chlorophyll a at Station ALOHA and its Potential for Estimate pCO2 from Satellite Data”. Ocean is one of the major reservoirs of carbon and can be a major sink of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Temperature, salinity, partial pressure of carbon dioxide(pCO2), and carbon dioxide(CO2) are four parameters that can be measured based on satellite imagery. However, pH, dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC), Chlorophyll a cannot be measured by satellite; instead, they require ship-based measurements which are expensive to conduct and take a long time. All these data, or at least a part of them will be used through a correlation method previously defined by Cai and Lohrenz(2006) to determine air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide. By knowing the amount of surface carbon dioxide, researchers will be able to determine whether it goes from the atmosphere to the shelf, which case will partly solve the preoccupying problem of Greenhouse effects; or whether it is released by the ocean and spread into the atmosphere.

The reason why I want to become a Computer Software Engineer is because the computer is becoming essential in capital fields such as communication, industry and research. Its amazing that you can stay in your room and have access to all kind of information, communicate interactively with people around the world, and most important save a great amount of time. Plus, it’s an awesome instrument when it comes to educating and sensitizing masses in countries like Sub-Saharan Africa where adult literacy rates are very low (about 68% of young women are illiterate).

To achieve my goal of becoming a computer software engineer, I am aware that I will have to further my knowledge in Mathematics and Engineering, develop strong programming skills, and most important, be familiar with developing algorithms and analyzing and solving programming problems.

I am a hard-working person who always strives for excellence, and I always involve myself in intellectually challenging situations, and I will do all it takes to achieve my goals. When I gain enough experience as a computer software engineer, I want to create in my country an organization that would promote a scientific formation for young girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Senegal, and create an intellectual elite. Education being the basis for development, I believe that forming intellectuals, especially among the African women, will make a big step in the process of African development.