Featured – Page 33 – Seidenberg School News

In prep for Agile Day 2015, Agile explained

In a little over a fortnight, Pace university will be hosting Agile NYC again, this time for its 6th annual Agile Day. On September 17th, the day-long event will feature workshops, talks, and exercises that all aim to teach and promote ‘agile methodologies,’ a working methodology that is used in many of the workplaces where Seidenberg students will end up working after graduation. For most who have not been introduced to or worked with agile methodologies, the concept of the agile approach can seem a bit abstract, and while abstraction might be intimidating at first, agile is something you’ll want to understand concretely before looking for work!

Agile NYC’s coordinator Joe Krebs, in answering a few of our questions about agile, mentioned that a company using the agile approach will expect its employees to be familiar with the methodologies before they are hired. So how does a student go from zero experience in agile to being a pro when it’s time for job interviews?

Well, you won’t have to be pro, but having some experience with agile will be necessary in your field. Luckily for most of you, gaining experience isn’t too hard around here, since Pace is one of Agile NYC’s closer partners. Agile NYC’s events are often in and around the university, like Agile Day on the 17th, and participating in these events will get you up to speed. Then, if you still want more practice, you can gain hands-on experience by joining teams like Seidenberg Creative Labs, who will use the agile approach in their projects, or taking certain classes that implement agile techniques on classroom projects. Having a rich understanding of agile will really give you the edge you need when employers compare you to you your competition.

Agile, in the simplest terms, is a product development methodology, specifically for programmers. Many careers in programming lead to projects where someone (or a company) will consult a team of programmers to build what they need. While the programmers do their thing and the ‘bosses’ do their own, often times problems arise from start to finish. The agile method of working through a project helps avoid a lot of these problems or provides simplified methods of solving said issues as they arise — and they will arise.

From its official conception in 2001, when the Agile Manifesto was created, agile’s values are described as,

“Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
Working software over comprehensive documentation.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
Responding to change over following a plan.
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more,” (agilemanifesto.org).

This set of rules directly opposes the more traditional methodology known as the Waterfall method. Agile emphasizes the importance of personable teamwork that moves forward as a cohesive effort, rather than a group of separated workers working towards a common goal. To do this successfully, agile encourages daily meetings for teams to discuss issues before or as they arise rather than after. Not only are daily meetings valuable for avoiding issues, they also stimulate creativity and brainstorming between team members. More often than not, these meetings take on an informal tone and promote a sort of playfulness to offset stress or idea blockage.

Now that you’re on your way to becoming an agile pro, you can now focus on the real meat of Agile day and feast on its workshops and networking opportunities. You can register to attend here, but we’re also looking for volunteers to help out at the event. If you wish to volunteer, send a brief explanation of your interest to lt80933n@pace.edu. Volunteers do not have to pay to attend the event, and still have great chances for networking. At last year’s Agile Day, graduate student Virali Jhaveri left Agile Day with the right contacts that scored her an internship later on! Volunteer spots fill quickly, so take care not to delay your email letting us know you’re interested.

NYVR Meetup co-organizer DJ Smith answers our questions about VR

DJ Smith

At the same New York Virtual Reality Meetup mentioned in the previous blog post, Seidenberg students Avery Leider and Harpreet Singh Wasan were able to interview a few of the other attendees and founders to pick their brains about the VR industry as it’s suddenly growing as software and hardware are becoming easier to access by the day. By attending Meetups in the NYC tech scene, Avery and Harpreet hope to gain substantial knowledge on the state of the industry as it’s expanding and also to experience the various developments that people are bringing to these Meetups, both hardware and software related.

In this next interview we hear from DJ Smith of Morristown, NJ, NYVR’s co-organizer since the beginning of 2014. Smith is also a member of the Washington DC VR Meetup, but between Meetups he works as an engineer, builder, artist, and entrepreneur. Here are his responses to our students’ queries:

Harpreet: From the time you started with Virtual Reality until now, what, in your opinion, is the most exciting development in VR?

Smith: Now, the Social VR Apps, obviously, because I just presented on it, that has really excited me for two reasons – one, the freedom to basically create the worlds, and then, two, to be able to share those worlds with other people and communicate with them directly. I think both of those things are wonderful aspects of VR Social Apps and I am anxious to see how far they will go.

H: Is there anything else that comes to your mind that is also about to take off?

NYVR

S: Right behind Social VR Apps, I really like what people have been doing with the actual live video aspect of it. So, basically, to be able to film in 360 degree video or 180 degree 3-D video, and in being able to view an event in a headset that is around your entire body, you just get that sense of presence, and I think the future of media is going to be just that. It’s going to be an all-encompassing thing. So, I think Social VR apps and then the 360 degree and maybe 3D live video – however they will be incorporated into the public – those will be the two main focuses.

H: What is your advice to Pace University students who want to get into VR? How should they go about getting into the industry?

S: Come to New York VR Meetups!

Avery: So, if Pace University students wanted to help you in your Virtual Meetup room, to add our Pace University assets to your VR world, what do you recommend we do?

S: Wow, if I could get a bunch of college kids to build my virtual room, that would be awesome! The VR Chat room that I created [for the Meetup], NYVR Room, is built in Unity. I’m a very basic developer without a lot of advanced knowledge. It’s relatively easy for a newcomer – just download Unity, start messing around, and reach out to me. If there are students who are willing to contribute, I’m happy to incorporate their stuff and give them small tasks. Or, better yet, go on VR Chat, build your own thing, that would work, too. And invite me, because I want to see it!

So there you have it. It doesn’t take solid groundwork of experience to get started in VR development. This is our challenge to other students at Seidenberg who have caught an interest in VR: start playing with it and share something at the next NYVR Meetup!

Helena has been spending her summer interning at Infor

1. Who are you working with this summer? (…and what do they do?)

I work with Infor, a cloud software company that provides software solutions to other businesses. The apps they create are not the same as your regular mobile apps. Their software products perform on a much bigger scale since they streamline the system of different businesses.

2.Can you tell us a little about what you are doing? (We might not understand the technicalities, but we’d love details!)

Infor typically works with other businesses, but my project is more internal. Another intern from Pace, Preston Rollins, and I are working on an application for the Education Alliance Program. The Education Alliance Program is a department at Infor that works with various institutions to help students with internships and schools with software solutions. Pace University is one of the member institutions. For our application, we use a software called Mongoose, which is a software framework similar to Visual Studio. The special thing about Mongoose is that it is terrific at handling relational databases. What we do is plan out the structure of the database, design the user interface, and further enhance the look and functionality with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I am also pretty excited for our official presentation to demo our app to the CEO by the end of August.

3. Is there a particular class or professor at Seidenberg that has helped you prepare specifically for your current internship? (Clearly, we’re all about shout outs this summer!)

Aside from self-learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through CodeAcademy, I have received additional training in these languages through Professor Julia Khan-Nomee’s class, Web Authoring and Digital Media.

4. Does your new office have a favorite restaurant/hangout they go to after work? (No! we’re not going to show up like proud parents!)

Not really, but during my first month, my manager brought our team to this place called Tre Dici Steak. Their appetizers were delicious and their steak was succulent. Also, Madison Square Park is located just a few blocks away from the office. It is the perfect spot for lunch breaks, plus there is a Shake Shack in the park!

Helena Santiago is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in Information Systems.

Aldis and Nik Sipolins explain the future of brain training through VR

Aidis Sipolins, Harpreet & Avery — L to R: Avery, Aldis, and Harpeet at the NYVR Meetup on August 19th.

Aldis Sipolins, hailing from Toronto, Canada, was another notable attendee at last week’s New York Virtual Reality (NYVR) Meetup. Sipolins was there to demonstrate his immersive learning VR platform, Cerevrum, which he started based on his belief that neuroscience will eventually prove VR is a superior learning method. He calls it “neurogaming”, a combination of virtual reality, machine learning, and cognitive neuroscience. Aldis believes that those currently trying to improve their intelligence with brain training will eventually find what they are looking for in Virtual Reality assisted learning.

Aldis ran a virtual reality laboratory for one year at the University of Illinois while earning his PhD in Visual Cognition and Human Performance. During the Spring ’15 semester, the U of I had a new computer science class – Virtual Reality – which was taught by Professor Steven M. Lavalle. Professor Lavalle had previously been on leave, working as the Chief Scientist at Oculus (developer of the Oculus Rift) which Facebook acquired for $2 billion in 2014. Aldis’ experiences at his university eventually led him to start Cerevrum in April 2015.

At the Meetup, Seidenberg students Harpreet Wasan Singh and Avery Leider, who have been on the prowl for information concerning the latest advances in VR technology, were also able to interview Aldis and his brother, Nik, who joined him that night to help with the demonstration.

Harpreet: Since the time you started with VR until now, what are the most significant developments you have encountered?

Aldis: VR has changed enormously in the time I’ve been in the industry. We’ve gone from the screen-door effect in the [Oculus Rift Development Kit] DK1 to not being able to see pixels in HTC Vive. We’ve come from having to use a mouse and keyboard to having incredible motion controls and hand-tracking.

Nick Sipolins & Harpreet Wasan — Nik Sipolins shows Harpreet how to use Cerevrum

Nik: The first and most significant transition is the ability to run [these technologies] on your phone. That’s going to be the democratizing thing in VR – not having to purchase a device that is purposefully built as a Virtual Reality machine. And whether or not [you use VR] with the Samsung Gear VR or with Google Cardboard, or with any other – I’m sure people will figure out many novel ways to attach their phones to their faces – that’s going to be the near future of VR.

Harpreet: Can you explain what you are trying to do with Cerevrum and Virtual Reality?

Aldis: Cerevrum is exciting to me because Virtual Reality opens up so much potential for brain learning. Brain training right now is an unexplored field of Virtual Reality. We’re going to be the first in VR with a brain training app. Brain Training VR opens up a bunch of possibilities of what you can do at a neuropsychological level. Cerevrum adds the missing piece of the puzzle, which is VR. Right now, brain training doesn’t work and it is easy to see why. Pressing buttons on a tiny screen only goes so far. The feeling of presence that you get in VR means that you use the same set of cognitive skills that you do in everyday life. That’s the point of brain training, to get better at the skills you use in everyday life. We live in immersive 3D environments, so I think that it makes sense to learn in them too.

Harpreet: What else about VR is exciting to you?

Nik: 360 degree photographs. If you’ve never experienced it, get a Samsung Gear VR or Oculus Rift and look at a 360 degree photograph. It’s stunning! People make the same face, they all do the same things, they look around themselves, and are dumbstruck. What I also saw that was cool was a 360 degree video of an acoustic performance. It was a band in a small space and they brought in a virtual reality camera and with your Samsung Gear VR or Oculus Rift headset on, you really felt like part of the performance in this intimate space. What these guys were doing was putting concerts in virtual reality. If you don’t like being in a crowded bar, or you have anxiety issues or can’t afford tickets to the New York symphony orchestra, with this technology you can be in your living room and feel like you are at the New York Philharmonic.

Harpreet: There are students at Pace University who want to get into Virtual Reality. What do you recommend to them?

Nik: Learn Unity. That seems to be the first skill. Come up with a cool little app that you can develop for VR. Currently the user base is small, as it’s an early technology.

Aldis: Pick up Unity. It is free and it is super easy to learn. I was a grad student struggling with programming and MATLAB, and within a few months [on Unity] I was making 3D experiments. It’s very easy. So, pick up Unity, pick up programming, find a good artist, and do whatever you want. Follow your dreams.

Vaibhav has spent his summer working for Mastercard

1. Who are you working with this summer? (…and what do they do?)

I am working with MasterCard Worldwide as a Data Architect at their St. Louis Operations and Technology Headquarters. MasterCard is a global payments and technology company that connects billions of consumers, thousands of financial institutions, millions of merchants, governments and businesses worldwide. (Well, just have a quick look in your wallet or purse; I am sure you will find a MasterCard).

2. Can you tell us a little about what you are doing?

I am working as a Data Architect in the Enterprise Architecture team, which provides database services for Oracle, PostgreSQL, DB2, SQL Server and mySQL. Our services include performance tuning, backup/recovery, monitoring, disaster recovery strategy and production support for databases. My project for this summer was to design and develop a prototype for a web app with a persistent chat function for internal ticketing system for the department.

Additionally I worked with the Enterprise Architecture database team in Dublin to design and develop a database monitoring tools to actively report and check the user permissions, which are added or deleted from day to day within the Oracle database schema.

My last project was a Data Modeling project, where my primary goal was to understand the current procedures written for a self-service data-modeling tool by senior data molders in Oracle and migrate them to PostgresSQL.

3. Is there a particular class or professor at Seidenberg that has helped you prepare specifically for your current internship? (Clearly, we’re all about shout outs this summer!)

I’m focusing on Database, software engineering & methodologies, and project management so I’d like to give a shout out to Professor Namchul Shin for his IS 613: Database management systems class where taught me the concepts of Database; Professor Hsui-Lin Winler for her IS 667: Database Design and Development of Web Applications; and Professor James Gabberty for IS 623: Information Systems Design and Development.

4. Does your new office have a favorite restaurant/hangout they go to after work? (No! we’re not going to show up like proud parents!)

Located only minutes west of St. Louis, my office is located in O’Fallon area, which is more of a commercial side of St. Louis. But I live in the Loop area, on Delmar Boulevard, which has six blocks of exhilarating, one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, art galleries, live music, café culture, and the St. Louis Walk of Fame. It’s easily accessed, and once you’ve parked your car, everything is within walking distance. Blueberry Hill restaurant is one of our favorites. The food is great and the atmosphere is fun!!

Vaibhav Dubey is a graduate student pursuing his degree in Information Systems, set to graduate this December. He is also Liverpool FC’s biggest fan.

A chat with Virtual Reality Trailblazer, Eric Greenbaum

Eric Greenbaum Harpreet Wasan — Eric Greenbaum (L) and Harpreet Wasan (R)

Virtual Reality is riding on the latest boom in the technology sector, and one way Seidenberg is keeping up with the ever-growing community is through Meetups. These Meetup communities and events are an excellent resource for exchanging information, ideas, and joining forces with other trendsetters in the field. Just last week, Seidenberg CS graduate student Harpreet Wasan and CS PhD student Avery Leider attended the most recent New York Virtual Reality (NYVR) Meetup to interview some of the leaders there to see what’s new and improving in the VR scene.

One person Avery and Harpreet were eager to speak with was Eric Greenbaum, an original founder and organizer of the NYVR and NYVR Developers Group MeetUps. Greenbaum works as a patent attorney, entrepreneur, and start-up consultant, and has also been active as a ‘Virtual Reality Trailblaze r‘ since seeing the 1992 movie Lawnmower Man, in which the main character becomes a genius through VR technology used to augment his intelligence. And although Lawnmower Man may not be the best advocate for convincing the world of the usefulness in VR technology — there is definitely an allure to VR’s range of possibilities! In fact, Greenbaum believes that with the introduction of the Oculus Rift, “VR is poised to take the tech world by storm.”

Harpreet and Greenbaum talked about the current expansion in the VR industry:

Harpreet: From the time you started with Virtual Reality, how far has VR come?

Greenbaum: The VR industry has grown a lot, since 2012 until now, from being essentially nonexistent to being one of the world’s most exciting technology platforms — kind of like the Internet. I think it is important to recognize that before the recent excitement, there were people working on industrial VR for the last 20 years. So there has been this whole movement, bubbling beneath the surface, of really dedicated scientists and engineers working on VR since the 90’s. It wasn’t until the cell phone industry drove down prices on screens and inertial measurement devices that enabled accessible VR for the masses. So, how has it changed? It changed from like 7 people in the grimiest co-working space in midtown to like 1500 people [in the NYVR MeetUp], and we’re packing out Microsoft on a monthly basis.

H: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen in VR?

G: The social VR is the most exciting; you saw some of it [at this MeetUp] and it is a little bit primitive, but it holds a promise to change the way we interact with each other. Imagine being able to sit in a virtual space with your friends from around the country or around the world and share and watch a movie or play chess or have that feeling of being together in a space. It’s really powerful and I think it’s going to change everything.

H: So, there are students at Pace University that are interested in getting into the VR industry – what advice can you give them to get started?

G: If you want to get into VR, the most important thing is to have an idea. What do you want to build? Before you start to think about what concrete skills you need to build it, spend some time thinking about what unique characteristics VR can bring to the table and how can I use that to do something amazing? Once you think about your idea, the tools that are available are really accessible. For example there is a program called Unity, which is a go-to tool to build a VR experience, and even if you have no programming experience at all – no gaming experience at all – if you sit down and spend a few hours with Unity you can make strides and build things. As someone who two years ago had zero experience, the experience of sitting down and building a space and then entering it in a virtual way, was one of the most transformative technology experiences I’ve ever had. If you haven’t done it, do it. Unity is free – there’s no reason to not do it.

For more information about the Virtual Reality scene, stay tuned for other interviews we’re conducting with various members in the field! You can also head over to Eric Greenbaum’s blog to see what VR topics he’s currently discussing. Lastly, don’t hesitate to get going on the Meetup trend. There are a bunch of events coming up in the city, so let us know on Twitter (@pace_seidenberg) when you’re going!