Week 1 Journal Entry

Mitchell Petredis

Denning Articles Pre-Read

1. When I think of computer science, I think of the various types of code that are used to make various programs, from simple scripts to video games.
2. I think older relatives view computer science as jargon that’s making life more difficult.
3. I think younger relatives and friends mostly see the video game design aspect of computer science.

Janovy Chapter Pre-Read

1. When I think of biology, I think of the complexity of life and how all the parts come together to make a living thing.
2. I consider myself a biologist because it’s what I study and enjoy the most.

Denning and Janovy Post-Read

1. The purpose of the readings was to better understand the meaning of computer science and biology through the words of professionals
2. I’d classify myself mostly as “The User” voice, since I don’t think I’ve done enough to associate myself with “The Computational Thinker” and “The Scientist”. I’ll call myself a hybrid of these three voices.
3. The search principle can apply to art in that the computer can identify and filter out specific elements of an artistic piece, such as searching by color, size, style, and kind.
4. The most profound thing I saw in the Janovy chapter is how passionate some biologists are about what I would consider mundane subjects, such as the mentioned frog example. Even though its contribution looks weak compared to say the studies of medicine, the fact that these kinds of biologists are happy and satisfied with what they do is admirable to me.
5. A biologist, from my interpretation of Janovy’s thoughts, is one who finds the biological world fascinating and continues to ask questions and pursue answers in this field; biologists seek a better understanding of the world around them through natural observations. I still consider myself a biologist from Janovy’s point of view because I think my personality parallels his ideas.

Mpetredi (talk) 22:06, 29 August 2013 (PDT)Mitchell Petredis