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News: I won the BPI Science Award. The first non-honor student they got, I think... ;)| A | X | Get 2x2 b/w photo (2002.10.19) |
| A | X | List research accomplishments (2002.10.19) |
| A | X | List academic honors/awards/distinctions (2002.10.19) |
| A | X | Questionnaire (2002.10.19) |
| A | X | Abstract of research (2002.10.19) |
| A | X | Research paper (2002.10.19) |
I'm still working on my assistive wearable computing project, so I will be submitting a progress report on that.
Why do you like science/engineering? Why did you choose your course
and major?Computer science has always been my passion. My parents bought an Apple clone when I was 2 years old. They let me play with it, and I got hooked. =) I've been into computer science since I was a kid; naturally, I took it as my college major.
I love exploring the different things I can get the computer to do. Every day there's something new to discover, and almost all the information I need is readily available - I just have to sit down and learn.
I like how the Internet lets me help people all over the world, too. I get to work on projects with people in other countries, and I get to learn from them - from websites, from mailing lists, from Internet Relay Chat... I feel like I'm part of a global community, and that's really nice.
What do you plan to do after graduation?
I really love teaching, and I'm looking forward to helping students learn about and enjoy introductory computer science. I intend to teach for two or three years before I go for postgraduate studies in computer science. I am thinking of focusing on wearable and assistive computing research - the field I'm already working on - as well as finding ways to make computer science education more fun, interesting and effective.
What are your future goals and ambitions?
I hope to join a research lab that explores the cutting edge of wearable computing. Wearable computing is about making computers so small and convenient that you can carry them anywhere you go and you always have the power of a computer with you. Imagine if you could have access to all of your data all the time - all your contacts, all your notes, and instant, unlimited access to the Internet. That's the kind of future I want to help invent - a future in which computing power will be at our fingertips; a future in which computers will be so much a part of our lives that we'll practically take them for granted.
I also want to spend the rest of my life exploring computer science and sharing it through teaching. Computer science is fun, and I want to get other people hooked. =) I want to help other people discover their passions and their causes. I want to help them realize how fun and exciting computer science - or any field - can be. I want to inspire them to achieve their potential and make a positive difference in other people's lives.
Please explain in simplest terms your research project. State the
title and describe your project briefly, without using much scientific names/terms and the words used in the title. Describe it as if you were explaining it to ten-year-old of average IQ and abilities
Finding free software alternatives for eyes-free computer use
How do you use a computer if you can't see the screen? Seems hard, doesn't it? But this is a problem that blind people face everyday. In a world that increasingly lies on computers to get things done, blind people are getting left out.
Some blind people use a Braille display. Braille displays usually show 40 or 80 characters at a time - one line of the screen. Blind people can "see" the screen by running their fingers over raised dots that represent letters and numbers. However, this requires special, expensive hardware costing several thousand US dollars, so not everyone has one.
Another way for blind people to use the computer is through a "screen-reader", or a program that speaks things on the screen. One of the most popular screen readers is "JAWS", or Job Access With Speech. It can speak any word on the screen. Move the mouse, and it will speak the title of the window. The computer is still hard to use because it relies too much on graphics, but at least you can surf the Web and do your e-mail even if you can't see the screen. The software costs 895 US dollars - still expensive.
The software and hardware blind people need is very expensive, so not all blind people can afford what they need in order to use computers. Many schools and offices also do not know about or cannot afford the software and hardware needed, so blind people have a hard time attending school or getting a job.
That's why I'm looking for free software that makes it easier for blind people to use the computer. I've been reading through some websites and talking to some blind people over the Internet, and I found out that many blind people in other countries use free software to write papers, surf the Web, and even draw graphics. I've downloaded and installed some of the programs they told me about, and I'm learning more about how to use my computer without using my eyes so that I can teach people here how to use their computers more effectively.
The free software I use doesn't have all the features that commercial software have, but I can work on improving it and customizing it for people's needs. I want to make it easy to use for blind people who just want to read their e-mail and surf the Net, but I can also make it powerful enough for other people with special needs like mathematics, statistics, and programming.
Why did you choose this particular subject to do research on?
I started getting interested in eyes-free computing when my laptop's screen started breaking down. From time to time it would get so dim that I couldn't read anything. Instead of getting a new computer, though, I thought I'd try to find a way to use my computer without seeing the screen. I searched the Net and asked around on chat rooms and mailing lists, learning about the different free software programs that could help me use my computer eyes-free. After I downloaded and installed a few programs, I could use my computer easily.
In addition, I started experimenting with wearable computing. I walked around campus with a one-handed keyboard and a headset connected to my laptop. The laptop was safely tucked away in a bag. Most people thought I was listening to music when I was actually reading my mail. =) It was really a lot of fun!
Then I read a story about Roselle Ambubuyog, a schoolmate and one of the BPI Science Awardees of her batch. In the news article, she said that she didn't have problems using a computer, but she had a hard time sending text messages. I had hooked up my phone to my laptop through a data cable a friend gave me, and I could send and receive messages without seeing the screen or the phone. I thought that hey, other people might be able to use the software I was learning about.
Of what good is it to society?
If blind people can use computers more effectively, then they won't feel left out of the Information Revolution. They can have high-earning jobs and contribute more to society.
As scientists and mathematicians, they can have access to the same tools sighted people use. I am looking into ways to easily represent mathematics, circuit diagrams, programs, and other complex structures that are currently difficult to deal with if you can't see the screen.
In addition, using free software means that groups like Resources for the Blind will be able to help more people because they don't have to spend as much on software or hardware.
My work on eyes-free computing also makes it easier for people to get into wearable computing, one of the exciting new areas in computer technology. You don't need expensive, small monitors. All it takes is a one-handed keyboard and a cheap headset, and suddenly you can walk around with a small computer, exploring a new way of using computers! In this way, my research both addresses existing needs and helps open up new fields.
What other research work have you done before? Please give very
short descriptions?Bayanihan .NET - a grid computing framework that allows people to easily pool computing resources together. More information at http://www.bayanihancomputing.net
Online submissions - used by the computer science department in Ateneo for projects, exercises and hands-on exams.
Course web page system - used by many teachers in Ateneo for their announcements, files and discussions. No longer maintained.
Which project do you like best and why?
I really like the project I'm doing now - free software for eyes-free computing. I feel that it can really help make a difference in many people's lives, and I'm glad I have an opportunity to make other people's lives better.
What does winning the BPI Science Award mean to you?
The BPI Science Award is a wonderful confirmation of what I have done so far and - even more importantly - recognition of what I and students like me can do in the future. Winning this award tells me that I was right - I don't have to wait until I graduate in order to make a difference.
Awards have always been a nice extra. What really matters is the difference I can make and the lives I can help improve.
What do you think made you win?
I guess BPI chose to recognize my passion for computer science, my past achievements and my goals for the future. I think I've served my school and my country well as a student, representing them in national and international competitions and working on projects to help make people's lives easier. I look forward to being of even more service in the future.
How will winning help you? How do awards like this help others?
I thank BPI for the cash prize which will certainly help fund my research! =)
That aside, I'm really glad that I won the BPI Science Award. It gives me a chance to reach out and touch the lives of more people - from students who may be inspired to excel to professionals who find themselves filled with renewed hope for our future, from the disabled and disadvantaged who regain a sense of dignity to scientists and mathematicians who use their talents in order to make people's lives better... I stand beside the other BPI Science Awardees as another witness to the fact that age, gender and nationality are not limitations, and that Filipinos can achieve anything they put their minds to.
If you were not in science, where would you be? If you could choose
to be any great scientist, who would you want to be? Why?I don't know what field I would be in if I hadn't discovered my love for computer science, but I know that I would bring to it the same passion and resourcefulness that has served me so well, never letting anyone discourage me from pursuing my dreams and trying to make a difference.
I greatly admire Augusta Ada Byron, by many acknowledged to be the first programmer. Good friends with Charles Babbage, Ada not only translated a paper on the analytical engine Babbage invented but also went on to add a lengthy appendix. Her notes included the idea of loops and other control structures as well as the first computer program, serving as a seminal work for many generations.
It was said that Ada: "... young as she was, understood its working, and saw the great beauty of the invention." I hope that the same may eventually be said of me, and that I may lead as many people to an understanding of and appreciation for computer science.
Sources: http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/tap/Files/ada-bio.html, http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Lovelace.html
In a separate sheet of paper, write a 1,000 word essay on what you
think you can do toward the advancement of science and technology in our country and what the role of science and technology is in national development.
What can I do in order to contribute to the advancement of science and technology? It seems that I can do so little. All around us are problems that yearn for solutions I do not have. I do not know how to address poverty or hunger. I cannot single-handedly solve our country's problems. I am just a student, after all. What can I do?
Yet as a student and a citizen I cannot stand idly by. The full range and extent of our problems would daunt even the most brilliant scholars, but there are smaller problems I might be able to solve. I cannot do everything, but I can do something to improve the lives of people around me. I do not have to wait until I hold a doctorate degree or some high position. I have never waited for an opportunity - I make my own.
Take, for example, our IT education - the subject of much criticism. A good education is essential for research and development, yet surveys rank us consistently behind other schools in the region. Employers complain about the communication and programming skills of fresh graduates. We lack rigorous technical training, and our schools are said to resemble diploma mills more than research institutions. Can a student do anything at all? Is it within a student's power to overhaul the curriculum, train teachers, and equip schools with the latest software and hardware? Certainly not.
But there is still something students can do - take responsibility for their education and realize that there are no limitations except those in their mind. Students must be hungry for knowledge, seeking it, striving for it. I have never let the lack of resources stop me from learning about something new. I have never let my age or my gender get in the way of my desire to learn more and to be of greater service. This determination and resourcefulness allowed me to hone globally competitive skills, and this may help other students realize just how much they can accomplish if they want to.
As a teaching assistant, I have discovered how much difference a student can make. By devoting my time and talents to helping other students learn more about computer science, I help my teachers improve the system. I put a lot of effort into improving computer science education because I know that the students of today are the inventors of tomorrow.
About to graduate, I stand neither triumphant nor arrogant but rather humbled by the knowledge that there is so much more to learn and ready to face the challenges of the future. There are truths to discover and technologies to create. The future is waiting to be invented.
What better way to help develop my nation than through research? As we discover new truths and create new technologies, we learn more about ourselves and shape our self-image. The skills we develop in our pursuit of science and technology benefit all aspects of our life. The critical thinking needed to look at a scientific problem and evaluate possible solutions helps us examine our sociopolitical problems and look for root causes that need to be addressed. The creativity that leads to our innovations can help us improve our lives. The inherent optimism of invention gives us hope that we can do something - that we can make a difference. If we can solve problems in mathematics, chemisty and physics, why should we not be able to turn our talents to serving our nation in other fields?
Yet science and technology can be misused for man's destruction instead of his upliftment. We have seen the scars that computer science in the wrong hands can give and we have felt the shame of being known as a nation of pirates and virus makers. We have seen war, death, destruction, and a host of evils brought on by technology that solves one problem by introducing others.
To science and technology, then, I bring also an awareness of ethical issues. I believe there must be no science without conscience and no technology without social responsibility. I unceasingly question the ultimate effects of our actions and the means by which we accomplish our goals, awakening others to some of the deeper issues that underly technology such as the question of freedom, the danger of technological obsolescence, and the need to adapt to change. My current work focuses on the needs of the disabled and the disadvantage. Free software helps me bridge the digital divide.
I bring the conviction that we can indeed make a difference. This is perhaps the most important contribution I can make - to bring hope to a nation that looks around and finds itself left behind. In a time when we feel powerless to solve the problems that surround us, I say that we can do it. We do not lack opportunities to excel; we only need determination. I strive for excellence and show by my example that neither age nor gender nor nationality should stand in the way of our dreams.
I no longer wonder what I might be able to contribute to science and technology in some distant, uncertain future. There is much to learn and do now. We can make a difference now. Although I keep an eye to the future and to long-term plans, I live in the present - doing whatever I can with whatever I have in order to make things happen.
I contribute to science and technology a critical mind, fresh optimism, and the passion and desire to serve that has always been the core of my love for computer science. I want other people to look at what I have done and am setting out to do, and be inspired to make a difference. I hope that my personal contribution to science and technology will be far outshadowed by the contributions of the people whose lives I touch.
Mabuhay, Filipino youth! The future is in our hands. Let us make a difference.
Research accomplishments
Bayanihan .NET (2001 Student researcher)
From http://bayanihancomputing.net :
Bayanihan is an old tradition in the Philippines wherein neighbors of a relocating family would help the family move by gathering under their house and carrying it to its new location. Although bayanihan practiced in this form has become rare in today's modern times, the word bayanihan itself has come to mean any manifestation of the powerful spirit of communal unity that can make seemingly impossible feats possible through the cooperation of many people working towards a common goal.
...
The Bayanihan Computing Group seeks to bring the bayanihan spirit into the realm of computing by making it possible - and easy - for people to pool together their computing resources into a high-performance computing resource capable of solving computational problems much faster than before. Bayanihan Computing .NET is a generic software framework that makes use of the new technology of XML web services to go beyond the idea of volunteer computing to that of grid computing, wherein people can not only pool together their computing resources, but can now also make these pooled resources available to others through very simple programming interfaces called computational web services. Through the power of web services, Bayanihan Computing .NET not only allows people to even more easily build volunteer computing systems than before, but more importantly, allows them to tap the computing power of these systems from any device - even PDAs and mobile phones. In this way, Bayanihan Computing .NET has the potential of bringing supercomputing power literally into the hands of ordinary users.
Online submissions (2001- Sole programmer, maintainer)
The online submission system for hands-on exams, exercises and projects, developed for and used by the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (Ateneo de Manila University). Teachers can add and edit project details, set project deadlines, configure permissions, and manage users. It is currently in its second version and a third version is being planned. It is based on free, open source software, and the source is available on request.
Course web page system (2000-01 Programmer, Maintainer)
Automatic course web page creation designed to make posting announcements and files easy for non-technical users. Used successfully by teachers from different departments like Theology, Chemistry and Computer Science. No longer maintained because Ateneo acquired a license to WebCT, a commercial package with similar features.
Academic honors / awards / distinctions
Ateneo Academic Scholar 2001- Dean's List, 2nd Honors 2001- Ateneo Freshman Merit Scholar 1999-2000 DOST Scholar 1999-2000
message to BPI as an awardee
Thanks! It means a lot to me that an institution like BPI would invest in today's students in order to help them become tomorrow's scientists. I hope that the BPI science award will continue to inspire and reward the pursuit of excellence.
free software
thank you for this award. it's a great way to encourage students like me to pursue our dreams and strive for excellence in whatever we do. I would especially like to encourage other girls to consider computer science because it's just so much fun and you get to help a lot of people.
describe my projects
I work on a lot of things, contributing in whatever small way I can. I'm a geek. I love learning about things, writing and adapting software to fit or needs and wants. I work with people from all over the world, helping them answer questions or work on code. I give my work away because I love what I do and I want to make a difference.
The most important thing I have ever done or can do isn't writing a cool program or making lots of money in IT. It's showing other people what they can do and what they can learn. It's helping them answer their questions and ask even more. It's encouraging them to learn, to grow, and have fun because they love what they're doing.
That's my project - not the gadgets or gizmos I use, not the programs I write or adapt, but the people I touch along the way.
I'd love to hear about any questions, comments, suggestions or links that you might have. Your comments will not be posted on this website immediately, but will be e-mailed to me first. You can use this form to get in touch with me, or e-mail me at sacha@sachachua.com .
