My name is Jefferson Ridgeway, IV.  I am a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina with a major in Computer Science and minor in Mathematics.  My love for computers started around the ninth grade and has grown ever since. During my senior year of high school, I made the decision to major in a career that I knew that I would love and that is computer science. 

During the summer of 2013, I attended the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program at Elizabeth City State University. While participating in this program, I was able to gain research experience as well as gain six credit hours towards my bachelor’s degree.

The goal of the research project at the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program was to determine how to reduce the carbon footprint on the campus of Elizabeth City State University.  This experiment consisted of utilizing two of the major chemistry gas laws (Charles law and Avogadro law).   As a result of this project, it was determined that more gas laws should be applied and further testing was needed to give the University a better assessment of whether hydrogen cell vehicles would best met their needs. During my freshman year, I was a recipient of the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) scholarship from Dr. Linda Hayden.  Through this scholarship program, participants were able to partake in an array of research opportunities and scholarly activities.  Skills learnt and experiences gained from being a participant in this scholarship program range from conducting oral presentations, to attending Career Fairs such as “Change the World: Science and Engineering” hosted by the National Science Foundation”, to providing assistance in the Celebration of Women in Mathematics Day. 

Our CERSER research team (spring 2014) investigated updating the CERSER TeraScan Cataloguing System and the TeraScan Image Processing Script by using languages such as PHP, MySQL, HTML, Adobe Dreamweaver and TeraScan software. This experience provided the team with a greater understanding of the usage of TeraScan software, how to annotate images, add grids and overlays to the images.

During the summer of 2014, I engaged in an Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington, Indiana.  This research experience consisted of making a Graphical User Interface (GUI) online for the Cloudmesh database at IU.  In order to accomplish this task, it was critical for one to learn Python programming syntax and Django, which is a web development framework.  Using both the framework’s components and Python syntax, I was able to successfully complete the GUI and input data (such as user accounts, committees, etc.) that was stored in a no-Structure Query Language (no-SQL) MongoDB database.

During the spring semester of my sophomore year at ECSU, I was apart of the CERSER TeraScan research team. Together, the team documented the site preparation for installation of SeaSpace Ground Stations at ECSU. This research included recording and documenting the location of engineering findings, location of installation requirements, and repositioning and securing current ground stations with additional proper training center needs.

By virtue of participating in the URE at Indiana University in Bloomington, I gained a deep appreciation for the field of Software Engineering. Ultimately, I want to obtain my master’s and doctorate degree in Software Engineering.  I plan on reaching this career goal by continuing to engage in research and internship programs that will give me the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed for my growth in the aforementioned field of study.