Name: Marco Palma
Age: 28 years old
Major: Computer Science
Year: 3rd Year / Senior
HC: When you started UIC, did your expectations match reality?
MP: Honestly no, my courses back at Richard J. Daley College were a breeze, I would skip classes and still manage to get A’s. The workload here at UIC is at a completely different level. The duration of the lectures are much shorter, and homework is due every other day. I felt overwhelmed because I was not expecting that much of a change in workload.
HC: How has the way you perceive mathematics changed at UIC?
MP: Coming out of Daley College, I thought mathematics was very mechanical. Now, at UIC, I think of mathematics as a language. Numbers can express meaning, just like words can. We project meaning onto symbols/numbers.
HC: What are some ways you have grown as a supplemental instructor?
MP: I am more into teaching because now I understand what it means to struggle. Now I want to be the person who helps others out. The way I understand math has changed because now I see it as a process. It allows me to reduce everything to its elemental structure. I now see that there is a theory behind everything.
HC: How do you think your knowledge of mathematics will transfer over into the real world.
MP: I’m a computer science major, so if I go into Natural Language Processing I’ll need a lot of theory based on math to do it.
HC: Do you have any projects you want to work on for the remainder of your time at UIC?
MP: I submitted a project proposal to IEEE for a robot that has proximity sensors. Basically, you can “feel” the robot getting closer to an obstacle with a lidar and some vibrating motor gloves. I’m really looking forward to it.
HC: In what ways have you grown as a person while at UIC?
MP: Jesus Christ… where do I even start? UIC has literally broken me and is slowly rebuilding me into a new person. I’ve never tried so hard at anything in my life and fail like I have here. So if anything I’ve grown to not be afraid of failure and instead learn from it.
HC: Who do you want to become professionally?
MP: I’d like to become a Research Professor one day. I’m going to have to get my Ph.D. for that.
HC: What are some ways more minorities (Latinos) can join STEM or computer science?
MP: If you want to pick up programming codecademy.com is a great place to start. Otherwise, if you’re interested in anything, take it apart, learn how it works, ask your teachers questions.
HC: Are there any hobbies or activities you do to remove the stress you receive from school?
MP: I try to read books in my spare time. I’m trying to read La Invención de Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares and A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick. I really need to set aside some time to finish reading them. Otherwise, if I’m feeling restless I just walk from my apartment to downtown and back. It’s a good way to clear my mind.
HC: What are some of the clubs or organizations that you are a part of?
MP: I’m involved with IEEE and SHPE. IEEE is mostly composed of Electrical Engineering students and we do robotics projects. SHPE stands for Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and I’ve been a mentor for their MentorSHPE program and I recently attended their regional conference. Thanks to SHPE, I’m in talks with Ford about a possible internship opportunity after I graduate!
HC: What is it like to be the webmaster for the UIC Robotics team?
MP: Being the webmaster for IEEE @ UIC is pretty chill. Thankfully it’s a very low-stress position which allows me to be flexible with how I help the club. Right now I’m working on revising our Bylaws and Constitution. So for sure, this position is what you make of it.