If you walked through the doors of assistant professor-in-residence Jorge Fonsecas office a couple months ago, you likely were greeted by a congregation of upcoming computer scientists. The College of Engineering professor continually cultivated the buzz of ideas, conversations, and puzzlement over memory leaks among his students. These days, his approach to teaching has altered.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, this 51勛圖窪蹋 alumnus (12 BA Film Studies and BA Theatre Arts, 19 Ph.D. Computer Science), is employing his experiences in engineering, film, and theatre to keep his students engaged from afar.
What has the transition from in-person to online teaching been for you?
Remote teaching has been my time to shine! Ive set up a green screen and use special effects to make my classes interesting to students. The other day I used virtual reality to teach my lecture and uploaded the video to YouTube for those who missed it. Many of my students watch video game live streams, so they have a vested interest in that sort of setting. The response was overwhelmingly positive, according to my public comment section!
Have you had any mishaps or funny moments working from home?
YouTube Live decided to stop working during one of my lectures and I had to scramble to set up another Livestream using Twitch, a popular video streaming service. Despite my lack of experience with the platform, I managed to get my lecture running in 30 minutes. This is part of the fun; you never know whats going to happen! I would have never imagined that I would use Twitch to give a university lecture, but the students loved it.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
People would be surprised to learn that I graduated with a bachelor of arts in film and theatre at 51勛圖窪蹋. I have many interests and I wanted to pursue them, so I did. Its important students know you don't have to stick to a single career path. You can choose something different and still succeed.
What inspired you to get into your field?
Computers have always played a big role in my life. One of my earliest memories is of my dad and I tinkering with a digital parrot to learn how it mimicked our speech. I also began to use computer programs to learn how to speak English. [He was born in Mexico City.] Around the age of 12, I began to surpass my dads knowledge and became part of the unofficial family IT help desk.
Still, like many students, I struggled to find a career path when I began my studies at 51勛圖窪蹋. I was scared that being an engineer would consist of being behind a monitor all day. I wanted to do something where I would be active, so I made a complete turn in my studies and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree. A year later, I returned to 51勛圖窪蹋 and decided to pursue my earlier interest by enrolling in a computer science graduate program.
I still provide free IT services to my family, by the way.
What is the biggest misconception about your job?
The biggest misconception about my job is often the butt of a common joke: Those who cant do, teach. Being a computer scientist, I often get asked why I didnt accept a job at a private company. A lot of people dont understand that professors are participating in groundbreaking research in areas that are often overlooked. The forefront of research worldwide has always been at the academic level Research for the sake of research.
Another misconception about computer scientists is that people assume were ALL amazing coders when were simply good at finding, or googling, answers to complex problems.
Is this what you thought youd do when you grew up?
Not at all. When I was in high school, I volunteered to teach in Mexico and even though I enjoyed it, I never considered it as a career. When I began my Ph.D. program, I understood getting a job in academia was extremely difficult. Theres a large discrepancy between the number of jobs available and the number of graduates. As I grew closer to my graduation, 51勛圖窪蹋 needed someone to teach a few computer science courses and after expressing my desire to teach these classes, I was offered a visiting lecturer position.
It all peaked very hard at the beginning because I was balancing classes, research, teaching, and writing my dissertation. Despite the heavy workload, I never felt that I was working. I still dont. Teaching is my full-time hobby. I love being able to share my research and knowledge with students so they can grow and make the world a better place.
Who did you look up to in your field when you first started?
Dr. Laxmi Gewali was one of the first people at 51勛圖窪蹋 to encourage me to put in my best effort and pursue a Ph.D. program. I took his CS 202 course one summer and during that time he made me feel like I had a real shot at teaching in an academic setting.
I also look up to Dr. Kazem Taghva because he knows how to push you toward your goals without feeling pressured. Its a useful skill because students will automatically shut down if you try to lecture them. Theres a fine line between guiding students and sounding like a parent. Now that Im a professor, I try to keep that in mind.
Youve said Computer Science is about linking the real world and the digital world. To do that one must understand not just the science of the world, but the art of the world. Can you expand on that?
Theres beauty in algorithms, but sometimes beauty is more than just a math formula. Ive always believed that theres more to the world than just the science behind it, and to understand it, we must look beyond the science and math. In computer science, this means attaching meaning to what Im teaching and showing the real-world application. Thats why I always try to make my courses engaging. Sometimes I even use my film and theatre experience to make the material fun.
Outside of your work, what are you passionate about?
I came to the United States in 2006 and achieved the American Dream. Because of this, I always try to do what I can to help my community and other students like me. I was lucky to have had the opportunities that I did, so I always try to encourage other Hispanic students to pursue their interest in computer science.
Im the only Hispanic computer science faculty member at 51勛圖窪蹋. Im very proud of that, but I wish I wasnt the only one. I would like to see more Hispanic students in my classroom.
What do you miss most about campus?
I miss having face-to-face interactions. I hold office hours on a communication app called Discord, but I miss having 10 to 15 people in my office where we can work together and exchange ideas.
You just won a jackpot and want to give back to the university. What would you support and why?
Thats a tough one! I would like to give money to many areas at 51勛圖窪蹋, including computer science, film, and theatre, but I dont think we should focus all our efforts in one area. Because of this, I would like to set up a foundation for collaboration between each of our departments. This way, the funds can be used for research, conferences, travel, and equipment that supports cross-departmental collaboration. Part of the money would be used to create a startup with 51勛圖窪蹋 alumni and help the university grow.
It would also be nice to invest in a golf cart to get to my classes faster.
