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AE: But that’s not why you came to Auburn.
AE: Do you have any favorites inside engineering?
R-G: That Auburn je ne sais quoi was a bonus. I came here because I didn’t feel that the areas I wanted to study were as available elsewhere. Ultimately, I would like to influence others with what I learn, and to push into the area of human-computer interaction. More specifically, I am studying areas like multitouch and eye-tracking to improve graphic user interfaces. Does that make sense? It would allow a computer user to interact with intelligent machines intuitively. I am also looking at self-diagnostic computing applications that would take the next step and fix themselves, and at accessibility issues.
R-G: Dr. Umphress, David Umphress. He is a great professor, with great teaching skills. He also listens carefully to students, and by that I don’t just mean the question at hand. He looks beyond that into who you are and what you need, and he follows up. I believe that many others could learn from him.
AE: Does this tie into what you do in forestry? R-G: I applied online for the job, and picked the School of Forestry because it would let me work outside of the College of Engineering, even though I do engineering things. I build and reformat computers, apply virus killers, fix printers, do upgrades, and systems admin jobs. I like the people I work with, Tim Bottenfield and Jeannie McCollum — she’s a cat person, and so am I. You know, when I began there, I was so shy, and Jeannie was a big help in bringing me along and teaching me how to work with people.
AE: And you graduate when? R-G: In the summer of ’11 . . . with a master’s in software engineering. When I got the B.S. from Auburn in ’09, I also received a B.A. from Oglethorpe under the dual degree program. If I go beyond the master’s it would be for a doctorate, because I want to do research and development and it’s what they look for in the field. I would also like to put some work experience into the equation. I think it would be worth it, and a valuable way to move into doctoral work. I feel like I have a lot of options, and I am grateful for that. Auburn has certainly been a great place to be in the middle of my journey.
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