CS373 Fall 2020: Elias Lampietti

Where did you grow up?

I was born in NYC and soon moved out to New Jersey where I grew up until high school when I moved to Switzerland.

What high school did you attend?

I attended the International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL) in Hünenberg, Switzerland. International school was great as I was able to meet and make friends with students who came from countries all over the world. A nice thing about having international friends is being able to visit them and explore knowing I have a couch to crash on.

What was your favorite activity in high school?

I really got into snowboarding during the winters in Switzerland. My friends and I would try to make it out to the slopes almost every weekend. It’s such a part of the culture that most schools/offices have a ‘ski-week’ where everyone gets a week off to go on a ski trip together.

Why did you come to UT?

It has a highly rated CS program, great school spirit, and I’d heard good things about the city of Austin although I had never been to Texas until my first day here at UT. I definitely feel that I made the right decision.

Why are you majoring in CS?

I started getting into CS by building mobile applications in the beginning of high school. I enjoyed the process of being able to transform an idea into code and have others interact with it. I later branched off into freelance software development which I’ve now formed into an LLC here in Austin. I’m drawn to the freedom that comes with having an in-depth knowledge of CS. I’ve realized that with a strong set of CS skills, you can choose many avenues aside from a formal CS job such as freelancing or building and distributing your own software.

Why are you in this class?

I’m always looking to improve my skills especially when I can put them to use outside of the class. One of my friends took this class last semester and recommended it to me saying how it’s very practical and that he learned a lot of good practices that he plans to use during his CS career, so this course seemed right for me.

How much Python programming do you already know?

I’m currently developing the GUI for Intel’s next-generation performance analyzer. All my development for this GUI has been in Python so I’ve become quite comfortable with the language over the past several months.

My Pick-of-the-Week

Here’s an interesting article from this week about Elon Musk’s latest development in his neurotechnology company, Neuralink. This article really shows how wild technology is becoming with having computer chips inserted into your head to work with your brain. It’s being developed for a good cause but I can’t help to think of it being the plot of a Black Mirror episode.