ESP Biography



ZACH MINSTER, Brown Computer Science Graduate / Future Teacher



Major: Computer Science Sc.B.

College/Employer: Brown University

Year of Graduation: 2014

Picture of Zach Minster

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Greetings! I'm Zach Minster, and I'm a Brown Computer Science (Sc.B.) grad. I've taught computer science in various capacities: in the summers of 2011, 2013, and 2014 I taught introductory through advanced computer science to groups of eight mixed-age (11-17) students at iD Tech Camps at Villanova, Princeton, Columbia, and NYU, and at Brown I served as a head TA for CS17, an intro course that stresses efficient, beautiful algorithmic thinking through functional programming. I'm incredibly passionate about inflicting my love of algorithmic thinking on as many people as possible, hence my attempt to install myself in as many pedagogical positions as possible.

In the summer of 2012 I lived in the fantastic city of Boston and worked as a software engineering intern for TripAdvisor in Newton. In addition to working as a head TA at Brown, I was also a residential counselor in a freshman living community. I'm originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Outside of computer science I love photography, bicycling, electronic music, billiards, DDR, astronomy...



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

C6479: The Big-O: Algorithms and Analysis (and Sorting!) in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
So you've written some code before, getting the job done in Java, C++, C, or some other programming language. Have you ever wondered how to prove to someone that your code works efficiently? How to describe exactly how long your program will take on a variable number of inputs? In this course we'll explore one of the most fascinating aspects of computer science - efficiency - and learn to write code that not only works, but works beautifully and promptly. Along the way we'll explore different methods of sorting, one of the most important problems in computer science, and see how analysis comes into play when working with sorting different types of data. Leaving this course you will have a much deeper understanding of how algorithms are classified and what the main problems in the academic study of computer science are. If you're interested in studying CS later on, this is a wonderful introduction into a world most high school students don't get to see until college!


C5450: The Big-O: Algorithms and Analysis (and Sorting!) in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
So you've written some code before, getting the job done in Java, C++, C, or some other programming language. Have you ever wondered how to prove to someone that your code works efficiently? How to describe exactly how long your program will take on a variable number of inputs? In this course we'll explore one of the most fascinating aspects of computer science - efficiency - and learn to write code that not only works, but works beautifully and promptly. Along the way we'll explore different methods of sorting, one of the most important problems in computer science, and see how analysis comes into play when working with sorting different types of data. Leaving this course you will have a much deeper understanding of how algorithms are classified and what the main problems in the academic study of computer science are. If you're interested in studying CS later on, this is a wonderful introduction into a world most high school students don't get to see until college!


C5457: Introduction to Computer Science through Functional Programming in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Do you know nothing about computer programming at all and want a solid introduction that will set you up for success on your own? Do you already know how to code imperatively but have little or no experience with functional programming (or have no idea what either of those terms mean)? This course is for you! We will learn a variant of the Scheme programming language called Racket, which will highly some of the beautiful simplicity of functional solutions to problems. You will discover the beauty of the phrase "functions ARE data," and learn exactly what that means for us as programmers. Coming out of this course, you will have a much greater appreciation for different types of programming and what they are most suited to solve. NOTE: This course is good for those students who want a more formal introduction to computer science. We won't be making flashy graphical programs, but we will be discussing the "meat" of the CS discipline and learning things you probably wouldn't learn on your own.


W5466: The Wonderful World of Shoelaces in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Believe it or not, there's more than just one way to lace up (and tie) the shoes on your feet. Want to learn to lace your shoes like straight bars, a spider-web, a starburst, a supernova, or a lattice? Want to learn how to tie your shoes so you'll (hopefully) never need to tie them again? Want to generally use your footwear to look like a boss? You'll see these methods and many more as you practice on your own shoes. Make a statement - use an awesome, unique lacing method (perhaps a different one on each shoe) with some colored (perhaps more than one color on each shoe) laces!


C5117: Computers: The Story Behind the Code in SPICY Delve 2011 (Oct. 23, 2011)
Have you ever wondered how just two miniscule yet powerful numbers, 0 and 1, manage to carry out the enormously complex and beautiful tasks that modern computers accomplish? What physically goes on inside of a computer that allows it to be so useful? For just one hour we'll dip our toes into the vast ocean of computer systems, learning how computers, like onions and ogres, are composed of layers of abstraction from the user software we interact with on a day-to-day basis to the electrical signals that physically perform computation. We will explore what computation physically is and how to build a computer using nothing more than wires and simple logic. No matter how much or little experience you have with programming (no experience is definitely okay!), you will leave this course with an appreciation of the beautiful simplicity of computers.