Computer Science

What is AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to transform the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. From self-driving cars to intelligent personal assistants, AI is already providing new opportunities...

When Code is Too Slow

One of the challenges inherent to computer science is balancing the work done by the programmer in writing the code and the work done by the hardware in running the code. For instance, a programmer can write software to...

How to Make Friends: Emergent behavior in C++

After I finished my last exam and went home for the break, I was sitting at home in front of my fireplace screensaver in my room, certainly enjoying the freedom, yet knowing something was missing. Suddenly, it hit me....

Mrs. Bruce’s Career in Digital Commerce

For many of the Jesuit students interested in computer science, a career in the industry is a very real possibility. Unfortunately, due to the complex and often confidential nature of these jobs, much of our understanding of them is...

Taking Notes from Disney’s Principled Shader

This is a render I made after researching Disney's rendering technology. Unlike previous renders I've made, everything in the scene, including lights, the clouds, the ivy, and the glass lantern is drawn by the same shader. This is possible...

Computing Without Electricity

People often think of computers as magical boxes that mysteriously format our documents or calculate trigonometric functions. This is not the case. Computers can only follow instructions by taking advantage of the physics of electricity and magnetism. Any task...

Character Polishing and Animation

Previously, I showcased my working versions of my two characters to see if anyone was interested in the modeling/rigging/skinning workflow, and I saw enough interest to justify another article. I intentionally left out sculpting, complex character design, and animation,...