CSE-PACE Cohorts
Join our weekly sessions to talk about CSE courses and the impacts of cutting-edge computing topics over free food. CSE-PACE is free, designed for all first-year computing students, and runs for the entire academic year. Earn 2 units of credit each quarter for participation by enrolling in CSE 89: Intro to CSE Seminar. Register first to help us make groups ahead of time. Or, if you show up in CSE 2154 on Wednesday or Friday during cohort time during the first few weeks of the Fall quarter, we'll help you get started!
Q: What will I do in a CSE-PACE session?
Meet in a group with 8-10 other students and
your lead peer mentor to talk about computing in the news,
do a hands-on project, visit a cool place on
campus, or try out something you're using in your classes.
Q: Will I get credit?
Enroll in CSE 89 to earn course credits as part of participation in CSE-PACE. This
course may count towards the lower division elective for CSE majors.
Q: How do I join?
Come by CSE (EBU3b) 2154j during the Wednesday or Friday cohort time anytime this Fall quarter
and we will help you get set up. To let us know you're interested ahead of time,
fill out the registration form and add CSE 89 to your class schedule.
- You might be able to enroll in CSE 89 directly on TritonLink.
- If not, add yourself to the waitlist, and check your @ucsd.edu email for instructions.
- Either way, come by during the class time so we can get you started.
Have more questions? Contact us at pace@ucsd.edu
Anya Chernova
My name is Anya, and I'm a third year Computer Science major. I enjoy exploring different areas of CS to understand what I am most passionate about. My hobbies are drawing, snowboarding and swimming. In addition, I'm always excited to try out new activities whenever I get a chance. I am very happy to be your mentor and am really looking forward to meeting you! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want to chat!
Charisse Chua
I'm a third year studying computer science, and minoring in music and marketing. I was PACE student my freshman year and an LPM last year, so it's super fun to come back for another year with PACE! Outside of school I love to sing and write songs. I've released my music on all streaming platforms, with more on the way. Check them out if you're in search of some new music! I also like traveling, hiking, and exploring new food places!
D'ante McCurty
Hi my name is D'ante McCurty and I am a third year Computer Science major. I love everything pop culture as well as meeting new people. My favorite hobbies are playing video games and playing board games with my friends.
Gonzalo Allen-Perez
Hi there, I’m Gonzalo, and I’m a 3rd year CS major at Warren. Some things I like to do when I’m not CS-ing are dancing, tennis, and getting up to shenanigans around San Diego. Looking forward to a great year :)
Gowtham Duggirala
Well hello there! Gowtham is a math-CS student who is in his third year at UCSD partaking in a general biology minor! He likes to walk around in nature [with lots of 🌳 and 🌿], and other {definitely} niche hobbies that you have to ask him about! There never was an infiltration of a certain 📡 from the bistro that borked his 💻's ethernet port!!!
Joshua Villanueva
Hello incoming students and welcome to PACE! My name is Joshua Villanueva and I am a low income, first generation, Computer Engineering student. I am happy and thankful to be a part of our UCSD family. Fun fact: A side hobby of mine is making music and when I am not doing that, I like to bury my head in a book, go on a fun hike, or go out to a concert with my friends.
Mia Chen
I’m Mia, a second-year Computer Science major in Sixth College. In my free time, I love hiking and surfing, cooking, and playing the piano. Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Nikitha Maderamitla
Hi there! I'm Nikitha, a second-year CS major in Sixth. When I’m not in class or coding, you’ll find me getting involved with clubs like WIC and CSES, enjoying some time dancing, exploring new food, spending time outdoors, or catching a good stand-up show. I was a PACE student myself last year, and I am so excited to be with you as your Lead Peer Mentor this year! Feel free to reach out with any questions or if you just want to chat :)
Peter Lee
Hi! My name is Peter and I'm a third-year computer science major at Sixth. In my free time I like to play tennis and hit the beach. Feel free to reach out with any questions!
Pratham Savla
Hey everyone, I'm Pratham and I'm a second year computer science student at Muir! I was in PACE during my first-year on the student side of things so it feels amazing to come back as a Lead Peer Mentor! I'm grateful for the opportunity and I can't wait to work with all of you! Just some fun facts about me: I can speak 4 languages, I love traveling, and I was born in Mumbai, India! During my first-year at UCSD, I joined the ACM AI Projects team, and I was a part of the SWELL program.
Ryan Batubara
Hello, I’m Ryan Batubara, a third year double majoring in Mathematics-Computer Science and Data Science from Indonesia. Having been both a mentee and lead-peer mentor at PACE, I'm excited to continue forming a community here!
Samantha Prestrelski
Hi friends! I'm Sam, a fourth year majoring in Math-Computer Science in Warren College. I love stationery, walking around campus, and listening to music and podcasts. Feel free to reach out, I'm looking forward to meeting you!
Samvrit Srinath
Hello! My name is Samvrit, a Junior in Warren College Studying CS! I was a Pace Student in my Freshman year so looking forward to having an amazing year meeting all of y'all! In my spare time I love to cook (any cool recipes?), go on hikes, and play the Piano! I also love playing Nintendo Games like Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario! Let me know if you have any questions about clubs, getting into internships, or just chatting about life @ UCSD!
Sonia Fereidooni
Hi Friends!! I'm Sonia, a rising third-year Computer Science major from Seventh College. When I’m not coding, you can often find me curled up with a good book (fiction, non-fiction, and anything in between), drawing, or listening to the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat. I'm super excited to meet you all this year--feel free to reach out to me any time! :-)
Yuan Gao
Hi friends! I'm Yuan, a 4th year CS major in Sixth College (and a 3rd year as an LPM for PACE!) I love traveling, trying new food and playing soccer. I speak English and Mandarin, and I'm doing my best to learn Spanish!
Andrew Oabel
Andrew is a Master's student in the CSE Department and is the TA for CSE PACE! He was also an undergraduate at UCSD and majored in CS and minored in linguistics. Outside of school, he enjoys playing badminton, building LEGO sets (especially botanical sets), and finding new places to eat around San Diego.
Dr. Joe Politz
Hello and welcome! Come visit my office on the third floor to talk about programming, San Diego, and dogs. You can find me posting puns, dog pictures, tech discussion and more on Twitter.
Dr. Kristen Vaccaro
Welcome to UCSD! You can find me on the third floor at the end of the hall (3226, there's also a nice lounge outside) where I'm happy to chat about social computing, UX, and design!
Dr. Mia Minnes
Welcome to UC San Diego! Come by my office on the fourth floor and check out colourful whiteboard markers, cool origami, and a view of our CSE Stone Bear mascot.
Some CSE-PACE discussions are directly related to your CSE courses, and others draw from news stories or videos about cutting-edge topics in computing. Here are a few examples of conversation starters for our sessions.
- How is artificial intelligence (mis)used?
- "Machine Bias - There's software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it's biased against blacks." [Magazine article]
- "Busting Anti-Queer Bias in Text Prediction" [USC news story]
- "TED Talk: How I'm fighting Bias in Algorithms" [TED Talk]
- "COMPUTERS IN A JAZZ ENSEMBLE? INVENTING IMPROVISATIONAL AI" [UCSD news story]
- "how to stop Artificial Intelligence from marginalizing communities?" [TEDx talk]
- Can computing destroy / save our planet and our communities?
- "The power of bugs" [UCSD news story]
- "Computing as a teammate in healthcare" [UCSD researcher video profile]
- "Cryptomining Capacity in U.S. Rivals Energy Use of Houston" [New York Times article]
- "Tossed aside in the "white gold" rush- indigenous people are left poor as tech world takes lithium from under their feet" [Washington Post article]
- "Bluetooth Signals Can be Used to Identify and Track Smartphones" [UCSD news story]
- "Improving Internet Security" [UCSD researcher video profile]
-
What would computing
for all look like? - "Why I Want my Voice Assistant to Speak Spanglish" [TEDx Talk]
- "Nike FlyEase" [Product line feature]
- "Lady Boss: Black Tech Founders" [Podcast episode]
- "Black in AI- researchers can't ignore social structure problems" [Magazine article]
- "Women and Information Technology: By the Numbers" [Infographic]
- "Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992): A legacy of innovation and service" [Yale news story]
- "Inclusive CS Examples" [UCSD Professor blog post]
- "Introduction to: Anti-social computing" [Intro notes to Stanford course]