Heather M. Byrne - UMASS Lowell

About Me

I'm currently an undergraduate student working towards my B.S in computer Science with a concentration in Bioinformatics, set to graduate in Spring 2010. I began work at the start of June of 2008 as a research intern working on the VAST2008 challenge project under the direction of Dr. Grinstein. My current work is on development of a web based visualization platform called Weave, with interests in visualizing environmental data sets and in bringing Weave into the classroom as a learning tool.

I am currently a member of a number of organizations at the University of Massachusettes Lowell including WiCS (Women in Computer Science), the Undergraduate Student Advisory Panel, and the Systems Lab where my function tends to be leader, organizer, and champoim of causes. I have a deep interest in the envoronment (some would call me a tree hugger) and feminism, and aspire to do work that is closely tied to these fields. I am endlessly enthusiastic about my work and activities.

Resume

Education:

University Of Massachusetts Lowell, Bachelor Of Science,
Computer Science: concentration in Bioinformatics

UML Computer Science
UML Bio/Cheminformatics
My Advisor and Supervisor, Dr. Georges Grinstein

Relative Skills:

Programming Languages: C, C++, C#, Java, HTML, CSS, Scheme, C#
Operating Systems: Windows 2003/XP/Vista/7, Mac OSX, UNIX/LINUX
Software: Microsoft Office, Eclipse, Flex Monkey, Photoshop, SVN, Tex Maker

Work Experience:

Research Intern: Institute for Visualization and Perception Research Lab(June 2008 - present)IVPR Lab
- Grant supported National Science Foundation research
- automating scoring for the VAST 2008 Challenge Information on the VAST 2008 Challenge
- Grant supported open source interdisciplinary web based visualization software development project called Weave
- Grant supported proprietary software development for breast cancer research at Mass General Hospital

Lab Assistant: Computer Science Department Help Desk, UMASS Lowell (August 2007 - June 2008)
- Maintence of Windows Mac and Linux operating systems in computer Labs
- Performed small tasks such as retrieval and sorting of mail
- Assisted users with account creation, password resets, and trouble shooting

Teaching Assistant: Computer Science Department at UMASS Lowell (June 2007 - August 2007)
- Assisted with classroom setup and technical difficulties
- Aided classroom instruction and provided support during lecture to keep students on track
- Scheduled and taught lab instruction

Systems Lab Member: Computer Science Department at UMASS Lowell (December 2006 - June 2007)
- Completed any and all tasks assigned by Dr. James Canning
- Directed and coordinated the creation of a working Systems Lab at UMASS Lowell in Dec. 2008
- The Systems Lab

Contact Info

Student Email:
heather_byrne@student.uml.edu

Computer Science Email:
hbyrne@cs.uml.edu

Activities, Interests, and Organizations

SEMVAST

Scientific Evaluation Methods for Visual Analytics Science and Technology

WiCS Home Page

The UMASS WiCS club was established as a support, retention, and recruiting aide for women in Computer Science. Activities include frequent guest speakers, volunteer opportunities, and mentoring.

UML Crew Home Page

I was a coxswain for the mens crew team spring semester, 2007. It's the 5 am practices I don't miss :).

Indoor Rock Climbing

A great way to spend some excess energy after sitting in a classroom all day. Student discounts make it affordable, belay training available for beginners!