Office phone: 541-346-0450
Email: kray at cs dot uoregon dot edu
My main office is located in the computational intelligence research lab.
However, while I am a gtf for CIS 111, the cs department is letting me use
Deschutes 254 for holding office hours.
I am a PhD student at the University of Oregon working in the Computational Intelligence Research Lab (CIRL) under the direction of Matt Ginsberg. I have a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Math from Harvey Mudd College and an M.S. in Computer Science from New Mexico State University. I grew up in Southern California and currently live in Springfield, Oregon. Most of my family lives in So Cal, but we still keep in touch and are quite close. I love my family and am extremely thankful for them. I also am thankful for Ted Davidson who puts up with my moodiness and loves me in spite of it.
I am mostly interested in theoretical computer science, but also have a strong interest in algorithms, cryptography, and AI. My current research is on determining the scope of an algorithm in terms of the complexity of problems that the algorithm can solve. I have worked on a variety of different projects which are outlined in my CV. The projects are all quite different, but in general the common theme is that I was exploring theoretical foundations of practical problems.
While at the University of Oregon I have been entirely supported by a research assistantship at CIRL. This term I am a teaching assistant for CIS 111 because I want additional teaching experience. I'm still supported by a research assistantship though so I am basically a volunteer gtf. While working on my Masters Degree at NMSU, I was a teaching assistant for Discrete Math and the graduate level Algorithms class. In the past I was hired as a private tutor for Algorithms and for Combinatorics. I also have experience teaching kids while volunteering at an after school program for at risk kids in the local area.
I competed in track/field for 13 years. I was an All American in hurdles, high jump, and the heptathlon. My personal bests are 14.40 seconds in the 100m HH, 5'7" in HJ, and 4733 in the heptathlon. My score in the heptathlon earned me second place at Nationals my senior year in college. I am unable to compete anymore because track/field (especially hurdles) is really hard on the knees. Instead I play soccer and ultimate frisbee for city league teams.
I love animals. I volunteered at the humane society for a while
walking dogs and cleaning kennels. I now have two wonderful dogs who were
rescued from humane societies. Sammy is the one on the left who is mostly
white. He's about 2-3 years old and quite a fiesty little circus dog who
will do anything for a treat. He came from the humane society in
Klamath Falls. Ari is a sheltie mix who came from in Eugene.
She's shy and timid, but more outgoing than she used to be. She also
has a mild case of epilepsy so she occassionally has seizures. She is very
sweet and nonintrusive. Both dogs are very active and it takes a lot to
tire them out!
Being involved in my community is important to me. I
currently volunteer for
Big
Brothers Big Sisters, which has really been a
rewarding experience for me. My "little sister" is very
talkative and a lot of fun to hang out with. In the past I also
volunteered as a volleyball coach for
Kidsports. I coached fifth graders.
