Computer Science
I have learned several languages over the years: QB, VB, VBA, C, C++, COBOL, FORTRAN, and TI-BASIC. After picking up the first language, all the others came easily. The ones I have used the most are VBA (the macro language for MS Office applications), and TI-BASIC (Texas Instrument’s language for keystroke programs on some calculator models) (pic of a TI-89 calculator). Before MS Excel upgraded how large a number could be, I wrote several VBA macros to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and modular division with numbers up to about 250 digits long. This allowed me to explore number theory questions that intrigued me.
To get full use of my TI-89 calculator, I wrote several functions to aid my math research. My mentor, Dr. Haas, suggested that I share my work with others, and introduced me to DERIVE (link to website). He helped me greatly in preparing my 2-part article TI-89 Keystroke Functions (TI-89_Article_Part_1.doc and TI-89_Article_Part_2.doc and the third article, which may have shapes that can be used as pics?).
If you find any of my TI-89 functions useful enough that you wish to make a donation to encourage me to program more freeware functions, click here (PayPal link).
I hope to start a correspondence program to teach prisoners how to program using programmable calculators, which present no security risk to prisons, and are much cheaper than computers.
The most complicated project I had to do while taking Information Systems classes was to take a half-million AutoCAD files, convert them to the .wmf format (to save space), than match them with the correct Lotus123 database entry and insert them. It took a DOS command, MS Word macros (to make AutoCAD macros), 2 macros in Lotus123, and a Visual Basic program to act as a controller. This project taught me a lot about integrating data across different platforms.
I have become very well versed in MS Office over the years. I have computerized timesheets twice, once for prison staff, and once for sewing plant employees. Similar to this was the time I computerized, and customized, a bi-monthly report card for GED students that their college instructors had to fill out by hand before my assistance. But the most educational experience I had with computerizing things, was exercises from several chapters of an accounting book for a college instructor, who wanted to change the data in examples and have the changes cascade automatically in Excel spreadsheets. While doing this, I caught many errors, and the instructor submitted them to the publisher, which was thankful and promised to correct the next edition of that textbook.