Ankur Dave
Overview
I have been interested in technology for nearly all my life. Starting on computers at age 3 with Windows 95, I've pursued my passion throughout my life, learning HTML at age 8, writing my first program at age 10, working as a full-time intern at the Berkman Center at Harvard University in summer 2009, and more.
I have plenty of experience working in team roles, including working with many other employees at DreamBox to develop a product within deadlines, leading a team of six computer science students to write a 3D game for Microsoft's regional Hunt the Wumpus competition in 2007, and working as the lead programmer at Saints Robotics, Interlake's robotics club.
I am a senior in the Gifted High School Program at Interlake High School. I was awarded an IB diploma in May 2009. As part of the IB diploma, I wrote my Extended Essay (a research project culminating in a 4000-word paper) on global optimization problems, and this essay was chosen from over 80 others to showcase as an example of excellent work to the faculty of Interlake.
Experience
Technology
| Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University | Cambridge, MA |
| Summer Intern | July–August 2009 |
Added email alert functionality to the Berkman Center's crowdsourced censorship detection web application, HerdictWeb, using Java Servlets on Apache Tomcat.
- Took the initiative to understand the 30,000+ line codebase and make improvements despite being the only active member of the project at the time
- Implemented features and responded to bug reports ahead of schedule
| DreamBox Learning Corporation | Bellevue, WA |
| Software Development Engineer Intern | July–August 2007 |
Created reusable client-side components (virtual abacuses, number-display tools, text-to-speech module) for DreamBox's online education product using Adobe Flex.
- Highly recommended by DreamBox in August 2007
- Chosen over college graduates in Computer Science
| Saints Robotics | Bellevue, WA |
| Development Lead | 2006–2009 |
Developed robot control software for FIRST robotics competitions using C and C++. Maintained the team website, 2006–2008.
- Coordinated with robot build team and mentors to meet control and autonomous operation specifications
- Performed bug fixes and feature additions under time pressure during competitions
| Interlake AP Computer Science 2007 | Bellevue, WA |
| Lead Developer | Spring 2007 |
Led a team of six to create a 3D game in J# for Microsoft's regional Hunt the Wumpus competition.
- Developed 3D experience from conception to completion
Other
| King County Superior Court and Information Services | Seattle, WA |
| Intern | September 2009—January 2010 |
Interface design and testing of electronic case management system deployment by King County Superior Court Information Services. Miscellaneous tasks for Superior Court Judge Harry McCarthy.
Education
| Interlake High School | September 2006—June 2010 |
- A student of the Gifted High School Program (PRISM), the first program in the U.S. to allow students to complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program a year ahead, leaving senior year of high school free to do an internship
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Wrote my IB Extended Essay (4000-word research paper) on global optimization problems applied to the Boggle word game, January 2009
- My essay was among the 2 out of 80 selected as outstanding Extended Essays for presentation to the entire faculty of Interlake
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal (merit-based scholarship for outstanding academic achievement in mathematics and science) award recipient, June 12, 2009
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National AP Scholar:
Year Course Score 2007 Computer Science AB 5 out of 5 2007 Calculus AB 5 2007 World History 5 2008 Physics B 5 2008 English Language 5 2008 US History 4 2009 English Literature 5 2009 Chemistry 5 2009 US Government 5 2009 Physics C Mechanics 5 -
SAT scores:
Date Critical Reading Math Writing Total January 2008 750 out of 800 760 800 2310 out of 2400 June 2009 800 780 710 2290 Blended 800 780 800 2380 - IB diploma recipient (37/42): Physics HL (7), English HL (6), Math HL (5), French SL (6), ITGS SL (6), History SL (5)
- Taking courses three math levels ahead of curriculum, including Differential Equations and IB Further Math
| Odle Middle School | September 2003—June 2006 |
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Recognized as a Student of Exceptional Talent by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth (CTY) in 2003
- Took three summer courses with CTY: Inductive and Deductive Reasoning, Crystals and Polymers, and Fundamentals of Computer Science
- Took the Integrated 3 fast-paced math course at the University of Washington's Robinson Center for Young Scholars in 2004
- Accepted to Lakeside School, a private school in Washington and Bill Gates's alma mater, in 2003
Technology
- Self-taught every computer language I know: Java, Perl, PHP, C/C++, C#, J#, SQL, ActionScript, JavaScript, bash, Ruby, Visual Basic, (X)HTML, CSS, LaTeX
- Have maintained a technology blog since 2007
- Contributor to Slashdot since 2005
- Manage my family's home network, including maintaining a multi-router wireless network and a web/backup/Subversion server on which this site is hosted
- Built my own watercooled PC from scratch in 2004
- Have been using Ubuntu Linux as my primary desktop since 2005
- Have had an online presence for 9 years, starting from a web site about Pocket PCs in 2000, pocketpcplace.net
Early age
- Age 3: Began with Crayola's children's drawing programs on Windows 95, immediately took interest in the computer, experimented with Windows' settings
- Age 5: Assessed by my kindergarten teacher as reading at 9th grade level
- Age 8: Learned HTML to make a web site and forum about Pocket PCs, pocketpcplace.net
- Age 10: Learned Visual Basic .NET from a book and used it to write my first program (a factoring program for the Pocket PC)
Personal
- Favorite book:
- Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, for its thorough yet clear discussion of evolutionary biology.
- Favorite movie:
- The Matrix—its detailed setting always gives me something to think about, and I thoroughly enjoy watching Neo dodge bullets.
- Favorite band:
- Pink Floyd—I still notice new elements in every one of their songs despite having heard them countless times.
- Favorite non-computer-related activity:
- Biking takes me into many different worlds, each enjoyable in their own way. Pedaling slowly along a trail, accompanied only by birds, trees, water, and sky puts me directly in touch with nature. Taking lunch along with me on hours-long bike rides with my friends is a great way to spend a day. But most of all, biking is a sport where I compete with myself, pushing the limits of speed and endurance with my shoes clipped into the pedals and my bike an extension of my body, as I literally become one with it.