Alex Young

I was born and raised in Laguna Beach, CA and am currently located in Los Angeles, CA. I love hanging out at the beach, whether I'm snorkeling, skimboarding, or just lounging! I also enjoy running long distances and wheel-throwing pottery. I am studying computer science at USC, and I am particularly interested in web development. The internet is such a vast place and it's exciting to think that a site I worked on will reach such a broad audience. I like doing front-end design because I feel like usability and presentation of a product are fundamental to the impact it creates. Additionally, I also like doing back-end development because I value having an idea of the whole picture and because it's very interesting to see where the front and back ends of a website meet. Anyways, keep exploring my site, and if you want to reach me, then my contact information is listed at the bottom of the page.

6 Random Facts About Me

My video game of choice is Mario Kart N64.
When I retire I want to travel for the rest of my life.
In another life I would study chemistry.
I don't drink soda, coffee, or energy drinks.
While I'm running I don't like to listen to music.
I have a beagle named Bandit because he steals food.

Where I've been

NEW YORK
Central Park, New York City
MEXICO
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California
WASHINGTON D.C.
Jefferson Memorial
HAWAII
Sunset Beach, Oahu
ITALY
Lake Como, Lombardy
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Metro, Boston
FRANCE
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
WASHINGTON
Space Needle, Seattle

Where I want to go

JAPAN
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto
AUSTRALIA
Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
CHINA
Great Wall of China
SPAIN
Plaza de España, Seville
SINGAPORE
Downtown Core, Singapore
BRAZIL
Cristo Redentor, Rio De Janeiro
GREECE
Fira, Santorini
COSTA RICA
Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste

Factory Simulation using Agents in Java

The goal of the project was to simulate a factory where kits of parts are produced. The user can make new parts and kits with different parts. There was a front-end team that worked on the Java GUI and animation, and a back-end team, which I was a part of, that worked on the agents that backed the animation. Agents were multi-threaded and used a pseudo-messaging system to communicate, and a scheduler and actions to operate. Code was organized using version control via GitGub.

Skills: Version control, Back-End Design with Agents, Agent Messaging, and Multi-threading
Height Field Mesh using OpenGL

A grayscale 256x256 JPEG file is read into the program. Black is interpreted as the minimum height and white is interpreted as the maximum height. Each pixel is represented by vertex in object space, whose X and Y values correspond to the X and Y values in the file and a Z value is assigned based on the pixel's grayscale intensity. The vertices are then plotted in OpenGL points, triangles, and polygons.

Skills: Rotation, Scaling, Transformation and Primitives in OpenGL
Website using JQuery, PHP, and MySQL

This website gave an in-depth introduction to the front-end design and back-end development of a website. To non-logged in users, my site provides a lot a static content. Once users login, however, they can view other members of the login system, edit personal information, upload and download documents (that are dynamically refreshed), and add and view events on a central event calendar.

Skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, PHP, MySQL
Raytracer using OpenGL

Data points were read into the program and the coordinates were stored in 3D space. First, the intersection rays from the camera position to the object were calculated. Then, illumination rays were casted onto the object. Finally shadows were computed by determining if the object blocked the light source's with each point.

Skills: Sphere intersections, Phong shading and shadows rays
Side-scroller Game using OOP in Java

This game was implemented by creating a 2D array (X-Y coordinate grid) of objects. A timer periodically incremented the beginning and ending X values of the array, as if the array was a frame scrolling right. At each increment interval, the array of objects was checked, and any objects whose coordinates were within the array grid were printed. Each object had a reference to the array and checked it's neighbors at each increment interval to determine if there was an intersection of objects.

Skills: Polymorphism, Inheritance, Intersection of Objects
Restaurant Simulation using Agents in Java

This project was a simpler version of the factory simulation. There is one host and cook, four seats to dine, 8 seats to wait, and an unlimited amount of customers. The host seats customers or tells them to wait. The cook takes orders, cooks food, and collects money. This simulation had less agents, than the factory simulation and the agents were implemented using a finite state machine. Each agent operated by check it's queue of events to trigger a new state.

Skills: Java GUI Elements, Front-End Design with Avatars

Laguna Beach High School
Laguna Beach, CA
Summa Cum Laude
Completed: 2010

University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
B.S. Computer Science
In Progress: 2014

Experience	Cahoots Connect LLC January 2013 - Present Web Development Intern I began working on this project, a social and professional networking site, which is two years into development and contains several thousand lines of code. So far I have worked on redesigning some of the major interfaces users will interact with on a daily basis. The site is very database and jQuery heavy and I have been refactoring the front-end code while preserving and learning the existing PHP, AJAX, and SQL protocols. The website is currently not available online. Handsome Holdings Inc. January 2013 - Present Brand Developer, Web Designer A group of USC alumni approached me about designing websites for their passive-income businesses. So far, I have identified our target audience and developed a brand for their business that would provide premium and personal travel services. I am currently working on applying these results to creating a website that will reflect the emotions and experiences we want our customer to enjoy while travelling. The most challenging aspect of this project has been aligning the look and feel of a website with our brand identity.
Relevant Coursework	Data Structures Covered advanced C++, C++ STL, search and sorting algorithm design Objected-Oriented Programming Created a full application with Java GUIs, agents, and multithreading	Software Development Worked on a ten-week project with front and back end teams on GitHub Programming on the Web Developed a full website with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL
Skills	Applications: GitHub, NetBeans 7, Xcode 4, MS Office, Xilinx 13 Design: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator CS6 Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, PHP, SQL, C++, Java Platforms: Windows XP, Vista, 7; Mac OS X 10.5+; Unix
Interests	I enjoy skimboarding, bodyboarding, and bodysurfing. I also like to run long distances, cook, throw ceramics pottery, and read non-fiction novels. Finally, I always enjoy a good game of pool or Super Smash Bros. on N64.
Reference	Steven Taylor or Antonio Torres Manager, Gina's Pizza and Pastaria +1.949.494.4342	Sandra Ament or Ross Scimeca Librarian, USC Philosophy Library +1.213.740.7434

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