Hello, and welcome to my blog! This masterpiece will chronicle my experiences as I traverse my capstone project in Computer Science…but before we get to that, let me introduce myself.

My name is Kjirsten, pronounced KEER-sten (English), SHER-sten (Norwegian), or simply KJ. I grew up in a small town (pictured above) on the Oregon coast. You can tell it truly is a small town by the lack of buildings in the photo. And yes, it was taken within city limits. Nowadays, I live in Texas and have worked in sales, project management, and purchasing. Oh, and life has changed a little. I’m currently living in a dry climate (no ocean in sight), a major city (almost 2 million people), and am now completing a degree in… Computer Science?

I suppose to understand the track from small-town nature lover to big city Computer Science geek, we might need to rewind a little. Well, actually, we’ll need to rewind a lot, back to freshman year of college.

After graduating from high school, I initially went to a private University, where Philosophy through the 400-level was a requirement of any major. As an undeclared major myself, I started with Philosophy 101. The first few weeks we were introduced to boolean logic, and not long after, logical fallacies. Then, as a fan of logic and reasoning, it wasn’t long before I fell in love.

Alas, shortly after my newfound love was discovered, the limited professional careers deterred me from a Philosophy major. Being a lover of math and logical systems (and also, oddly, waste to energy plants and energy systems), I hopped over to Mechanical Engineering. The knowledge I’d gained from philosophy on logic and reasoning, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking was packed away for another day.

Years later, I looked to continue my education. Not any less logical in approach, I began to pursue the engineering colleges. This time, my love of philosophy would finally relate to a Computer Science degree. My previous education with boolean logic and reasoning became an integral facet in this decision. This time, however, the nature lover in me would add another degree to the mix: Sustainability.

As of today, that is who I am. A lover of logic and algorithms with a side passion to integrate technology for a more sustainable future.

And so we embark on to the main content of this blog: the capstone. With my Sustainability degree in mind I have ventured in to working with Shapefiles, more broadly, Shapefiles and environmental data. Perhaps after spending too much time in programs like ArcGIS I have developed a strong desire to handle the Shapefiles myself. Or, more accurately, I want to know what is going on behind the scenes.

Of course, if we (my capstone team and I) are going to be working with environmental data, it is pertinent that we get the Shapefiles into a more usable form. That’s where I come in. I will be tackling the job (feel free to be impressed) of converting the Shapefiles into GeoJSON for data analysis (this is where you give an audible ‘wow’).

On a more serious note, I will be using some new libraries this time. While I have worked with converting data to JSON before, it has primarily been in other formats. On top of that, this data will need to be encrypted. This task will be a bit foreign to me, so I will be hitting the books to optimize my approach.

With all of that being said (at length), I am excited to tackle something new, and I am feeling that the finish line of this part of my education is in sight. As I begin this final experience, I am reminded that the next chapter is quickly approaching and that I will likely be a beneficial member of a corporate team one day. I will approach this capstone with that in mind, honing my skills where I am able.

It’s no surprise that technology has been changing, from artificial intelligence to robotics, the past ten years have seen an onslaught of fast-paced advances. In my secondary degree, Sustainability, clean energy is moving forward as many developed countries make initiatives to scale renewable energy and diminish fossil-fueled power. The world is beginning to look different to me.

I find myself opening my AI-powered chatbot in the morning to practice a new language. 안영하세요 오늘 아침은 어때요? Hello, how are you this morning? It responds to my greeting, and we have five minutes of conversation like this while I eat my breakfast. It is not lost on me that I have adapted to this new form of engagement. Likewise, it is also not lost on me that I am not alone in my new habits, and that those habits will shape industries and careers.

It would be a lie to say that this doesn’t cause me some level of trepidation. Technology moves fast and there is a sense that keeping up will be difficult. There is a sense that there may be a world where I cannot hone my skills fast enough, that I will always be one step behind. The perfectionist in me balks at such a thought.

A few days ago, these thoughts plagued me. One night ago, I opened my Language’s lab homework. This week was Prolog, a few weeks ago it was Raku, and meanwhile, in Theory class, we have completely immersed ourselves in Turing machines. The Prolog lab was done quickly, and it was interspersed with a smile — ‘what a fun new puzzle’, I said to myself as I finished my submission. Next, a proof on Undecidability. ‘Ah! There are still limits like this.’

Reflecting back, I think I am quite adaptable. Moreover, I think that my brain might enjoy new challenges. After this revelation, I am not so concerned about my future anymore. I feel that these new obstacles will also make me smile.