Be yourself without fear of judgment
David Baumgold '10
Majors: Computer Science and PsychologyBethesda, Md.
For David Baumgold, Brandeis made an impression from the moment he visited. “I was approached at least twice by friendly students asking if I needed any help finding where I wanted to go. That didn't happen to me even once at any other school I visited. The students all seemed friendly, passionate and intelligent — in short, the people I wanted to be with for the next four years.”
A self-described nerd, Baumgold sings in two a cappella groups, plays Dungeons and Dragons, works for the computer science department, and builds and designs websites.
He credits Brandeis with giving him a better understanding of how people work (including himself) and an awareness of social justice while providing a friendly, accepting environment where he can express himself without fear of judgment. He plans to pursue a career in web development and interface design.
Research opportunities spawn self-reliance
Svati Goyal ’11
Majors: Physics and MathNew Delhi
A participant in Brandeis’ Wien Scholarship program for international students, Svati Goyal views being far from home in a positive light, cherishing the opportunity to make friends from different backgrounds.
She has always loved the sciences and relishes the chance to work as a research assistant. Since freshman year she has tested and designed various components of a dark matter detector in a joint project linking BU, MIT and Brandeis.
“I am interested in becoming a physicist, so it’s important to get hands-on experience. I design my experiment and carry it out independently, do my own data analysis and have a lot of freedom making my own decisions, which is fantastic,” she explains.
“I have gained independence, self-reliance and confidence. I now know how to search for opportunities that fit my interests, and if I don’t find them at first sight, I know how to create them.”
Be proud of what you create
Yale Spector ’11
Major: MathematicsMillburn, N.J.
The approachable faculty and outstanding mathematics department attracted him to Brandeis, says Yale Spector. But once here, he discovered that the Brandeis influence extends beyond academics.“I have become more socially and environmentally responsible, almost unconsciously. I have become much more politically astute, and philosophically inquisitive,” says Spector.
When he is not acting in plays and musicals, playing chess, pool, table tennis or Rock Band, or tutoring students, Spector designs and develops Web sites. One huge project was for Live Campus, a student-led initiative to further the goal of ending extreme global poverty. An indelible moment came when after months of hard work, Spector completed its web site and was ready to go live.
“The Live Campus planning committee of maybe 30 students was meeting in the Shapiro Campus Center that day, and when I entered, the whole room started applauding. I will never forget that moment. The best feeling in the world comes from creating something that you are proud of.”
Fusing computers and music
Peter Swire ’10
Majors: Computer Science and MusicStoughton, Mass.
When Peter Swire came to visit Brandeis, he had every reason not to like it: “I had the flu, it was sleeting, I got lost on the way here. When I got here though, something just felt right,” he says. Relying on instinct served him well. “You have the greatest professors in the world. They’ve supported me through everything I’ve wanted to do,” Swire says.Delving into both music and computer science, he is researching algorithmic music composition, and won an Undergraduate Research Program grant to fund making an experimental instrument. The instrument is a set of electrically driven sympathetic strings that vibrate without being touched. He got this idea from studying instruments that have fallen out of use in western music since the 1700s.
Deeply interested in artificial intelligence research, he hopes to make it the focus of his career. Says Swire, “Brandeis is the sum of innumerable tiny experiences that have had a major impact on me.”