Sid Mahesh

Courses supported: CS-1502

Major: Computer Science & Computational Biology

Academic Level: Junior

Activities and Clubs: I’m a member of the Pitt Computer Science Club (CSC) and the Pitt Hooligans Soccer Club; I also love to play, watch, and chat about football!

Internship, Research and Experiential Learning: I’m currently involved in computational biology research with Dr. Miler Lee.

Post graduation plans: I plan to pursue a PhD in Bioinformatics or Biomedical Informatics

Why did you become a UTA? I have approached UTAs for several classes when I got stuck on homework assignments and cannot overemphasize how much I benefited from reaching out to them! I want to give back by not only helping other students get a better understanding of the course material, but also inspiring them to serve as a UTA in the future!

What is the best advice you would give to a student who may need additional support? Don’t wait to get help! It’s very hard to get a complete grasp of the course material during lecture, so it’s totally okay to feel lost or stuck! There's plenty of resources including UTAs, professors, and other students in your class.

What is the best study tip you have for a student taking the course you UTA for? Start early on homework, so that you have ample time to ask questions if you need help. While the questions you see on assignments are not identical to test questions, they are a great way to gauge your understanding of the course material. So make sure you understand the homework questions inside out, and be sure to look at the homework solutions after they get released, especially for questions that you had a hard time with!

Why should students come to your UTA office hours? In my UTA office hours, students will have the opportunity to clarify their questions and get individual attention and help, which may be hard to obtain during lecture.  

What is your favorite thing about the subject you UTA for? I love that the skills you will learn from this class are broadly applicable, and this class gives you a unique exposure to some fascinating unsolved problems in computer science that you won’t hear about in most other courses!