Alumni Profiles – Mareena Mallory

Name: Mareena Mallory
Degree Plan: Biomedical Computing 2017
Current place of employment: Newcomp Analytics

What have you been up to since graduating?
Since graduating from the Biomedical Computing program at Queen’s, I went on to pursue a Masters Degree in Health Informatics and I now work as a data scientist consultant at Newcomp Analytics. As a data scientist, I build and maintain machine learning models and develop AI-based chatbots for a variety of industries. Most recently, I have been appointed as an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Health where this coming fall I will be teaching Health Informatics concepts. Outside of work and school, in a few short months I will marrying another Queens Computing alum who I have been dating since my second year at Queen’s!

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
Looking back on my time at Queen’s, Orientation Week always holds some of my most favourite memories and moments. From learning the dances to the corn maze and CompSci Cup in the mud, O-Week can be such a positive experience for new students. I feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to participate 3 years in a row as a new student, Tech, and finally as TC. Orientation week is also when I met my partner and soon-to-be husband so I may be slightly biased!

Name: Tom Pedron
Degree Plan: Software Design 2015
Current place of employment: Cover

What have you been up to since graduating?
I spent a few years working in digital marketing as a consultant & developer at Munvo. There I discovered my love for web service development and have since worked as a backend developer at Ample Organics and more recently, Cover. I’ve also been moonlighting as an ice hockey rental goalie in Toronto.

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
Being a part of CompSci frosh week through years 1-3 is a highlight I will always cherish. I also miss the late nights working on projects with my friends.

Name: Christina Chan
Degree Plan: Software Design 2016
Current place of employment: Wealthsimple

What have you been up to since graduating?
Since graduating I have been working at Wealthsimple as a software developer. Over my time at Wealthsimple, the company has grown from just over 60 employees to nearly 250 and the engineering department has tripled in size. Due to this growth, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to almost every aspect of the product. I also run the Women of Wealthsimple Engineering resource group and I am currently a mentor for Queen’s Women in Computing (QWIC).

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
I loved being involved with Orientation Week – from being a Frosh in first year, a Tech in my second year, and finally on Tech Committee in my third year!

Also being involved with COMPSA throughout my undergrad was a great experience. I got to learn a lot about the School of Computing and get to know the faculty a lot more!

Name: Amos Olagunju
Degree Plan: M. Sc. Computer and Information Sciences 1980
Current place of employment: St Cloud State University

What have you been up to since graduating?
I am presently a tenured professor in the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) in Minnesota. I previously served as the interim dean of undergraduate studies for two years at SCSU. Prior to that position, I served as the dean of the School of Graduate Studies and chief research officer at Winston Salem State University in North Carolina. I served as the chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department, and later the Computing and Information Sciences Department, at Delaware State University (Dover, DE). Before that, I taught in the Asian Division at the University of Maryland University College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Michigan State University.

A faculty fellow and later a senior faculty fellow selected jointly by the American Society of Engineering Education and the Navy, I developed manpower mobilization and data-mining algorithms for monitoring the retention behaviors of personnel. As a member of the technical staff at Bell Communications Research (now Telcordia), I developed an architecture for a generalized C transaction environment, quantitative models for system workload projection and characterization, software metrics, and managerial decision support systems.

I have served as a Fulbright Computer Science Specialist Scholar in Uganda, and as an African Diaspora Information Technology Scholar in Nigeria. I have been an active member of ACM since 1980. I have been a reviewer for Computing Reviews since 2005, and have written over 170 reviews.

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
I will never forget the opportunities that Queen’s and the CIS Department provided for me. Queen’s and the CIS Department provided funds for me to pay my tuition, to live and learn. I had only 770 Canadian dollars when I arrived at Queen’s in 1978. We were treated like royal kings and queens at the Graduate Residence on campus. I still have my Queen’s field hockey jersey that I was given in 1978 when I played field hockey at Queen’s University. I will never forget all my exposures to theoretical aspects of computing, denotational semantics and probability theory by faculty members in the CIS and Math Departments at Queen’s. I will never forget riding bus free in Kingston and takin free ferry to Wolfe Island with Queen’s identification card. I remember the family friend that first hosted me when I arrived at Queen’s –I went hiking with the family for the first time in my life. I still have the pictures from Queen’s when I dressed like an astronaut even before the real cold started in 1978. It was at Queen’s that I saw the first snow!

A tradition in our School founded by the class of 1985. Each year on the final day of classes Computing students, faculty, and staff gather for a group photo on the steps of Goodwin Hall.

Who do you recognize?

CLASS OF 1985

CLASS OF 1986

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CLASS OF 1997

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Name: Richard Linley
Degree Plan: Computing Science 1992
Current place of employment: School of Computing, Queen’s University

What have you been up to since graduating?
This ‘n’ that. Mostly that.

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
There was the time I caught Irene trying to move her mouse pointer by holding the mouse up to the screen…

Name: Catherine Aylward
Degree Plan: Cognitive Science 2015
Current place of employment: Fullscript

What have you been up to since graduating?
I completed a Graduate Certificate from Algonquin College in front-end development and design, became an Ontario East Ambassador for Michael Landsberg’s mental health initiative #SickNotWeak, travelled to a variety of countries, and have embraced my passion for holistic health.

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
The small, but mighty team that is Queen’s Computing will always stand out to me!

Last weekend marked the beginning of our 50th year in the School of Computing. The festivities welcomed back our alumni, our previous department heads, and our retired faculty and staff. Together with many of our current faculty, staff, and students, we acknowledged and celebrated this community for how it has shaped the School into what we are today. Over 100 attendees from ages as young as 2 months, Countries as far as Australia and Kuwait, and alumni since 1978, joined the celebration.

Read the full story on the Queen’s School of Computing News blog:

A Weekend to Remember – Celebrating 50 Years

Name: Anastasiya Tarnouskaya
Degree Plan: Biomedical Computing 2017
Current place of employment: Microsoft

What have you been up to since graduating?
I’ve been working as a Product Manager at Microsoft in the operating system security space. As part of my role, I work on the company’s Passwordless mission – moving our users away from insecure, frustrating passwords, and onto modern, more secure technologies like Windows Hello.

In my spare time I love hitting the ski slopes in the Seattle and BC area, staying up to date with the latest innovations in health technology and genomics, and coaching students on career and industry related topics.

Do you have any stand out memories or stories from your time at Queen’s?
Too many to count! 🙂 I loved that we had (and still have) such a tight knit community – great for making friends, and for getting to know our profs! Other highlights include frosh week (which is just as fun as a leader as the first time around! 🙂 ), research projects (definitely check out the Duan and Perk labs!), and conferences like QSS and CUCOH.