Student Achieves Success
Zheng Yang has a strong thirst for knowledge, and the desire to excel as an IT professional.
Prior to enrolling in our MSCS program, Zheng worked for about 2 years as a Software Engineer in mainland China. At that time he started looking for a graduate program combining academic learning and practical working opportunities. Once he heard about the MS in Computer Science for Computer Professionals at Maharishi University of Management, he applied and began his studies here in February 2010.
While still an MUM student, Zheng Yang has already achieved a number of laudable professional achievements. Following completion of his on-campus courses, Zheng interned at Snibbe Interactive in San Francisco as an Immersive Media Software Engineer. There he got the chance to work with Scott Snibbe, the pioneer of computer vision technology, who came up with the idea of “Gravilux.”
Microsoft Featured App: Gravilux
Gravilux is an interactive musical starfield visualizer: it’s a combination of music, animation, art, and science. As you touch the screen, gravity draws simulated stars to your fingertips. You can tease and twist the particles into galaxies, or explode them like a supernova. Color the stars by their speed, and make them dance. After making a version for IOS, Zheng was instrumental in making a version of Gravilux for Windows 8. Out of 50,000 apps in the Windows Store “Entertainment” category, Microsoft decided to feature Gravilux.
Wrote and Published Book
While working full time at Snibbe, Zheng was also completing distance education courses as part of his MUM MS program. On his own time, he wrote the book, Windows Phone 7 XNA Cookbook. Because there were no specific books about game programming for Windows Phone at the time, he wanted to share what he had learned. After 17 months of writing and editing, the book was published in cookbook style, offering solutions using a recipe-based approach. Each recipe contains detailed instructions followed by analysis of what was done in each step. The book was written for aspiring game programmers who have basic knowledge of C# and object-oriented programming, and want to create games for Windows Phone 7. Reviews have been quite positive.
Goals
Zheng Yang’s goals include making a video game engine that can provide realistic playing experiences, and developing a new art form called “Generative Art,” which creates computer generated music and painting. His MSCS program at MUM has been a big help in allowing Zheng to rethink the best practices for designing the architecture of game engines with efficient algorithms. He has been most stimulated by the Advanced Programming Design, Computer Graphics, and Algorithms courses at MUM.
Zheng especially appreciates the MUM block system of studying one course full-time each month, allowing for dedication and deep appreciation of each discipline. He finds the quiet and peaceful campus atmosphere ideal for calm, focused studying.
To assist other software developers in advancing their careers, Zheng advises people to work hard and keep learning. People should enjoy what they do, practice their skills every day, never give up, challenge themselves, manage time well, maintain discipline, and remain optimistic.
TM Practice
Zheng says that practicing the Transcendental Meditation® technique produces a calm, relaxed mind and enhances self-knowledge in a fast and noisy world, leading to greater patience and productivity.
Current Activities
At the beginning of April this year, Zheng returned to MUM to take two additional courses of great interest: (1) Mobile Device Programming, and (2) Enterprise Architecture. Because mobile programming with Android is one of the main streams in current technology, and because he only has experience on Windows Phone and IOS, Zheng is taking the Mobile programming course to learn Android programming.
