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Student got to work with space agency NASA

Computer science student back in Copenhagen after internship with US space agency NASA. Students should try their luck in big companies, he says

A University of Copenhagen (UCPH) computer science student who spent five months at NASA encourages his fellow students to dream big.

Nis Wegmann, a rare breed of functional programmers, is one of the participants of the International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP) that the Department of Computer Science DIKU is hosting this week.

Functional programming is a math-oriented branch of computer science.

Had to do with aircraft

Computer science is not as boring as people think, Nis says.

»If you take initiatives to ask for an internship in world’s leading companies, you may be accepted to work in very exciting projects in computer science,« he says. »It can definitely pay off«.

Nis’ internship at NASA involved developing a ‘domain-specific language in a functional programming context’, according to the press release from DIKU. It helps to improve the safety of aircraft.

Met photographer at the conference

In practice this means that software used in aircraft – after integration with functional programming – can be made more secure and robust. Aircraft’s software errors can be monitored in the air.

Nis did his project at Galois, a US owned company which partners with NASA in various projects, according to the press release the department issued.

Nis, and colleagues, presented their projects at the conference on functional programming today Tuesday. They had just finished presenting their project, when they met the University Post photographer. Fortunately he didn’t have to present personally, as he was »really nervous,« he says.

michael.c.mammo@adm.ku.dk

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