Chris Bauer
BS in Computer Science, Minors in Business, Chemistry & Math
“Brockport is big enough to have opportunities but small enough for you to make a difference.”
Chris Bauer, a naturally well-rounded student from Homer, NY, has spent his years at The College of Brockport as fully as possible. Being a part of Brockport Student Government as the webmaster for three years, the Honors Program as a peer mentor for three years, and intramurals as the defending champion of kickball isn’t enough for him. Chris has played in the Saxophone Ensemble for three years and is now a resident assistant in Benedict Hall for the Freshman Class of 2015. Chris is the best type of person to be responsible for our freshmen, always available to talk or hang out, but wise enough at his age to help with any sort of problem.
Anyone might repeat the usual story of why Chris chose to pursue Computer Science. And they would be right. Chris says he has been fixing computers since he was in second grade and it’s obvious that he knows his way around technology. He can take breath-taking photographs on his digital SLR camera, he can build websites for BSG and the SUNY Youth Sports Institute. He can create software for Parking and Transportation’s Fast TRAX Bike Borrowing Program and can even create apps for the Android operating system. In fact, he’s done it more than once.
During the summer of 2011, Chris went to Fribourg, Switzerland to intern with Dartfish SA, a video enrichment application developer. During his time in Europe, he not only created an application for Dartfish, but he was also able to travel to various areas in Switzerland and around Europe. The previous summer, Chris interned with Explore Rochester IT and worked in Information Technology at Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, and RG&E. Even his Honors senior thesis has him creating a hard product for his potential employers. Named, the “Human Power Project”, Chris is creating a system to track electricity generated in exercise facilities, which will allow students to make teams and compete with each other.
Chris’s determination hasn’t been the only factor in his road to success. “Brockport has been the backdrop for my personal growth and discovery, giving me all the tools I need to build who I am,” he says. Also, some of his professors have been able to help him concentrate on building his future. Sandeep Mitra, PhD, and Vishal Anand, PhD, have helped him with internships and advisement, respectively. Anand, a professor of Computer Science has been Chris’s mentor, thesis director, and friend. He has been able to turn to him for advice on just about anything from schooling, to life in general. Chris says that the professors are one of the specialties about Brockport because “they fight for their students,” they are committed to teaching, and they care about their students.
Chris has been able to surround himself with great people and great opportunities by choosing Brockport. Why did he choose Brockport over other schools? “Brockport recognized my potential and was willing to help me achieve it.” Chris would like to use the skills learned here to leave the world a better place than it was when he came into it.
Chris wants to get a job within his industry and then attend graduate school to achieve a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. He is interested in Biotechnology, specifically integrating computer chips into humans.
Twenty years from now: “I’ll be using the skills I learned in the classroom every day but when I think back to my time at Brockport, I’ll remember the good times with great friends and how, though we never noticed at the time, we grew into the people we are today.”
Posted: August 24, 2022