Basics of Computers

Join today
  • Instructor:  Serguei Vassiliev
  • Level: Beginner
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Helpers: Tannia Chevez
  • Date:  September 20, 2024 | 1:00 - 4:00 pm (Atlantic)
  • Prerequisite: None
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COURSE DESCRIPTION

We all use computers, whether for work, school, or entertainment, but how many of us have had an expert teach us how to use them? Do you struggle to understand why one of your computing devices keeps failing? Maybe you tried searching Google for a solution to the same problem? It doesn't have to be (quite) this way. 


This course doesn't teach you how to troubleshoot everything, but does give you insight into how media, programs and data are encoded and used by computers so you can make more sense of why computers behave the way they do and solve some of your problems with greater efficiency and less frustration. We provide an approachable overview of how a computer works, by both looking at their history and breaking one down to explain individual components, before highlighting some of the tradeoffs to consider when buying a computer. We provide practical, simple, and actionable advice on digital security and show you a few "pro tips" on how to make the most of your workstation, phone, or whatever device you happen to use. 


Whether you have a lot or a little experience using your digital technology, if you want to learn how to use your devices more effectively, this workshop is for you!

SETUP REQUIREMENTS
  • No setup required

Meet your teaching team

Serguei Vassiliev

Instructor

Research Consultant

Serguei joined ACENET in 2019 as a Research Consultant at UNB. His background is in experimental and computational biophysics. After doctoral and postdoctoral studies in biophysics of photosynthesis, Serguei was Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship recipient at the Technical University of Berlin where he studied energy conversion in natural and artificial photosynthetic systems using ultrafast laser spectroscopy. More recently he was working as a research associate at Brock University with Dr. Douglas Bruce, where he was engaged in inter-disciplinary research of photosynthesis, integrating biology, computational chemistry, physics and data science. Working at Brock University, Serguei developed specialized programs for global and target analysis of time-resolved spectroscopic data, and analysis of molecular dynamics trajectories. Serguei’s research interests include molecular modelling, simulations of water and oxygen transport in proteins, and computation of the properties of cofactors in protein complexes.

Tannia Chevez

Host / Helper

Digital Training Specialist
BSc Computational Chemistry, Memorial University

Tannia joined ACENET in 2023 and is based in St. John’s. She has held positions as a research assistant in various departments, with responsibilities ranging from developing algorithms for an online animal sound repository, to crafting chemical composite films. Proficient in Python, Java, and JavaScript, she has focused on spectral data analysis, SEM image-based nanoparticle detection, and software development for data analysis. Tannia contributed significantly to the publication of a research paper by analyzing potential environmental toxicants, generating millions of chemical structure IDs, and conducting data extraction and analysis using Python, R, and JavaScript, as well as enhancing algorithms for simulating potential environmental toxicants’ behavior in water, soil, and air environments. Tannia’s teaching experience includes a Leader Instructor at Brilliant Labs where she taught a range of digital topics, and a Digital Literacy Instructor for the Association for New Canadians.