Walter Svenddal

About Me
Career
Projects
Resources

Microsoft

Software Intern, May 2019 - August 2019

This summer, I will be interning at Microsoft! More to come.


Iowa State University

Teacher's Assistant, August 2016 - Present

At ISU, I worked as a TA for two introductory Java courses.

COM S 228: Introduction to Data Structures:

  • Led supplimentary recitation sections covering topics like interfaces, abstract classes, polymorphism, generics, type erasure, exception handling, advanced JUnit testing, big-O runtimes, search algorithms, sorting algorithms, linked lists, binary trees, heaps, graphs, stacks, and queues
  • Substituted for professor during lecture when he was unavailable
COM S 227: Introduction to Object Oriented Programming:
  • Covered topics including control flow, string/arrays, lists, recursion, text parsing, file IO, polymorphism, exception handling, unit testing and debugging.
  • Led lab sections to assist
And for both classes, I also had additional responsibilities:
  • Held office hours
  • Graded programming homeworks, provided helpful feedback on formatting and logical errors
  • Proctored and graded exams


Garmin International

Software Intern, May 2018 - July 2018

During the summer of 2018, I worked in Kansas City, Kansas with Garmin's avionics division. My accomplishments included:

  • Improving my team's workflow by writing Python scripts to compare in-house aviation take-off and landing calculations against airplane manufacturer calculations
  • Developing other scripts to automate sequence of git actions, VS builds, and simulator setups which are common to the team's development process
  • Presenting technical information on work achieved to team, and helping them integrate the new scripts with their workflow
My main takeaway from my time spent at Garmin International were the skills of requirement gathering and customer communication. In my case, my customers were my fellow co-workers, and I spent a lot of time trying to envision a tool to improve their productivity which would cover as many use cases as possible without being overly complex. I also learned quite a bit of Python along the way.


Clearwater Analytics

Development Intern, May 2017 - July 2017

In the summer of 2017, I worked in Boise, Idaho with Clearwater Anayltics. Over the course of the summer, I worked with a small team to focus on reducing calculation times of their market analytics by switching their code from Java to C++. My accomplishments included:

  • Reducing calculation times by an average of 85%
  • Designing an architecture of support libraries for future job process development and job-server commmunication
  • Conducting research into viable C++ libraries for future company-wide use, since this was the first time the company had worked with the language
  • Maintaining a steady development cycle in our small Agile team using sprint planning techniques
My main takeaway from my time spend at Clearwater Analytics was learning how to create a useful program architecture that could be used by future co-workers, team communication, and general C++ knowledge. Creating code which prevents people from wanting to throw it away on sight means making sure everything is consistently formatted and documented, and that the interfaces through which others will interact with the library are sensible. We also maintained good communication by using tools like Jira to keep track of our tasks, and having regular formal and informal meetings to talk about progress and decision-making. Finally, I got a real taste for C++ when I had to give myself a crash course and learn the language in 2 weeks before I could be useful to my team.