Throwback Thursday: Chang Sun (class of 2017)

1. Which place marks for you DACS at UM and why?

The common room in the previous DACS building (Bouillonstraat 8-10) holds fond memories, as does Shamrock Bar! ?? With my classmates at that time, we not only studied together and collaborated on group projects in the common room but also prepared for exams side by side. Shamrock Bar became our go-to spot after exams, on Thursday evenings, and during weekends, creating lasting memories of camaraderie and shared experiences.

2. With which professor/teacher from then would you like to drink a coffee with now and why?

I can still enjoy a coffee with them anytime now (since I work at DACS now ??). I appreciate many of the professors who taught courses and the administrative staff who supported me during my studies. I remember the first course of my master's program, Autonomous System, taught by Rico M?ckel . Being new to the Netherlands and unfamiliar with the education system at that time, it was challenging for me to adjust to life in Maastricht and keep up with the courses. When I reached out to Rico for help, he was incredibly nice and supportive, which encouraged me to face and overcome the challenges at that moment. The same goes for Ellen Narinx-Schrauwen , who assisted me in crafting my CV and finding a thesis internship at CBS (something I still greatly appreciate)."

3. Which class did you love/hate and why?

I enjoyed the Advanced Machine Learning course, taught by Kurt Driessens , and the Data Mining course, taught by Evgueni Smirnov , due to the interesting methods and content we covered. I also really enjoyed Multi-agent system (lectured by Gerhard Weiss ) and Intelligent search and games (lectured by Mark Winands ) because of the games and the systems we designed. Notably, we even had internal competitions where our AI players competed against those created by others.

4. With the benefit of hindsight: what would you advice yourself if you were to start the study now?

Be confident! In my first year, I had doubts about whether I could finish my studies and if I was proficient in what I was studying. The reality is, yes, I can. I will continue to study hard but also maintain confidence in myself

5. For which tasks/opportunities/challenges can other alumni contact you?Anything! ?? If they want to have research collaborations, or students supervisions, or just wonder what a researcher’s life looks like at DACS, I am very happy to connect with other alumni.