Professor Polack
Professor Polack, a distinguished computer science professor at the University of Mary Washington, possesses a deep curiosity for global exploration. Driven by a desire to broaden her understanding of different cultures and technological landscapes, she aspires to study abroad in countries across the world. Professor Polack's ambition to study abroad exemplifies her commitment to enriching both his own academic perspectives and the field of computer science as a whole.
View UMW Trip 2024
Iceland, where we spent weeks exploring the stunning landscapes of this Nordic island. One of the highlights of the trip was driving around the famous ring road, a 1,332-kilometer highway that circles the entire country. Along the way, we marveled at cascading waterfalls, rugged coastlines, and towering glaciers. We had the chance to immerse yourself in Icelandic culture, sampling traditional cuisine and learning about the country's history and geology. This unforgettable journey through Iceland's dramatic beauty left a lasting impression all of us.
View UMW Trip 2023
After leading a study abroad trip to Brazil and Argentina, where the students explored the wonders of the Amazon Rainforest, embarked on a captivating river cruise along the Amazon, and marveled at the breathtaking Iguazu Falls from both sides of the border, Professor Polack decided to create a photo book. With meticulous attention to detail, he curated a collection of photographs capturing the vibrant landscapes, fascinating wildlife, and joyous moments of the trip. I aimed to provide a visual narrative that would forever remind the students of their remarkable journey.

Visual blog Summary

I had no clue what to do when completing this assignment. I felt overwhelmed and frustrated. Eventually, I figured out what to do and tackled the assignment. Taking pictures wasn’t the hardest part of the assignment. In fact, it was editing and altering the pictures that was a pain. Some of the photo editing software wasn’t accessible to a screen reader. So I had to constantly problem solve and find different ways to get the final product I wanted. Experiencing these challenges made me even more frustrated of the inaccessible technology and further excluding people with disabilities. On the other hand, I did learn a lot on how to take better pictures. Before this class I would just point and take a picture. Now i take the time to take the picture and incorporate different techniques. When it comes to the visual storytelling aspect of the assignment, it was fun but also draining. Creating the stories itself was mentally draining and figuring out what other images and such to the story was also mentally taxing. Or maybe I’m just overthinking stuff as usual. Did I enjoy doing this assignment? To be honest no. I did, however, learned how to view the world in pictures that can be drastically manipulated and show you something totally different. Also, I know now how to photoshop.