Email: Valerie.M.Juarez@gmail.com
Education | Honors|Publications | Research Experience | Work Experience | University Service | Invited Talks | Academic Memberships | Volunteer Service | Computer Skills
EDUCATION
B.S. Computer Science, Minor Mathematics
Lamar University, Beaumont, TX GPA: 3.88/4.0
Expected Graduation: December 2011
Honors Program
HONORS AND AWARDS
2011, 2009 Grace Hopper Celebration – Grace Hopper Conference Scholarship
2010 Grace Hopper Celebration – Hopper Volunteer and Community Evangelist
2009 International Symposium on Computer Architecture Conference Travel Grant
Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing – Conference Scholarship
CRA-W/CDC Careers in High Performance Systems (CHiPS) Mentoring Workshop
2008 CRA-W/CDC Computer Architecture Summer School
Phi Kappa Phi’s Emerging Scholars Award
Computer Science Department’s Outstanding Freshman Award
Lamar University Honors Program Certificate of Merit in Academics
Fall 2007- 2009; Spring 2008, 2009 President’s List and Dean’s List
Fall 2007 Mirabeau Scholarship – $60,000, “full” scholarship to Lamar University
POSTERS AND PUBLICATIONS
Kathlyn Doss, Valerie Juarez, Daniel Vincent, “Java Gone Green: Adaptable Teaching Materials for Programming Fundamentals Using Video Game Creation and Greenfoot,” Grace Hopper Celebration, November 2011 – Poster
Kathlyn Doss, Valerie Juarez, Daniel Vincent, Dr. Peggy Doerschuk, Dr. Jane Liu “Work in Progress: A Survey of Popular Game Creation Platforms Used for Computing Education,” 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference, October 2009- Paper
Valerie Juarez, Kasey Doss, and Daniel Vincent “A Literature Review of Computer Science Education Through Video Game Creation,” Association for Computer Educators in Texas Conference, October 2010 – 2nd Place Poster
Daniel Vincent and Valerie Juarez, “INSPIRED Summer Academy Program Encouraging Students to Participate in Computer Science Activities,” Association for Computer Educators in Texas Conference, October 2009 – Poster
Kelli Hall and Valerie Juarez, “INSPIRED Instructional Materials for Engaging High School Students in Computing Using Webpage Design,” Association for Computer Educators in Texas Conference, October, 2009 – 1st place Poster
Iris Garcia and Valerie Juarez, “Instructional Materials for Engaging Middle School Students in Computing Using Animation,” Grace Hopper Celebration, October 2008 – Poster
Valerie Juarez, “Analysis of Memory Performance for Chip Multiprocessors,” Association of Computer Educators in Texas Conference, October 2008 – 1st place Poster
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Collaborative Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU)
Student Researcher, Beaumont, TX Fall 2010 – Summer 2011
- Received grant for proposal “Java Gone Green: Adaptable Teaching Materials for Programming Fundamentals”
- Collaborated with colleagues and developed five lessons to teach introductory programming concepts and created content questionnaires to assess material’s effectiveness
- Piloted materials at a five day high school academy
INSPIRED Program (Increasing Student Participation In Research Development)
Student Research Assistant, Beaumont, TX Fall 2007 – Summer 2011
- Member of Computer Systems Research Team
- Implemented compression technique in M5 simulator using C++
- Assisted in hosting and teaching 7 Middle School Academies (MSA) and 3 High School Academies (HSA) whose goal was to get students interested in Computer Science
- Co-developed animation teaching materials and implemented materials at academies
- Coordinated lab schedules, lectures, and numerous outreach events, including an MSA and HSA
- Tutored students in math and computer science courses
WORK EXPERIENCE
Cisco Choice Intern – Policy Management Business Unit , San Jose, CA Summer 2010
- Collaborated with top developers to improve the efficiency and performance of product
- Learned to use development tools JUnit and JProbe
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Committee to Review University IT Policy – Student Representative Fall 2011
Collaborated with faculty in updating Lamar University’s Information Technology Policy.
Committee to Select Quality Enhancement Plan Director – Student Representative 2009
Assisted in selecting new director for Lamar University’s Quality Enhancement Plan program.
INVITED TALK
“How to Enhance Your Undergraduate Education” – September 23, 2011 at The University of Texas at
Brownsville
ACADEMIC MEMBERSHIPS
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
President (2009 – 2011) Organized Annual Spring Banquet for 2 years, coordinated fundraising activities and social activities; coordinated recycling project
Lamar Ambassadors
Ambassador (2010 – 2011) Student ambassador for Lamar University at university alumni events
Honors Student Association
Mentor (2008-2009) Mentored incoming honors freshmen on courses, campus life, and the honors program.
Alpha Lambda Delta Phi Eta Sigma
Treasurer Supervised transactions of the honor society and helped organize the Induction Ceremony
Student Government Association (SGA)
Representative (2007-2009) Attended meetings and reported information to the ACM; voted on referendums
VOLUNTEER WORK
| Organization | Position | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) | Tax Preparer | Spring 2008 |
| Girl’s Haven Gumbo Fest | Sold tickets at fundraising event | Fall 2009 |
| Honors Student Association | Painted Newman Catholic Student Center | Spring 2009 |
COMPUTER SKILLS
Microsoft Publisher and Access
Java 6 years
C/C++ 3 years
Small Town Tech 
