Geek of the Week: Mykala Miller

Geek of the Week: Mykala Miller (Senior, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering)

Despite its relatively small size, the diverse population at Mines means there are plenty of people here who manage to defy geek conventions. However, there are still some students, like senior Mykala Miller, who appreciate what it means to be an old school nerd and to take on academic challenges like a double major, or spend more time reading alone than hanging out with other people. This week, Miller takes the time to remind Mines that the quiet geeks are still just as awesome as the ones who go sprinting across Kafadar, yelling at the top of their lungs and carrying Nerf guns or dodging slacklines.

[Oredigger]: So why Electrical Engineering and Computer Science?
[Miller]: My dad is an E.E. and my mom is a C.S. so that was what I was familiar with.

What’s been your favorite class and why?
Elements of Computer Systems [because] that was the closest thing to what I wanted to focus on.

Do you have a least favorite class?
Thermo because it’s Thermo.

Are you a geek and why?
I don’t even know what the definition of a “geek” is. I like cats?

What do you do with whatever free time you can scrounge up?
On the occasional time I’m presented with free time, although I don’t really know what that is, I improve my library. I’ve got lots of books.

If you could hang out with any fictional character for a day, who would it be?
There’s this author named Brandon Sanderson and there’s this gal [from one of his books] and her name is Jasnah and she’s awesome.

What’s your favorite thing about Mines?
The people, or lack thereof. That’s why I didn’t go to CSU.

What is your greatest accomplishment?
I digitized my family’s movie collection and let me tell you, that Spring Break was awful. Awful. I think it ended up being 300 GB.

How would you handle an encounter with an army of kittens on catnip?
I would get a string and would attach it to a stick. I would attach that stick to a motor and I would throw it far away from me. Or, maybe a live mouse would be better than a string then I could just let the mouse go.
Which would you rather have had: free textbooks or free rent for all of college?
Textbooks because I live at home.

If you could be dropped into any fictional universe, what would it be and why?
Brandon Sanderson’s main universe. I can’t figure out the rules, so that might be fun. Apparently, there are rules. I just can’t figure them out.

What is your best nerd moment or story?
You would have to come and visit my family as we eat dinner because all we do is debate the natural laws of science. Or maybe back when I had long hair and I forgot to comb it before I went to school.

Do you have any plans for the future?
Get a job.

Do you have any advice for fellow geeks and Mines students?
Don’t take Thermo. Just don’t do it. Or maybe just don’t go into Chemistry.