Free brothers and support computer science heritage at UAB-News

Author: Eric Lamar Burts
Media contacts: Yvonne Taunton

Brothers Jeffrey, Stephen, Eric, and Jonathan share how computer science has influenced their crossed paths and careers. The dawn of the digital era has surprised millions of people trying to understand advanced computer technology. From the first desktop computers developed to self-driving cars, innovative technologies continue to inspire.

For a family, this technology is an unexpected legacy University of Alabama at Birmingham.. Jeffrey, Eric, Stephen and Jonathan Frees are all graduated siblings. College of Liberal Arts‘ Department of Computer Science I work with programs in the field of computer science.

“As far as I can remember, I was interested in computers,” said Jeffrey Freeze. “From an early age, I was fascinated by trying to understand everything I could do with the ancient text-based interface of my family’s computer. In computer science, the explosive growth of the Internet and technology throughout high school. Career seemed like a natural choice. “

Jeffrey Frees works as a senior consultant at the oldest of the four, a global information technology consulting firm. He graduated from UAB in Computer Science with a bachelor’s degree in 2008 and a master’s degree in 2010. During his time at UAB, he chaired the UAB Student Branch of the Association for Computing Machinery. He also competed with his brother Eric on the UAB’s competitive programming team before becoming a coach.

Jeffrey Freeze says his great experience in the department gave his brother the confidence to study computer science.

Eric Frees is a software engineer at a construction software company. After coming into contact with the programming language Java, he became more interested in computer science in high school and enrolled in UAB. High school programming contest After that, you will get a CS degree.

“There are many opportunities for anyone who can develop software,” says Eric Frees. “For example, 10 or 15 years ago, not all of us had smartphones in our pockets. Now it’s a big area where development takes place and new ideas begin. Of course, how the concept applies. The details of what will be done will continue to change, but there is always a demand for new technologies. “

For Stephen Frees, a computer scientist at an avionics analytics company, his interest in graphic design led him to learn programming.

“In the process, we learned how to use scripts to automate sequences,” says Stephen Frees. “It stimulated my interest in what you can do with programming.”

Following in the footsteps of his brothers, Stephen Freeze joined UAB’s School of Computer Science.

“It was fascinating to me, and that was when I really knew what I wanted to pursue professionally,” he said.

Jonathan Freeze, Freeze’s youngest brother and system programmer at the Computer Forensics Institute, says his path to computer science was different. Many thought he chose computer science for his brother, but first Jonathan sought another option. He decided to join a computer science program after realizing that other majors were not interested in him.

“After taking the intro CS class, things started to click and I fell in love with it,” said Jonathan Frees. “Solving problems that many didn’t solve was very fulfilling. The way things are done in computer science has an elegant beauty. Even if you do a lot of the same things, There’s always something new to come back to and learn. You never get stuck in it, and I’m lucky to find something I’m enjoying. ”

The Frees brothers advise everyone interested in computer science to find areas of interest and have hands-on experiences to enhance their experience. Take every opportunity to learn a new programming language or build a professional relationship.

For more information on UAB’s Computer Science Program, please email us. [email protected] Alternatively, visit the websites of the following departments: uab.edu/cas/computerscience Please fill out the form Contact Us page.