|
I'm Aleksander Stompel, or simply Alex as people
call me. I finished my Masters's degree in the
Computer Science Department
at University of California, Davis.
Almost all my work was related to 3D Graphics, as I simply
love it, and thus my research with
CIPIC - Visualization
and Graphics Research Group My interests focus primarily on scientific
visualization, interactive computer graphics, parallel rendering, non-photorealistic
rendering (NPR), and anything related to global illumination (Monte Carlo
Ray-Tracing, Radiosity, Photon Mapping). More information about my research
work and recent publications can be found in the related sections.
|
|
|
I received my B.S. in Computer Science Engineering at the UC
Davis. Davis is a small town of an approximate population of fifty thousand people.
It situates comfortably in Northern California, between San Francisco and Sacramento.
There I met numerous friends, took an amazing number of classes, and also worked at different
positions. While juggling with classes of wide range of difficulty, I worked as Resident Advisor (RA)
in Malcolm Hall and a Reader for upper division algorithms class (ECS 122A) during my sophomore year,
and an intern at Microsoft (DirectX - D3D group) the following summer.
In my junior year, I began my research work with Professor Kwan-Liu Ma
who is also my current advisor for my Master's degree. In addition to these valuable work experiences,
I'm also a member of IEEE, ACM, and ACM SIGGRAPH.
|
|
|
GAMES
Computer Games have always been an important part of
my life. I not only enjoy playing them, but also truly believe that
they provided me with more than mere entertainment. It might be hard for people
to believe that playing games also offers an opportunity to learn.
Here is a short list of the games I spent most of my time with:
Blade Runner
|
Bridge
|
Chess
|
Civilization (I & III)
|
Command & Conquer (many versions)
|
Diablo (ALL !)
|
Dune (ALL)
|
Sanitarium
|
Settlers (ALL)
|
Warcraft (ALL !)
|
Warlords (I & III)
|
Unreal
|
|
|
|
MUSIC
We all enjoy music, and here is a short list of my favorite groups and singers:
Pink Floyd
|
Sisters of Mercy
|
Apollo 440
|
U 96
|
Dune
|
JM Jarre
|
Tangerine Dream
|
Vangelis
|
Yanni
|
Chicane
|
Dire Straits
|
Enigma
|
Marillion
|
Prodigy
|
Future Sound of London
|
Genesis
|
Faithless
|
Dido
|
Queen
|
U2
|
|
|
|
Below are my favorite DJs:
Armin van Buuren
|
ATB
|
Ayla
|
BT
|
Darude
|
DJ Sakin
|
DJ Tiesto
|
Ferry Corsten
|
Paul Oakenfold
|
Paul van Dyk
|
Robert Miles
|
Sasha
|
|
|
|
BOOKS
My favorite book authors:
Philip K. Dick
|
Isaac Asimov
|
Roger Zelazny
|
Stanislaw Lem
|
Agate Christie
|
JRR Tolkien
|
Michael Crichton
|
Lewis Carroll
|
|
|
|
MOVIES
Few of my favorite movies:
Total Recall
|
Blade Runner
|
Space Odyssey (ALL)
|
Matrix
|
Chinese Box
|
Princess Mononoke
|
Spirited Away
|
Deep Blue
|
Lord of the Rings (ALL released)
|
Pulp Fiction
|
Shreek
|
Final Fantasy
|
Star Wars (ALL released)
|
Shawshank Redemption
|
Usual Suspects
|
Leon
|
|
|
|
SPORTS
Due to the nature of my work, little free time is left for me. But when
I do have the time-off, I love playing the latest computer games, hanging out with friends,
and mostly being outdoors. As far as outdoor recreations, I enjoy swimming the best,
because swimming in large lakes gives me the thrill of challenge, and taking on challenge
is what I do the best. In addition to swimming, running is another favorite of mine.
I often recall memory of track and field in high school where I participated
in running the 100m and 200m. Even though my high school days are behind me,
I believe that I am still pretty good at track. Biking, hiking, and rock climbing are also fun
activities for me when the weather is nice. However, I am not a big fan of indoor sports, maybe
because I already spend so much time inside.
|
|
|
ANIME
I am a big fan of Japanese Animation or Anime.
My favorite movies are certainly by Hayao Miyazaki who created Spirited Away, Princess
Mononoke, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa. Ghost in the Shell and Metropolis are also
among some of the best movies that I have ever seen. From the series, Ruronin Kenshin,
Lain, Hellsing, and Berserk are definitely on the top of my list.
|
|
|
PICTURES
(Please click on a image to bring a new window)
|
|
|
|
China
Summer 2002
|
San Francisco
|
Napa Valley
|
San Antonio
(SIGGRAPH 2002)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
China
Pacific Graphics 2002
|
Spain (2002)
|
Redmond (Microsoft)
|
Micromouse Project
|
|
|
|
