Grad urges students to explore

Timothy Mankowski (Nick Pearce Photo)

Timothy Mankowski’s studies have taken him as far away as Warsaw, Poland and Dijon, France. In fact, this Renaissance man has studied in three different faculties and at a total of five universities over his academic career.

Prior to choosing computer science, Mr. Mankowski followed in his sister’s footsteps and completed a concentration in French, which included exchanges in Laval and Dijon. It was during his exchange in France that he learned “one may never reach perfection — but that shouldn’t stand in the way of obtaining excellence.”

Originally planning on studying mathematics, he was drawn to the computer science field by Norm Scrimger, who spoke passionately about the program. It was also Dr. Scrimger who encouraged him to study abroad through a computer science exchange program in Warsaw. This exchange gave him the opportunity to reconnect with his heritage and experience a different approach to learning, one focused on developing individual problem-solving skills.

He credits his lifelong music career for teaching him about the importance of “accuracy, memorization, image and performance” as life skills. Music professor Lynn Stodola encouraged him to explore the reasons why something works rather than the reasons it doesn’t. This provided him with wisdom he applies to all areas of his life, a vital approach that enables him to discover things he wouldn’t otherwise find. He encourages others to take Professor Stodola’s advice and offers a little of his own, “explore different programs — the more you discover, the more you learn about yourself.”

Mr. Mankowski is interested in how technology can advance the medical field and is in-vestigating medical informatics programs — building on his strong foundations in computer science.