To the end zone… and beyond

Rosa Lee Harkrader/ The Captain's Log

Athletic and intellectual only begins to describe the dynamic character of Senior Computer Science Undergraduate Malcolm Jones. A purveyor of the mind and soul, Jones has always been a seeker of physical and mental excellence and self-actualization. His career at CNU has helped to foster this portion of his identity.

The New Kent native discovered his passion for football at the early age of eight. Alongside high school friend Al Hammil, the two began their athletic development with the New Kent Falcons. Now, these athletes have grown and showcased their talents as Captains.

Emerging from high school, Jones found himself at a crossroads in life. Infused with a zeal for computers as well as football, he found himself in a world of uncertainty but also immense possibility. In search of a university, Malcolm considered schools that were close to home and had a community culture, but in the end, the attendance of fellow high school teammates such as Hammil proved to be the deciding factor for Christopher Newport.

As a member of the football team, he has played defensive end and defensive tackle with some special teams play as well. As a senior, he remains determined and hungry to win a conference championship.

However, he does see a time when he will have to stop playing. “I love football, but there comes a time when you have to hang the cleats up, (it isn’t that time yet), and I know sports after college isn’t for me. I’ll miss it more than you can imagine, but all 13 years I played were worth it.”

Over the last two years Jones has built an impressive resume of research and work experience, particularly with the NASA program. He discovered the opportunity through talks with his academic advisor Dr. Anton Riedl. In deciding whether to double major or pursue an internship, Dr. Riedl suggested real world work experience would be for the best in the long run.

Jones agreed, eventually discovering the NASA DEVELOP program. Beginning in spring 2010, Malcolm first worked as a Team Lead on a project team researching California Wildfires. While it had no relation to his collegiate major, the experience allowed him to improve his skills as a researcher and abilities as a presenter. The following summer Jones was able to present his work to the Director of Applied Science at NASA Headquarters and the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA. In early 2011, he was able to work with the HIVE team which allowed development of program skills through the engagement of a 3D virtual environment that displays scientific data in an easy to understand way. This summer, Jones worked as Center Lead for the DEVELOP program at NASA Langley research center. He assisted the NASA DEVELOP Program Lead with research teams at Langley and provided IT Support.

Currently, Jones serves as the IT Lead for the DEVELOP program for the fall term and is working on his senior capstone project. For the project, there are two organized teams: one designated for software (i.e. computer programs) and another for hardware, the physical components. Malcolm has been assigned to the hardware team alongside fellow CNU Captains Joshua Rolon, Clifford Mahair and Justin Weihe.

As Dr. Riedl commented, it is a tremendous and strenuous major that requires a great deal of work inside as well as outside the classroom. Computer Engineers don’t just work with computers, they construct them. From Monitors to motherboards and data chips, engineers understand the computer as a whole.

They recognize the physical operation of the hardware and even how software will affect the hardware. That is the world of Computer Science. Balancing an involved school schedule, an internship and some notable extracurricular activities alongside a personal life has truly been a test of endurance.

Jones is pursuing the five year Master of Science in Applied in Physics and Computer Science w/ concentration in Computer systems engineering. His other notable involvement includes CNU’s Men of Vision and Excellence (M.O.V.E.) which seeks to promulgate excellence within men through academic greatness, community service, campus and cultural involvement.

Though his achievements are truly impressive, he knows he couldn’t have done it alone.
Malcolm exists as any other student with loving family and friends, and proclaims that his success in academics and sports is owed to many: coaches, teachers and family members. Specifically, a cornerstone of his inspiration comes from his mother, Barbara Jones. “She raised me by herself and because of her, I believe I can accomplish anything,” Jones said.

Posted by Antonio Lenyear on Sep 28 2011. Filed under Featured, Football, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.