Reporter Online | Tag: Computer Science

The Ultimate Puzzle: Zach Butler and his Peculiar Passion

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:12:00 -0500

When the world of puzzles and robots collide.

by Kristen Maslanka


Zach Butler, professor of Computer Science
Joi Ong

To solve, answer the following.

1. ACROSS: Something that makes Zack Butler excited.

Answer: Robots

5. DOWN: Something that makes Zack Butler extremely excited/

Answer: Puzzles

Combine puzzles with robots and what you have is an extremely hyperactive adult.

Meet Zack Butler, an RIT professor currently teaching first year computer science courses on artificial intelligence and robotics. If you haven’t been his student, you’ve likely seen him around campus or at the very least, walked past his office door - the one in Golisano Hall (GOL, 70) plastered with puzzles and Meeple People. With his peculiar passion for puzzle solving and robots, one could say that Butler has a very unique identity. He is one of the most dedicated puzzle solvers in the U.S. So much in fact, that what began as an addiction inspired his present success.

Butler seems like your average friendly guy; he’s fun to talk to, tells interesting stories and has a stylin’ office. But turn the conversation towards puzzles, and the previously “interesting” conversation is blown out of the water by a world of excitement and wonder. Butler can hardly speak fast enough to keep up with what he wants to say. For this CS professor, puzzles are a hobby, an inspiration and an art. Solving them simply isn’t enough for his hungry mind. He not only analyzes these puzzles, but he also creates them.

For Butler, the addiction began as a young child, when his mother introduced him to crossword puzzles. At 14, she lured him to a crossword competition, and from then on, he was absolutely hooked. In his office is a shelf brimming with trophies, a testament to his success.

Crosswords weren’t enough though, and Butler’s logical mind craved more. After discovering a puzzle magazine, Butler’s interest expanded to all types of puzzles: Sudoku, Shikaku, Yajilin and beyond. It would only be a few more years before he discovered the U.S. Puzzle Competitions and his interest became a competitive hobby.

For the competition, the puzzles would be faxed to each participant who then had only two and a half hours to solve and fax back all the puzzles. Butler had found his calling and refused to let such an opportunity pass him by. After discussing the matter with one particular college professor, he actually showed up late to a final in order to compete in his first competition. When taking the final afterwards, Butler was so pumped from solving puzzles, “I blew through it in the very first hour!”

The U.S. competitions blossomed into the World Championships, and in 1995, he was chosen to be a U.S. team member for the World Puzzle Championships held in Brasov, Romania. Puzzles led him around the world, from Croatia to Japan. “Would I ever go to Bulgaria otherwise?” asked Butler, adding that although traveling around the world may have been difficult to organize, it was well worth it.

Butler bubbles with enthusiasm when he discusses his puzzles, and it’s no wonder that he chose the career he did - as this passion for problem solving converted itself into a career and a dream come true. After completing his B.S degree in engineering at Alfred University, Butler read about a Carnegie Mellon University program offering a Ph.D. in robotics, something not prevalent at the time. For an avid science fiction fan like Butler, the program represented a dream come true. “I’d get to play with robots. That seemed so cool!” exclaimed Butler. Much to his surprise, he was accepted into the program.

Years later, he is teaching Robotics and AI technology at RIT, a place where he can concentrate on developing his ideas and continue his favorite hobby: puzzle solving.

But what, exactly, is the connection between puzzles and robotics? Naturally, a math whiz attracted to mathematical puzzles would be attracted to robotics, but the connection runs deeper. To illustrate this, Butler quotes a statement common in the field of robotics, “Artificial intelligence is all the stuff we don’t know how to make computers do yet.” Thus, all there is left to do is figure out how. There’s hard work at hand and many algorithms to figure out. In other words, Butler considers robots to be one big puzzle.

Currently, Butler is working on designing robots that can assist in search and rescue situations by re-configuring themselves to fit into tight spaces. He’s planning on programming them with the intelligence to divide into groups according to whatever a situation demands. It’s an intense project and one reflective of countless science fiction dreams.

With puzzle competitions, robot designing and teaching cluttering Butler’s plate, it would be surprising to think that the man could find the time to busy himself with anything else. Yet, there’s another, more integral part of this genius: his family. Butler is the husband to a fellow puzzle enthusiast and the proud father of two children. It seems Butler’s passion will run in the family; one of his children is just as interested in puzzles and is quick to solve them. Just outside the professor’s office door proudly hangs a puzzle Butler created for his son, solved and returned with the words, “I love you Dad” scribbled across the bottom.

His children adore his hobbies as well as the profession it lead to, and in fact, Butler admits his room is currently stripped of most of its friendly robot dwellers. “Usually I can point to robots,” he said. After his son marched in and asked, “Why are these in the office? They should be at home!” Butler made the only natural decision: bring the robots home.

Butler loves traveling and eagerly looks to his future. He sees the world of robots expanding, and he encourages his students to continue growing with it. Puzzle solving has always been, and will remain to be, an integral part in this proud father’s life.

4. ACROSS: Who is a really fun guy with a peculiar passion for puzzle solving?

Answer: Zack Butler

The House That CS Built

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:04:53 -0500

Looking past a fedora on an unkempt mane.

by Brendan Cahill


A group of Computer Science House students argue about the use of the Apple iPad while taking a break from studying for finals on Nov. 15.
Chris Langer

We’ve all seen him or someone like him. You’re passing by the elevator lobby in Nathaniel Rochester Hall, arms laden with groceries from your emergency Corner Store run. You spy someone waiting there, sporting a fedora atop an unkempt mane of hair with a case of Mountain Dew under each arm. Part of you doesn’t want to judge, but it all fits. The look, the location and the product all imply one thing: Computer Science House. But who exactly are these people? What goes on within the confines of their floor? In this special investigation, I go explore CSH and find out what makes CSH members tick.

The House with a History

Computer Science House was founded in 1976. That’s almost 35 years of staying up way past bedtime, and they show no indication of slowing. CSH’s members’ late nights have paid off, however. As an example of the influence that the special interest house has on the RIT community, Thomas Schellenberg, a fifth year Computer Science major and chairman of CSH informed me that CSH was likely responsible for the creation of the NRH computer lab. “A couple weeks ago, I was rummaging through some files in our library, and I found a proposal to create a computer lab in the dorms,” he said.

This recognition extends far beyond campus. On a national scale, a 1994 issue of “Wired” named CSH the nation’s “most connected dorm.” That honor was echoed in 1999, when “Yahoo! Internet Life” bestowed upon CSH a similar honor. Over the years, CSH has enjoyed mentions in publications from “PC Magazine” to the “Wall Street Journal.” Indeed, walking the CSH halls is like walking through a living museum of computing history. There’s a server room full of hardware of varying ages and an arcade cabinet in the conference room. All around, there are projects just beginning to take shape, while past projects stand (sometimes in non-functioning states) as testaments to the ingenuity of students past.

Schellenberg stresses that the connection that modern CSH has with its roots is not to be underestimated. “We have a big impact on your experience here at RIT,” he explained, and their alumni play a great role. Once members graduate, they will enter the workforce, either with jobs at Microsoft, Google or companies that they founded themselves. When it comes time to hire, these alumni are sure to support their former home. “They send special recruitment efforts here specifically,” said Shellenberg. “In September, I set up four or five different recruitment events.” Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, Scribd and others sent representatives directly to CSH in an attempt to find the curious and the keen, a reputation that CSH has fostered since its beginning. Then you graduate and become one of those people. Schellenberg describes it as a sort of time line, “stretching out in either direction from you.” On CSH, members have access to a growing community of alumni and current members willing to lend a hand.

Alumni are also known to be active in the RIT community. Along with his wife Vicki, founding member Stephen Schultz, donated the recent 1 million pledge towards a new RIT ice hockey arena.


Thomas Schellenberg is the chairman of the Computer Science House.
Chris Langer

Who They Are

With a penchant for acronyms and slogans, CSH is ready-made for the papers. A number of sayings get passed around the floor, sound bites capturing the essence of CSH. “Getting more work done after 2 a.m. than most people do all day” is one notable for being the CSH slogan on their brochures and website. “Don’t be dirty motherfuckers,” is another, far less official in its capacity, but still of note. CSH has its own culture, and it’s one that frequently finds itself the butt of the jokes about nerd hygiene and poor life choices, especially concerning sleep. But what that culture really entails is problem solving and embracing individuality while remaining within a team. Michael Pierattini, a first year Game Design and Development major, sums it up by saying “I like to be an interesting person, and I like a place where I can be interesting ... and this is a very ‘go and be free’ kind of place.”

“We have people from majors all around the college,” says Schellenberg. “We have a lot of people from Golisano, but also a lot of engineers; even some math and science majors, art majors, liberal arts majors ... Really, it’s just anyone with a passion for technology.” Yes, energy drinks are ubiquitous; Schellenberg seems quite proud to say that the people of CSH are night owls. But, that realization hints at CSH’s core: a group of individuals fueled by caffeine, adrenaline and the elation of problem solving. Producing something after a long night of work or doing something new simply to prove they can is a good feeling, and the members of CSH understand that and internalize it. Schellenberg acknowledges that they are a rather insular community and that may be seen as odd by outsiders. As a learning community, CSH is more or less self-sufficient, and as a result, their interaction with other groups can be minimal - but it is by no means discouraged. Working with people is, after all, one of the goals of CSH.

What They Do

To oversimplify, it would be easy to sum up Computer Science House in one word: projects. Among these projects is their primary claim to fame, a series of much-hyped internet-connected drink machines dubbed Drink. Among the first of its kind - a similar machine was developed at Carnegie Melon University around the same time - Drink allows users to log in and purchase their drinks online. Additional tinkering has led to increased functionality, including a delay so that the drink is dispensed when you get to the machine, not before.

Essentially a whole slew of projects rolled into one, Drink has evolved over the years to incorporate more advanced computers, touch screen interfaces, iButtons for touch-and-go access, and an attached snack machine appropriately referred to as Snack. Obviously, Drink is not the first (or last) project that CSH will ever work on. The streaming music in their bathrooms with the DJ lights that synch to the beat and many of the electronic locks on the floor began as projects. Members are required to be involved with one or two of these projects a year, which can range from solo tinkering to building projects that change the landscape of the floor (with the proper approval from housing and FMS, of course).

As Gabbie Burns, a third year Computer Science major and CSH’s evaluations director, explained, “It’s a lot about the learning activities.” One of her current projects is outside of her expertise, in a field she knows almost nothing about. “Someone that’s already experienced in that area could probably do it in a day,” she admitted. What matters, though, is that she wants to learn it, and she’s surrounded by other people who are also eager to learn. “You’re surrounded by other people in the same space, so we all kind of motivate each other,” Burns said. It would be easy for her to spend the time that she spends on her project doing other things. Fortunately, there are people around her who she can work with and that makes it easy to learn.

As I said, however, this is an oversimplification. Projects are a major part of CSH, but they aren’t the only part. Andrew LeCain, a fourth year Computer Engineering major and CSH’s research and development director would elaborate. The projects exist to “encourage people to build and create,” he said, explaining that your average CSH member enjoys building and making things. Projects are a way for CSH to nurture the desire that its members already have. It all starts at a project level, but the end result is a community of tinkerers and makers. It seemed to me that the number one desire of the CSH members I spoke with was to have something to show for their time there: something new that they hadn’t done before and that allowed them to get the most out of their time at RIT.


Rob Ross, a second year Computer Science major, plays a video game on his computer on Nov. 15.
Chris Langer

Why They Do It

It’s easy to look at CSH and say that it’s a lot of work. In addition to the mandatory projects, incoming members are required to have an introductory packet signed by all on-floor members and 15 off-floor members. I asked around; I spoke to the higher ups; and I spoke to the new first years. As I conversed with these people, I could feel myself caught up in the moment. I saw a trend forming. There was a common reason for all these people joining CSH after all. It’s actually quite simple, and it stems from the community aspect of CSH.

As Burns told me, “Before I joined CSH, I lived in a different dorm and everyone’s doors were always closed; and I didn’t really know many people.” What drew her to CSH was the community aspect of it. “It’s a lot more fun to be on than a regular floor,” she said. LeCain went so far as to call CSH one of the main reasons he decided to go to RIT. “I really liked the idea of being with a group of people who were interested in this type of thing and who wanted to work on projects and do cool things,” he said.

The new freshmen shared this sentiment. Chris Stevens, a first year Information Technology major, explained that he thought “it would be cool to be in a group of people who I can get help from if I need to because they have experience and ... to get the most out of RIT.”

When you mix this with the project work and add a few study sessions, you see that CSH is exactly what it sets out to be: a learning community. While that might not come as a surprise, it is important because CSH isn’t your average club nor is it your average dorm floor. It is, for lack of better words, a family. CSH members look out for each other and help each other out. There is a selection process in place to ensure that members will be productive and will function well together. In short, the community nature that RIT is known for is distilled and concentrated in CSH, and it makes for a unique place to be.

I left CSH somewhat confused. When I arrived, the lights were on, the bathrooms were clean, and there was a distinct lack of mystery (unless you consider a group of friends hanging out and helping each other mysterious). I uncovered something, but it wasn’t what I expected to uncover. What I found was a tight-knit community, learning by doing and helping each other do just that. There’s something to be said for that, and I consider my time on CSH time well spent. As for the skeletons in their closets, well, I’ll try and dig them up next time I stop by.