Former student joins CS faculty
Former student joins CS faculty Heading link
George Maratos joins the computer science faculty this fall as a lecturer, but to many at UIC, he is a familiar face. He’s been a student, a teaching assistant (TA), and a course instructor in the department during his dozen years on the UIC campus.
Maratos came to UIC as an undergraduate in 2011, with an undeclared major. Midway through his degree, he transferred into computer science, graduating in 2016. He applied and was accepted to the department’s master’s degree program, then continued his studies after graduation as a PhD student.
He became a TA during his senior year of undergraduate studies and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity – so much so that he continued to work as a TA for 13 semesters, including last summer with UIC’s CHANCE Program, which is geared at underrepresented students from Chicago Public Schools.
About a year ago, he realized as much as he liked conducting research, his true passion was the time he spent teaching.
In spring, he asked if he could teach a course as a trial run and took over a section of CS 141, Program Design II. He also taught CS 109, Programming for Engineers with MatLab, which is geared for non-CS majors, this summer.
“I want to see students here succeed,” Maratos said. “I’m glad that I can be a part of UIC, and to provide help for the countless number of students that have come here from all over the world.”
Maratos said UIC is the perfect fit for him. The school has everything he was looking for, he knows the Chicagoland area well, and he can take public transportation to work. Also, his family and loved ones live in the metro area.
“UIC is a public university that offers a great value for students, especially with the rising costs of tuition these days,” Maratos said. “And the university has sentimental value to me.”