SOMERS, N.Y. - Giuseppe Arena has been taking apart computers since he was four years old.
“I love modifying things, making games run like new and altering things,” said the Somers High School Junior. “It’s fun.”
So he figured there must be like minded students among him and over lunch one day he did something about it.
Sitting down with Gianni Bernardi, the duo put the inspiration in play by starting the Somers Computer Science Club in January. Now every week at lunch five to ten kids gather to take a byte or two out of the digital world.
Still in the early stages, Arena and Bernardi lead the discussion on topics like the makeup of computers, the future of AI, and his favorite topic, Cyber Security. “I do like informing people of what they should and shouldn’t be cautious about online,” Arena said.
So on one side, there’s phishing, scam calls and dangerous links to side step, while on the other, sleep shouldn’t be lost over the glut of security hysteria. “There’s a lot of misinformation,” he said, and getting together means growing awareness.
Of course, Bernardi is on board and does so with software in mind. His area of disinformation : Artificial Intelligence.
AI, a buzz word the media throws around, he acknowledges the advances made, and the crucial role the emerging technology represents. But humans will always be needed to innovate.
“As it stands, a computer can’t build something that hasn’t been done before,” said the junior.
Good programmers aren’t going to lose their jobs either, and while programs do exist to assist coders, Bernardi prefers taking care of the nitty gritty himself.
And he knuckles down with good reason. “I think it’s like magic. How someone can start with an idea, sit down, work out the math, and then at the end of the day, you end up with a tool that can be used.”
The proof coming on the scroll of right answers across the screen, the moment amounts to a drug that he doesn’t want to stop taking. “It’s the most rewarding feeling in the world,” Bernardi revealed. “I spend a lot of my time trying to chase that high.”
On the other hand, Bernardi is finding a lot of students are not interested in that type of inebriation. “After taking our AP computer science class, they are fed up, and are like, nah I’m good,” he joked.
Still, the class is where most of the club members come from, and engagement keeps them coming back. “We have created a space to answer questions and share ideas,” said Bernardi.
The founders provide an important baseline, though. “We both have our own unique strengths. So we can teach people a lot,” said Arena.
Unfortunately, the club is not in position to be a springboard to actual projects. The interest in that type of effort does not exist yet, according to Bernardi.
Even so, he’s proud of the foundation that has been laid and where the bedrock will lead. “Our hope is to establish a platform where the next me and Giuseppe will be able to hit the ground running,” he concluded.
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