Name: Morel Henley '07G
Hometown: Meredith, NH

When Morel Henley came to UNH as a freshman, she saw the university as a place of opportunity, where she could come and explore her interests. Her first four years here ended up being a gateway to the computer science field.

Morel, now a graduate student working on her Master’s in Computer Science, got her undergraduate degree at UNH in 2005. She graduated with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Math, with a focus in computer science.

Morel always liked math in high school, but was never exposed to computer science during secondary school, which she now regrets. If she had been, she feels she would have come to UNH as a CS major.

Instead, she initially enrolled as a Mechanical Engineering student, a major recommended by a high school teacher. She soon realized it wasn’t for her, so she began looking for another major. She took a CS course and enjoyed it so much she thought about becoming a CS major. She realized, however, there would be extra requirements that would add another year to her schooling. Since she’d already taken several math courses, she chose the interdisciplinary option.

After her junior and senior years, Morel did a summer internship at a digital printing company in her hometown of Meredith, NH. There she built, maintained and tested programs and wrote documentation for programs including Viso Flowcharts of functionality. She also worked as a math tutor and was involved in the Society of Women Engineers, was secretary of the Mathematics Honors Society, and served on the CEPS Student Advisory Committee.

As she started her final year as an undergraduate, Morel knew she’d want a career in CS; because her major hadn’t been completely focused in the field, she decided to pursue a Master’s degree. Since she was happy with UNH and its proximity to her hometown, the campus, and the CS faculty, she decided to remain at UNH to pursue her degree.

During her first year as a graduate student, Morel was a teaching assistant for courses in Data Structures, Computer Graphics and Introduction to Software Design and Development. This year, she was awarded a research assistantship in the Bioinformatics field. Bioinformatics involves developing and utilizing computer programs to crunch biological data. Students in the program learn to use their computer programming skills to develop such programs while simultaneously getting some background in the biological sciences. As part of her research, Morel has been working on a project that compares multiple genomes with computer science professors Dan Bergeron and Phil Hatcher, Biochemistry professor Kelley Thomas, and microbiology professor Vaughn Cooper. She finds working in Bioinformatics to be a rewarding experience – so much so, she’s seriously considering a career in the field.

“There’s a lack of technology in that field, so the people you’re assisting are so appreciative of the programs you write,” she said. “It makes you feel like you’re being helpful.”

- Rachel Purnell, CS Department Staff