Algorithms are part of our everyday lives. For many, the word “algorithm” strikes fear of pages-long formulas involving complex mathematics. This is true for some algorithms but for many algorithms, this is not the case. The purpose of this workshop is to introduce students (and any other interested parties) to the basics of algorithms, first unravelling the complexity and mystery around algorithms by providing some history and context. The next step is to give some examples (perhaps in unexpected places) of where the application of algorithms provided some ingenious and interesting solutions to problems. The last step is to provide knowledge, perspective, and a toolbox for designing algorithms to solve problems that you may encounter in your personal and/or professional lives. ​

John Loewen is a Canadian national, originally from Haida Gwaii, BC, Canada and has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Eastern Finland with a focus on leveraging ICT to provide authentic and relevant learning for Indigenous learners. As the author of numerous articles, his research involved applying fuzzy logic techniques to quantify qualitative thinking through the creation of algorithms that used rulesets (logic) to simulate results based on qualitative inputs. He also holds a Masters of Science in Information Systems from Athabasca University, Canada. John has 20+ years of experience in tertiary education as faculty in the Information Technology and Applied Systems (ITAS) program at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, British Columbia and as a faculty member at Camosun College, Victoria, BC. He moved to Bangkok in 2017 with his family and since 2019 has been employed as a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.​

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