Andrew Nere

I grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota, but by the time I was in high school, I was much more interested in modifying code for computer games and repairing my neighbors’ computers. My interest in computers brought me to St. Cloud State University in Minnesota where I received a degree in Computer Engineering, and later a Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I’ve run a software/hardware startup since 2013. By joining the WCU faculty, I hope to utilize my previous work experience and education to guide the next generation of computer scientists and engineers.

How did you discover Western?

Funnily enough, I first learned of Western Colorado University via billboard during my first trip to Gunnison Valley in 2017. I investigated the school and noted it had a growing Computer Science department. After several years of visiting the Valley with my family, I was excited to see an open faculty position in the Computer Science department for the Fall of 2022. I’m happy to now call Gunnison my home.

What are some of the highlights of your career?

During my undergraduate and graduate studies, I worked with large scale hardware design and verification teams at both IBM and Qualcomm. These internship and co-op experiences gave me a great understanding of the opportunities in large companies.

My graduate school research focused on computer architecture, machine learning, and brain-inspired computing. A major highlight of my graduate studies was working as a university collaborator on the DARPA/IBM SyNAPSE project, which sought to model both the structure and functionality of the brain in computing hardware and software. I enjoyed the opportunity to present my research both in the United States and internationally.

In 2013, I and two others launched Thalchemy, a startup company dedicated to bringing machine learning to embedded devices like smart watches, fitness trackers, and remote/environmental sensors for a broad variety of applications. The highlight of my startup has been the opportunity to work with a variety of bright computer scientists and engineers.

What most excites you about your field?

I enjoy solving problems big and small. What excites me the most about Computer Science and Engineering is the ability to gather information about a problem, design a plan, prototype a solution, and evaluate its effectiveness. I understand the value of core research in the field of Computer Science and Engineering, but the application of that research is how I most like to spend my time.

What is your favorite thing about the Gunnison Valley?

Like nearly everyone else in the valley, I love the world-class biking, hiking, and skiing opportunities in the Gunnison Valley. But a few of my other favorites of the valley are the 266 days of sunshine we get each year, the aspen colors in autumn, and the proximity to wilderness and national forests.

Courses taught

• CS 160: Introduction to Web Design
• CS 190: Computer Science I
• CS 390: Software Entrepreneurship

Publications

• Atif Hashmi, Andrew Nere, Giulio Tononi. Sleep-Dependent Synaptic Down-Selection (II): Single-Neuron Level Benefits for Matching, Selectivity, and Specificity. Frontiers in Neurology, 2013.
• Andrew Nere, Atif Hashmi, Chiara Cirelli, Giulio Tononi. Sleep-Dependent Synaptic Down-Selection (I): Modeling the Benefits of Sleep on Memory Consolidation and Integration. Frontiers in Neurology, 2013.
• Andrew Nere, Atif Hashmi, Mikko Lipasti. Bridging the Semantic Gap: Emulating Biological Neuronal Behaviors with Simple Digital Neurons. Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on High Performance Computer Architecture (HPCA), February 2013.
• Tianshi Chen, Yunji Chen, Marc Duranton, Qi Guo, Atif Hashmi, Mikko Lipasti, Andrew Nere, Shi Qiu, Michele Sebag, Olivier Temam. BenchNN: On the Broad Potential Application Scope of Hardware Neural Network Accelerators. Nominated for best paper. IEEE International Symposium on Workload Characterization, San Diego, CA, November 2012.
• Andrew Nere, Umberto Olcese, David Balduzzi, Giulio Tononi. A Neuromorphic Architecture for Object Recognition and Motion Anticipation Using Burst-STDP. PLOS ONE, May 2012.
• Andrew Nere, Sean Franey, Atif Hashmi, Mikko Lipasti. Simulating Cortical Networks on Heterogeneous Multi-GPU Systems. Journal of Parallel Distributed Computing, February 2012.
• Andrew Nere, Atif Hashmi, Mikko Lipasti. Profiling Heterogeneous Multi-GPU Systems to Accelerate Cortically Inspired Learning Algorithms. Selected the best paper in track. Proceedings of the 25th International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium (IPDPS), Anchorage, AL, May 2011.
• Atif Hashmi, Andrew Nere, James Jamal Thomas, Mikko Lipasti. A Case for Neuromorphic ISAs. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (ASPLOS), Newport Beach, CA, March 2011.
• Mitchell Hayenga, Andrew Nere, Mikko Lipasti. MadCache: A PC-aware Cache Insertion Policy. Proceedings of the 1st JILP Workshop on Computer Architecture Competitions (JWAC-1), Saint-Malo, France June 2010.
• Andrew Nere and Mikko H. Lipasti. Cortical Architectures on a GPGPU. Workshop on General Purpose Computation on Graphics Processing Units, Pittsburgh, PA, March, 2010.
• Margaret Myslinska, Andrew Nere, David Swenson, Gloria Velazquez, Kathryn Lamont, David Praza. Use PHP on System i, Part 1: Introduction and Examples. IBM developerWorks.
• Margaret Myslinska, Andrew Nere, David Swenson, Gloria Velazquez, Kathryn Lamont, David Praza. Use PHP on System i, Part 2: Net.Data and PHP. IBM developerWorks.