Adam Arakelian
MET CS Lecturer Brings Quality Testing to the Notion of Big Data
Adam Arakelian
Lecturer, Computer Science
Director of Engineering, Dell EMC
MS, Boston University; BS, Westfield State College
What is your area of expertise?
My academic focus is on the integration of technology with business, with aims on driving revenue profitability and helping businesses leverage technology to deliver value efficiently, effectively, and with the highest quality possible.
Please tell us about your work. Can you share any current research or recent publications?
My most recent research, which is actually going through the patent process now, brings quality testing to the notion of big data. The idea is that when changes are made to code, we technicians want to run tests to exercise and vet that code sequence. However, this typically results in running all manner of tests—entire suites of them. This can be time-consuming, and depending on the tests’ functions, redundant. The tests may not be relevant to the code’s changes.
However, what if you could analyze set changes, as in edits to source code, and run specific tests based on areas of changes to the source code? That is what we have sought to address by setting up mechanisms that use algorithms, like nearest neighbor pattern recognition, to correlate and identify change sets to test runs. This allows us to determine what tests are best suited to inspect the changed source code.
How does the subject you work in apply in practice? What is its application?
This work applies in practice to where I work currently full-time, at Dell EMC, where I serve as director of engineering. We look for ways to constantly improve the efficiency of our software development manufacturing process, by providing fast feedback to our engineers, utilizing our hardware resources as efficiently as possible, and creating the highest quality products we can!
What courses do you teach at BU MET?
I typically teach IT Strategy and Management (MET CS 782), both on campus and online—it’s my favorite class to teach!
Please highlight a particular project within this course that most interests your students. What “real-life” exercises do you bring to class?
In IT Strategy and Management, I get to bridge the gap between the theoretical and the real-world application of concepts. Taking lecture material and theory and applying them to the real world is crucial, I think. I do this through lectures that highlight my experiences in business or my current day-to-day work, which outline the applicability of the course material. Through current events, business cases, and articles, we explore topics in class. There is a plethora of information out there, which allows me to really correlate the course material to real-life events. This really helps our students grasp the concepts and creates a memorable association for them.
I’m very honored and proud to be working as a part-time faculty member at BU MET. Teaching brings me great joy and I sincerely love being able to bring my experiences and observations into the classroom to help build relationships with BU’s students, as well as be a mentor and guide for them.