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A group of UCLA students helped create a new engineering course that will focus on a cryptocurrency technology called Blockchain.
The new course in the engineering department was designed by Blockchain at UCLA, a student organization founded last year that offers events and discussions for students to discover blockchain technology. Blockchain is an encrypted way of storing a chain of transactional records that are publicly accessible and resistant to changes.
John Villasenor, professor of electrical engineering, public policy and management, will teach the class, which is listed as Engineering 188 and will focus on blockchain programming.
Jason Huan, a co-founder of the club, and Andrew Battat, a second-year computer science student, will act as teaching assistants.
"It will be the first time the lesson is offered and we are really excited to do it," Huan said.
The course will be open to all engineering students who have taken Computer Science 31 and Computer Science 32.
Huan, a second-year computer science student in charge of all club technology projects, co-founded Blockchain at UCLA last year with students Andrew Musk, Adam Spar, Anthony Humay, Douglas Wong and Veronica Reynolds.
"I wanted to develop the ecosystem at UCLA because I think blockchain as a technology offers many opportunities for students, and having a club would help to grow this community here at UCLA," Huan said.
Musk, a third-year computer science student who directs consultations and communications for the club, said he founded the club because he felt students lacked opportunities to explore the cryptocurrency.
"At the time there was no formal space at UCLA.Many other schools had existing clubs, majors or classes within the school, but UCLA had nothing," Musk said. . "So we wanted to show the UCLA students what it is (blockchain) in reality, and secondly what can be done with it."
Huan said he hopes the club will continue to increase its membership in the coming year and help reach more students who share an interest in blockchain technology.
Huan has highlighted his time as a club leader as one of his most rewarding experiences at UCLA.
"It sounds trivial, but the leadership experience that Blockchain UCLA has given me is invaluable – it's more in-depth than telling people what to do," Huan said. "It is about carrying out activities not only within one's own abilities, but with a team".
The club hosts multiple events each quarter including lectures, speakers and talk-tech open to anyone with an interest in blockchain technology. It hosted a conference of 500 people in October that brought speakers from the FBI, Microsoft and other large companies to discuss blockchain applications.
Huan said the conference was the club's biggest achievement and they are already planning another for next year.
"Starting a year ago, we were building up to that point and having that conference was a big milestone that shows what we can achieve in the future," Huan said.
Musk added that the engagement between students and professionals of the major corporations and institutes that took place during the conference became one of his favorite parts of the club.
"People are generally very open," said Musk. "Last year there were people (during our cyber-day event) who were millionaires or had founded crazy companies, but they were really available to talk to the students regarding (blockchain) or present opportunities, which I feel like I do not go anywhere. "
Blockchain at UCLA also provides a series of courses for students seeking an introduction to the blockchain. The 10-week program offers weekly lessons for undergraduate and graduate students and informs students about the context and applications of the blockchain.
Lulu Essoyan, a second-year cognitive science student who participates in the series, said she joined the program to learn more about cryptocurrency in general. He attends a conference every Tuesday where he eats pizza and learns the basics of technology.
Musk said he likes to teach students in the series about the different applications of the blockchain.
"Many people hear about it and make assumptions without really knowing what's behind it, so it's nice to show them what more can be done with blockchain and bitcoin," Musk said.
Musk said he hopes the students will be able to learn about all the different opportunities that Blockchain can offer through club events and the new engineering course.
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