NEPTUN Biography



ZACHARY MAIZES, NEU Fourth-Year Majoring in Comp Sci




Major: Computer Science

College/Employer: NEU

Year of Graduation: 2023

Picture of Zachary Maizes

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm an avid coder and gamer who dabbles in anime and manga. I'm also of the belief that everything Marvel makes is something I should watch, regardless of whether it's as good as Loki or not.

I've become very adapt at teaching people, whether from my experience tutoring and teaching others both in and outside of Neptun, or from my constant lecturing to my friends to justify my crippling sugar addiction.

In terms of how college is going for me, well let's just say that I'm taking long strides towards living in a gilded cage for the rest of my life. Not sure whether that's good or bad yet, but I guess we'll find out.



Past Classes

  (Look at the class archive for more.)


Philosophical BS in Splash Spring 2023
Do you ever feel like big tech is watching your every move? Ever wonder about the ethical ramifications of various inventions? Confused as to why some people do/don’t contribute to environmental causes? Want to learn some philosophy from someone who took a single philosophy course and now feels that he is an expert? If so, look no further than this class! Within this class, I have a few prepared discussion points and a few that you will be able to choose from as a group, and this will allow for a vibrant and deep discussion about how human values relate to the technology of the modern era.


The Lore of Languages: How Coding Came to Be in Splash Spring 2023
Getting annoyed at all this newfangled technology? Confused as to how on earth typing a few lines of code is able to render a webpage? Morbidly curious about what programmers have been up to so far? In this class, we’ll be discussing how humans have evolved our technology from the invention of electricity to the modern age of software. This is purely conceptual so no need to know any code or anything, just bring your curiosity!


The Spaghetti Challenge in Splash Spring 2023
Ever wondered if you could Spaghetti? Want to show your Spaghetti Prowess? Feel smart enough to realize Spaghetti is being used in grammatically incorrect ways in these questions? Well, look no further! Here you can use Spaghetti in a variety of ways, from building with spaghetti to using spaghetti as a building material! Wait, isn't that the same thing? OF COURSE IT IS!!! WHO DOESN'T LOVE BUILDING WITH SPAGHETTI!?! Also, one more thing. THERE ARE PRIZES! FOR BUILDING WITH SPAGHETTI! So if you like using spaghetti and/or want to try to win prizes, then this event is definitely for you! On a more serious note, if you want to have some fun using spaghetti to build different structures and competing with your peers while doing so, then this class is for you!


Philosophical BS in Splash Fall 2022
Do you ever feel like big tech is watching your every move? Ever wonder about the ethical ramifications of various inventions? Confused as to why some people do/don’t contribute to environmental causes? Want to learn some philosophy from someone who took a single philosophy course and now feels that he is an expert? If so, look no further than this class! Within this class, I will have a few prepared discussion points and a few that you will be able to choose from as a group, and this will allow for a vibrant and deep discussion about how human values relate to the technology of the modern era. Disclaimer: This same class was taught in Spring of 2022, so if you attended that it will be nearly identical.


Philosophical BS in Splash Spring 2022
Do you ever feel like big tech is watching your every move? Ever wonder about the ethical ramifications of various inventions? Confused as to why some people think you shouldn't lie to their face? Want to learn some philosophy from someone who took a single philosophy course in freshman year and now feels that he is an expert? If so, look no further than this class! Within this class, I will have a few prepared discussion points and a few that you will be able to choose from as a group, and this will allow for a vibrant and deep discussion about how human values relate to the technology of the modern era. Disclaimer: While I do consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the topics I plan on discussing, I’m not all-knowing, and everything discussed should be taken with a few grains of salt. In addition, I'm not trying to convince you to change your beliefs, just attempting to contextualize a few things. Additional Disclaimer: Some topics that are more controversial might be brought up. Again, I won't be proclaiming what is right or wrong, but if discussing ethical dilemmas might not be for you, feel free to avoid this class.


Gaming: Explained: Re-Remastered Edition in Splash Spring 2022
Due to (the lack of) popular demand, Gaming: Explained is coming back for another go! After a minor setback due to a tiny little disease going around, I figured it's high time to get back to the one topic everyone can get behind: Gaming. In this Re-Remastered edition, I've taken my previous material combined with my new gaming experiences over the pandemic to throw together a discussion of various genres of games with a focus on more popular and complicated games, along with a how-to for constructing a meta-game for a game night and some escape room tips and tricks.


Weebs: A Lifestyle Guide in Splash Spring 2022
Have you ever experienced the wondrous world of Japanese culture? We haven’t either! However, we do love manga and anime, and would love to discuss these topics with you! Whether you consider yourself a proud weeb, Attack On Titan is your favorite anime, or you're just someone who wants to learn a bit more about a form of entertainment they don’t know that much about, this is the class for you! We will be discussing multiple different genres of anime and manga to try to give a complete view of the meidums. Along the way, we'll give you some of our personal recommendations! At the end, we'll open the class up if any of you want to recommend your own favorite shows. Disclaimer: Since this does encompass an entire type of media, there may be some mention of some more extreme topics if we discuss specific anime or manga that make use of mature material. While there shouldn’t be anything foreign to a high schooler or offensive to anyone, we encourage an open mind when coming to this class.


Weebs: A Lifestyle Guide in Splash Spring 2020
Have you ever experienced the wondrous world of Japanese culture? We haven’t either! However, we do love manga and anime, and would love to discuss these topics with you! Whether you consider yourself a proud weeb, an uncultured normie, or just someone who wants to learn a bit more about a form of entertainment they don’t know that much about, this is the class for you! We will be discussing various anime and manga along with the surrounding culture and community, along with recommending a few high-quality ones to you all! Disclaimer: Since this does encompass an entire type of media, there may be some mention of some more extreme topics if we discuss specific anime or manga that make use of edgier material. While there shouldn’t be anything foreign to a high schooler or offensive to anyone, we encourage an open mind when coming to this class.


Gaming: Explained: Remastered Edition in Splash Spring 2020
Due to (the lack of) popular demand, Gaming: Explained is coming back for another go! After a grand total of >0 people showed up in Fall 2019 I figured everyone must want to learn some more about games. In this new and (maybe) improved version, I will be discussing various genres of games with a focus on more popular and more complicated games, along with a how-to for constructing a meta-game for a game night and some escape room tips and tricks. Just of note, this was a very popular class in the fall so it may fill up fast.


Philosophical BS in Splash Spring 2020
Do you ever feel like big tech is watching your every move? Ever wonder about the ethical ramifications of various inventions? Confused as to why some people do/don’t contribute to environmental causes? Want to learn some philosophy from someone who took a single philosophy course and now feels that he is an expert? If so, look no further than this class! I took a super interesting course about ethics in relation to modern technology last semester and love discussing philosophy with others. Within this class, I will have a few prepared discussion points and a few that you will be able to choose from as a group, and this will allow for a vibrant and deep discussion about how human values relate to the technology of the modern era. Disclaimer: While I do consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the topics I plan on discussing, I’m not all-knowing, and everything discussed should be taken with a few grains of salt.


The Spaghetti Challenge in Splash Fall 2019
Ever wondered if you could Spaghetti? Want to show your Spaghetti Prowess? Feel smart enough to realize Spaghetti is being used in grammatically incorrect ways in these questions? Well, look no further! Here you can use Spaghetti in a variety of ways, from building with spaghetti to using spaghetti as a building material! $$\textit{Wait, isn't that the same thing?}$$ OF COURSE IT IS!!! WHO DOESN'T LOVE BUILDING WITH SPAGHETTI!?! Also, one more thing. THERE ARE PRIZES! FOR BUILDING WITH SPAGHETTI! So if you like using spaghetti and/or want to try to win prizes, then this event is definitely for you! On a more serious note, if you want to have some fun using spaghetti to build different structures and competing with your peers while doing so, then this class is for you!


Gaming: Explained in Splash Fall 2019
Fancy yourself a pro gamer? Feel you’ve got what it takes to win at some games? Want to play games with your friends but don’t know what to play? This course is all about games, with all of their different types and play styles, along with how to make them and their surrounding culture! If you want some game recommendations, want to learn more about games, or even if you want to just see what’s going on with the nerds, come join us for a fun and informative session on fun games I have played over my many years of gaming!