Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Yugo Nagashima says his work with Dr. Velauthapillai gave him an understanding of science that helps him in patent law. (Courtesy Yugo Nagashima)

By LiAnna Davis

The words of wisdom about both computer science and life from Dr. Mahe Velauthapillai still resonate with 2003 graduate Yugo Nagashima.

“Dr. Mahe always told me and other students to ‘enjoy life,’ ‘never give up,’ and learn for the sake of learning,’” recalls Nagashima, who recently graduated from Keio University Law School in Japan. “This left a very strong impression that Dr. Mahe is a true teacher, not just in the subject of computer science, but one who teaches his students about the importance of life.”

Nagashima has taken Dr. Velauthapillai’s words to heart, pursuing his dream to be an attorney specializing in intellectual property law in both Japan and the United States. The challenges of law school in a foreign country were many but as a student in Dr. Velauthapillai’s courses, Nagashima learned how to tackle difficult problems.

“My first impression of Dr. Mahe was that he held a very high standard for his students. He expected us to finish some projects in less than 48 hours, and literally gave us 24 hours to make the program do what he assigned as homework. There were nights when I would stay up all night in the Village C East computer lab trying to make a ball roll over a hill or make a hand icon follow the mouse movements on the screen,” he recalls. “I remember going to Dr. Mahe for help on the rolling over a hill project. He would smile at me and say, ‘Relax. Okay, Yugo, let’s think together,’ and would give me advice on the programming projects.”

Nagashima took a Java programming course as a freshman. Although he ended up majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs rather than Computer Science, he sought out Dr. Velauthapillai’s Codes and Ciphers course in his senior year because he had enjoyed working with the Computer Science professor so much.

“Dr. Mahe had the magic to teach a very difficult subject such as encryption in an entertaining manner. Dr. Mahe would always show us, as he called it, ‘something cool,’ such as an actual encryption used in real life or a program that includes the cipher taught in class. He would then make us think of how the code functioned,” Nagashima says of his senior course. “In all the courses I took with Dr. Mahe, he always cared about his students. He didn’t just worry about how the students were doing in class, but he cared about their health and well being in addition to how they were learning at Georgetown. Dr. Mahe would try to know every single student he taught in his course, and he cared about what every student was learning from him. What really drew me to his courses was his high standards and his love toward his students.”

Nagashima, who graduated Magna Cum Laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, believes his work with Dr. Velauthapillai will help him in his career as an attorney.

“My education at Georgetown, especially in the computer science field, has given me a basic understanding on the science aspect of patent law,” he says. “Although I have not started practicing law, I believe that my understanding in computer science will greatly benefit me in my ultimate career goal.”

And, he says, he owes a lot of his success to Dr. Velauthapillai’s encouragement.

“To me, Dr. Mahe is like the modern-day Socrates. He challenged his students by asking difficult questions and making us give 120 percent effort in his classes, and through his teachings he taught us important lessons beyond computer science,” Nagashima says. “I can say that I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to study with such a brilliant teacher during my time at Georgetown, and I am proud that I was his student.”

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