Grad Student Profiles

"Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all the interesting work going on here, and sad that I can’t be a part of all of it at one time!" - Ethan Hanner

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 20:31:31 +0000

"Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all the interesting work going on here, and sad that I can’t be a part of all of it at one time!" - Ethan Hanner Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/13/2018 - 14:31

Name: Ethan Hanner
Hometown: Saint Matthews, SC
Advisor: Jed R. Brubaker (Identity Lab)

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in a very rural part of South Carolina, in a house surrounded by cotton fields and corn fields in every direction. So, for me, going into the field of computing was never a given, or really even on my radar for most of my childhood and teenage years. I had no clue that there were degree programs and careers in computer science. I only had the faintest idea of what web design was.

Then I graduated high school, and suddenly I was faced with a decision to make about what I wanted to major in in college, and ultimately what I wanted to “do with my life.” As a teenager, I’d played around a bit with video editing and making home movies … I didn’t exactly think I had the talent to make it big in Hollywood, but when I found a college where I could double major in psychology (a subject that had always been interesting to me, but that my schools had never offered any courses in) and film, that seemed pretty exciting.

I enjoyed my first two semesters of classes, and things seemed to be going fine … but I was still struggling with the question of what I wanted to do after college. Then, in my first semester of sophomore year, I enrolled in an introductory programming class that was meant to fulfill a general education requirement for quantitative analysis. In that class, the teacher taught us the basics of writing and compiling Java code. I was hooked. The next semester, I transferred to a school back in South Carolina, Winthrop University, that had a full computer science program, and I never looked back.

Going to graduate school wasn’t something I considered early on. Then one day I came across an email blast in my campus inbox about the McNair С��Ƶs Program at Winthrop, a federally funded program designed to help first-generation, low-income students and underrepresented minorities get into graduate programs (and succeed in them!). I matched the former criteria and so was included on the email blast, I applied, and I got in!

Participating in McNair introduced to conferences and journals in my field and learned about areas of computer science like human-centered computing and information science that I’d never imagined before. Most importantly, participating in McNair gave me the experience and the confidence to see myself as a researcher, and imagine myself being successful as a researcher in a PhD program. In my final year at Winthrop, I submitted applications to a few different computer science programs, particularly ones that offered a focus on human-centered computing. I had finally found a way to combine my love of computers and my interest in human behavior and psychology into one.

Why CU С��Ƶ?

I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a few different programs, and to have an opportunity to visit many of those to meet with faculty and current students. While I enjoyed each visit, none of them stuck with me like my visit to С��Ƶ. I loved everything about the campus, the people I met here, and the work that I saw happening here. I was looking for a big change in my life and moving across the country from South Carolina to Colorado to study social issues and technology seemed like it would accomplish that. Something felt right about CU, and I’m glad I chose it.

Now I work in the Identity Lab at CU С��Ƶ with Dr. Jed R. Brubaker, looking at the way that computing and information technology impact society and vice versa. In my lab, we have ongoing projects about grief in online social spaces, managing gender transitions across multiple social media platforms, and engaging in protest and activism online – just to name a few!

My favorite things about CU are a lot of the things that drew me to come here in the first place – for one, С��Ƶ is an incredibly beautiful place to live and work and that beauty is available everywhere you look on campus. I also have developed really close relationships with the faculty in the department and in my lab, and with my peers in the computer science and information science programs. I appreciate the incredible opportunities that I’m given through connections that the faculty at CU have with industry and with other universities, and the collaborations that are happening every single day. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all the different and interesting work going on here, and sad that I can’t be a part of all of it at one time! But I think that is a good problem for a program to have – because it means there’s a place for almost anyone.

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"My faculty mentors understood my nontraditional experiences and were committed to supporting my vision." - Layne Hubbard

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 20:25:54 +0000

"My faculty mentors understood my nontraditional experiences and were committed to supporting my vision." - Layne Hubbard Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/13/2018 - 14:25

Name: Layne Hubbard
Hometown: Ypsilanti, MI
Advisor: Tom Yeh (Sikuli Lab)

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in Michigan and spent a lot of my time swimming deep in our many lakes and rivers. As you might guess, I love exploring the unknown, spending hours in a nebulous environment, making discoveries, and doing it all over again.

I became interested in computer science when I was an undergraduate student working in the cognitive science laboratory on campus. Our lab received the codebase for a software game that researchers in Germany had used to test cognitive skills. To adapt the game for our use and replicate the study, I crawled through the code to find and fix bugs. Soon after our lab reviewed a research paper for publication that used computational models of the mind to conduct studies on human cognition. I realized that I couldn’t adequately critique the research if I didn’t understand how the computational models were implemented. So, I enrolled in a programming course.

I loved the constant problem solving involved in programming and I knew it was a skill that would allow me to work in many diverse fields through my lifetime – from education to health care to artistry. I took to it like a fish to water and in 2015 I graduated No. 1 in my class with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Before starting graduate school, I deferred my entry for a year and worked as a data engineer at a tech startup in Santa Barbara, California. The startup was recently acquired by Amazon to power their virtual assistant, Alexa. Through this work, I was able to rapidly grow my technical skills and learn the habits of high-functioning teams. I developed many amazing friendships.

I made the decision to leave the startup and enter the PhD program because I knew that I wanted my work to support young children in high-need situations. I had previously taught preschool and saw how early experiences critically shape development across a lifetime. Thus, I knew that by investing in early childhood innovation, we could positively shape the outcomes of adverse experiences, including trauma.

Why CU С��Ƶ?

I chose to return to CU for graduate school because of the strong relationships that I had formed with my faculty mentors as an undergraduate at CU. They had continually supported me, inspired me, and advocated for me. I also had another reason for returning to CU. In my K-12 education, I had switched schools 12 times due to factors including living in foster care and in SAFE homes. These disruptions consistently challenged my progress, and I wanted the chance to build atop the strong foundation that I had formed in undergrad. Through my involvement in the Guardian С��Ƶs program, which supports former foster youth like me, my faculty mentors understood my nontraditional experiences and were committed to supporting my vision of building creative tools and technologies for young children.

I entered the computer science doctoral program in the fall of 2015, where I joined the lab of Dr. Tom Yeh, my Big Data professor. I am now studying human-robot interaction and human-centered design with an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, designers, educators, musicians, and artists. I am using these research methods to build a multilingual stuffed animal toy that helps young, preliterate children tell reflective stories about their creative play. My work, MindScribe, recently won an Early Childhood Innovation Prize for its ability to maximize children’s potential in their first few years of life, as well as second place in a human-robot interaction student design competition. I am so grateful for this opportunity to work hard and build something of value.

CU has given me access to experiences and opportunities that I never imagined for myself—and I love the unexpected. From serving on the Finance Board while managing a student government fund of $23 million, to collaborating with theater students to design the conceptual elements for an interactive traveling showcase called CU С��Ƶ NEXT. I am continually able to develop my skills by simultaneously providing service to my community.

CU continues to support my goals through Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiatives on campus including the New Venture Challenge and the Catalyze CU accelerator program. I competed in the New Venture Challenge during undergrad, which introduced me to many startup essentials and exposed me the challenges of pitching a business! Now, as a graduate student, I am developing my business skills through the Catalyze CU program, which is matching me with tailored workshops and generous mentorship to help me bootstrap the development and launch of a product.

Beyond academia and intellect, CU has supported the needs of my physical well-being too. We have plentiful, nutritious food at the C4C, compassionate student health care, and a great international community in Graduate and Family Housing. Oh, and our Rec Center has several lanes of competitive swimming and a fantastic diving well for me to explore.

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"A low class, backwoods raised, metal drummer was about to become a scholar." - Kyle Reinholt

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 20:11:28 +0000

"A low class, backwoods raised, metal drummer was about to become a scholar." - Kyle Reinholt Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/13/2018 - 14:11

Name: Kyle Reinholt
Hometown: Wayside, WV
Advisor: Shaun Kane (Super Human Computing Lab)

My Path to Engineering

The home I grew up in was located “out in the sticks,” “in the boonies,” “middle of nowhere” -- I think you get the point. The town of Wayside, West Virginia, had a population of around 700 people. I had satellite internet because broadband wasn’t available out there and it took me forever to do anything online. The closest establishment from my home was a gas station that took a 30-minute drive to get to (going the speed limit, which no one ever did on the back roads, so about 20 minutes). This is getting verbose, so I’ll skip to the more important details.

I received my undergraduate degree from a small liberal arts college called Concord University in the small, wholesome town of Athens, WV. The campus had around 2,000 students when I attended. There wasn’t much to do in Athens except study, do homework, hike, fish, hunt, go muddin’, ski/snowboard, or get into trouble. I started out at Concord majoring in business administration. After I took a class called organizational behavior I realized I was majoring in adult babysitting. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I just wanted a degree with some sustenance. I started doing job growth searches on the Bureau of Labor Statistics and found that software developers had a really nice job outlook, this was in 2011 and it job growth is still above average today.

I had an idea of what I wanted to do, solely based off job statistics. I started looking at programs offered at Concord. They offered a program of study called computer information systems that would allow me to use some of my already earned business credits toward my degree. I became a declared computer information systems major. My first experience with an engineering course load went south quick. I failed calculus and discrete mathematics. I passed programming I, but it took every bit of effort I could possibly muster up. At this point, I thought I was doomed. I should mention, I already dropped out of college twice before this to pursue passions that didn’t pay the bills very well, such as being a drummer in a touring metal band.

Realizing it was going to take serious effort, I buckled down and took my courses more seriously. I rediscovered my passion for hard work in contexts other than my own personal hobbies and established an understanding in the foundations of mathematics. I became so enthralled in mathematical theory and computer science concepts that I switched my major to computer science/mathematics. I joined the computer science club on campus as well as the math club. When I was taking world literature for my second English credit, the professor recommended me to the McNair С��Ƶs Program at Concord. At this time I didn’t know it, but this was the opportunity that would change my life forever. A low class, backwoods raised, metal drummer was about to become a scholar.

The McNair С��Ƶs Program facilitates the process of minority students becoming strong applicants for graduate programs. The program had us work with a faculty mentor for one year to write a literature review, research plan, and research manuscript. Students also had to attend a REU (research opportunity for undergraduates) internship over the summer either at Concord University or any other program if they were accepted.

Why CU С��Ƶ?

I attended an REU at Virginia Tech in the summer of 2015, I did independent research with a second mentor in the physics department at Concord during the fall of 2015, and another REU at the University of Colorado С��Ƶ in 2016. I became hooked on refining my research skills and improving my resume for graduate life.

Once I got a taste of graduate life at С��Ƶ, my life goal became an algorithm. While (not Accepted): apply to CU С��Ƶ. By the time I was ready to graduate, I was the president of the computer science club, chairman of the technology committee, and I had three years of experience working in the IT department at the college. I went from a student who was failing and dropping out of college to receiving the Bruce Covey Mathematics Prize and McNair Above and Beyond Award in five years. I applied to the computer science graduate program at CU С��Ƶ in the fall of 2016. When I found out I was accepted in the spring of 2017 I had accomplished my first life goal ever. Now, I am working on my new life goal: get a PhD in computer science from the University of Colorado С��Ƶ.

The decision to go to graduate school developed over time as opportunities presented themselves to me/ After gaining a little research experience, I craved more and became interested in many different fields of research. I became interested in human-centered computing because of the diversity in the field. In the fields human-centered computing (HCC) or human-computer interaction (HCI) you can use concepts from other disciplines and fields of computer science to not only solve problems but help people as well. I am now working in the Superhuman Computing Lab using concepts from computer vision, mathematics, and human-computer interaction to create assistive technologies for people who are blind or visually impaired.

I decided to go to CU because the faculty and staff respect work/life balance. I noticed people were healthy and happy in the research communities I wanted to be a part of. The faculty in the HCI department at CU have a copious amount of connections in academia and industry. Graduate students in the lab I work in get internships at companies like Microsoft and Google. Students get to go conferences all over the world more than once a year. In my first year alone I attended three conferences; I was able to visit Montreal for the first time, which was pretty cool! Top-tier researchers and experts in industry give technical talks throughout the semester. С��Ƶ is a great place to live. For the most part it is made up of a bunch of smart, happy, healthy, dog loving, bike riders that are constantly getting into something new. There are many opportunities here for a happy lifestyle while undergoing a demanding, sometimes intensely stressful, work life.

What I love about CU is the community. Throughout your graduate career you will experience a lot of failure. You must in order to be successful. The camaraderie among graduate students and faculty creates an atmosphere that supports success because of the awareness that small failures will occur constantly. The support you receive, coupled with the resources, really makes CU a great environment for graduate life. Conducting research and doing coursework can often feel like a competition. To me, here at CU, we focus more on conversating and collaborating than keeping our ideas to ourselves. I feel research communities and students develop skills with a more interdisciplinary understanding.

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"I wanted to be part of a group of people that dedicated their lives to discovering new phenomena." - Angela Stewart

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 20:02:04 +0000

"I wanted to be part of a group of people that dedicated their lives to discovering new phenomena." - Angela Stewart Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/13/2018 - 14:02

Name: Angela Stewart
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Advisor: Sidney D’Mello (Emotive Computing Lab)

My Path to Engineering

While growing up, my dad was in the Marine Corps so we moved around a lot. When I was in middle school in Okinawa, Japan, I took a Q Basic programming course. I enjoyed learning about programming but did not have the opportunity to learn more beyond that course. My family moved to New Orleans when I started high school, where I attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. I studied theater there and loved it. Theater taught me about human emotion, behavior, and motivation and inspired me to be a director.

When deciding on college, I considered programs that blended directing and acting and applied to many drama programs. I decided to attend Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, as a theater major. However, I quickly had a realization that I was not passionate enough about theater to dedicate my life to it. It was something I enjoyed as a hobby, but I did not want to major in it. Largely on a whim, I changed my major to software engineering. I figured I was good at math-related fields and remembered enjoying the programming class I took years earlier. Since then, I’ve grown to love computing and the powerful ways computer science can affect change. Changing my major was indeed the right choice!

I considered going to graduate school during my junior year. I was not sure what to expect in graduate school, so I took part in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. For two months, I worked on drone communication security. At the time, I did not love the particular subject of my research project. However, I enjoyed the process of research. I was inspired by my peers and mentors who were creating new knowledge that the world had not previously known. I wanted to be part of a group of people that dedicated their lives to discovering new phenomena, thus I decided I wanted to be a researcher and applied to graduate schools.

Currently, my research is on collaborative problem solving. My research group uses computing to understand collaborative processes and how measurable signals such as eye gaze or facial features, relate to how well a collaboration is going. We use this knowledge on to design interventions that help problem solving teams collaborate better.

Why CU С��Ƶ?

I started graduate school at a different university. However, my advisor got a position at CU С��Ƶ. I did a lot of research on CU and learned about the cool projects happening in the Institute of Cognitive Science. I was particularly motivated by the research in education that happens across fields. There were so many opportunities for work related to my passions that CU seemed like the best place for me to be.

CU has a thriving education-related research community. I am passionate about improving education and have found that CU has many like-minded researchers who have similar goals. Additionally, CU offers unique opportunities to collaborate on multidisciplinary projects with experts outside my field. The Institute of Cognitive Science is one example of CU’s commitment to multidisciplinary research.

On a non-academic note, I love that there’s so much to do around CU. Anyone can easily find something they’ll enjoy, and there are lots of food options!

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"I have always been curious about trying to understand the science that underlies the meditation practices." - Abhijit Suresh

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 19:52:13 +0000

"I have always been curious about trying to understand the science that underlies the meditation practices." - Abhijit Suresh Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/13/2018 - 13:52

Name: Abhijit Suresh
Hometown: Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India
Advisors: R. McKell Carter (Neuroscience) and Michael Moser (Social Neuroscience and Games (SNaG) Lab)

My Path to Engineering

I grew up in the city of Coimbatore in the southern part of India. During my school days, I was fascinated by robots and how they work. I wanted to create a humanoid than can break through singularity and think like humans. I believe that the most challenging part of doing that is to understand how the human brains work.

Hailing from an orthodox brahmin family, I was introduced to meditation when I was very young. It was not only integrated with my 10 years of schooling but was also a part of undergrad program. I have always been curious about trying to understand the science that underlies the meditation practices. Since the circumstances did not favor me to pursue a career as a neuroscientist, I chose to study computer science. Over the years, I started exploring different subfields such as natural language processing, swarm intelligence, and neural networks. I enjoyed doing research and was eager to learn more. In an abstract way, my research interest can be described in a single term: machine learning.

Why CU С��Ƶ?

During the senior year of my undergrad program, I started thinking about applying to different graduate schools to explore my interest in machine learning. I decided to take a break before applying for graduate school. I worked as a software developer for Siemens for a year. Although I enjoyed working, it was very repetitive and did not motivate me to learn new skills. That is when I realized that I was more cut out for research than working in the industry.

I applied for the master’s program to eight different graduate schools including CU С��Ƶ (fall 2015). It was a no-brainer to choose CU over other universities when I received an admit. CU has an amazing program for both computer science and neuroscience. The term “amazing” is defined based on the professors, research publications, grants and national ranking.

After a year of my master’s program, I converted my masters to PhD. I felt very confident about finding the right advisor and lab to conduct my research. I’m currently working at the social neuroscience and games lab with Prof. McKell Carter analyzing fMRI or functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain states and cluster voxels that are specific to certain behavior. Ideally, I would be extending this technique to compare brain in normal state vs. meditative state. I’m also advised by Prof. Michael Mozer from computer science. I’m enrolled in the triple PhD program majoring in computer science, neuroscience and cognitive science. It is a multi-disciplinary program offered by the Institute of Cognitive Science at University of Colorado С��Ƶ. My research in machine learning and meditation very much aligns with the programs offered at the institute.

I love CU for more than one reason. There are different aspects to it. From the academic side, with professors like Michael Mozer who have been working with machine learning for more than 25 years, research is substantially productive. Rather than spending time on trivial things, I often end up spending time on challenging problems. The professors are very approachable and promote collaboration. The university provides plenty of resources. The academic program is designed in such a way that it promotes learning through projects and hands-on experience with software tools. You have the freedom to choose your courses from the different departments.

Besides academics, С��Ƶ is a college town with plenty of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and skiing It is always bustling with life and make you feel at home. The air is clean and there is a lot of greenery providing a healthy environment. The commuting is never a problem with buses to and from the airport and also within the town. You also have a wide variety of cuisines and food courts on campus which makes it easier to grab and go. There is always some event going on campus where you can participate. Also, we have an active graduate student association which plans events through the academic year (including the summer). The people are very welcoming and you end up having a lot of friends. My life at CU is all about work-life balance and the mountains!

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"The joke is on him! I still live my life, sometimes, dangerously optimistic." - Sarah Aguasvivas Manzano

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 19:40:39 +0000

"The joke is on him! I still live my life, sometimes, dangerously optimistic." - Sarah Aguasvivas Manzano Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/13/2018 - 13:40

Name: Sarah Aguasvivas Manzano
Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Advisor: Nikolaus Correll

My Path to Engineering

Growing up I wanted to be a professional tourist. I still wouldn’t be mad if that ends up being my line of work. I grew up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Watching my single mother accomplish her goals and conquer difficult challenges on her own made me develop the idea that I had no limit on the things I could dream and on my capabilities. I later decided I wanted to be an engineer. I was always told I was too soñadora (person who dreams too much). In fact, one day I mentioned I wanted to be an aerospace engineer to friends and someone mumbled the song “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics. The joke is on him! I still live my life, sometimes, dangerously optimistic.

I had a blast during my childhood and maybe that is why I never had trouble learning at school. My brother and I were on our own at home a lot while mom was working and we would build multiple things when we were not fighting, such as a cable railway system for our teddy bears using pulleys and hemp yarn, among other silly inventions. Inspired by a family friend I developed a strong interest in astronomy during my teenage years. I asked my mom to save the money for my Quinceañera party and instead give me a big telescope (8 inches, not so big). Later I taught myself some programming, which came in very handy later on.

Fast forward to my early adulthood, I learned about a program from Penn State called “2+2.” It consisted of attending a local university (INTEC) for my first two years of engineering school and then attending Penn State (Main Campus) to complete the major. They had majors that were not found in the Dominican Republic and that is when I got the opportunity to study aerospace engineering. During my uni years in Santo Domingo, I learned about building things, CAD modeling and multiple engineering tools and fell in love with making things.

I finished aerospace engineering at Penn State, but I did not think it was going to be easy for me to find a job in the fields that I was good at just yet because I am not a U.S. citizen, so I decided to go for my master’s degree.

During my master's studies in aerospace engineering, I started doing research on neural networks and built my own variable-architecture multilayer perceptron in C++ and also took multiple machine learning courses. While working on this field I realized I wanted to integrate my newly acquired machine learning skills to engineering problems, that is what made me decide to go for my PhD in computer science instead of staying in aerospace engineering. I ultimately want to combine robotics with aerodynamics. I found the Correll lab and loved the challenge of learning robotics and possibly applying what I have learned in the past about dynamics and aerodynamics to the field itself.

Why CU С��Ƶ?

I heard about CU С��Ƶ and the City of С��Ƶ and the landscapes here. I also heard great things about Colorado and CU’s aerospace engineering program. For some reason, I put CU С��Ƶ in my radar and did not actually apply to too many other schools. This was the place I wanted to live at for some reason unknown to me. I also did not have a contingency plan for the case that I got rejected either. I just assumed that’s where I was going to go. I am telling you I am dangerously optimistic sometimes. Fortunately, it all worked out.

I loved Pennsylvania but the weather was not my friend there. Even if it snows here I like it more than the East Coast as the tropical creature that I am. The sun is always out and … I don’t know … Colorado makes me happy.

CU is a great school, especially in engineering. What I love the most about CU is the ITLL and my lab. I feel very spoiled that I have at my disposition a lot of expensive equipment and machines thanks to the ITLL and my lab. I will never take that for granted. I also really like the graduate course availability and the CU computer science PhD program. I believe it sets you up for success and the program itself is shaped so you become a better researcher. I really enjoy the atmosphere in which you work too, the people are really positive and everyone is open to new ideas and collaborations. I also really recommend the graduate housing program. It is a great deal and very convenient. In my free time, I like to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at 10^th Planet С��Ƶ.

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Grad Student Profiles

"Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all the interesting work going on here, and sad that I can’t be a part of all of it at one time!" - Ethan Hanner

My Path to Engineering

Why CU С����Ƶ?

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"My faculty mentors understood my nontraditional experiences and were committed to supporting my vision." - Layne Hubbard

My Path to Engineering

Why CU С����Ƶ?

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"A low class, backwoods raised, metal drummer was about to become a scholar." - Kyle Reinholt

My Path to Engineering

Why CU С����Ƶ?

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"I wanted to be part of a group of people that dedicated their lives to discovering new phenomena." - Angela Stewart

My Path to Engineering

Why CU С����Ƶ?

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"I have always been curious about trying to understand the science that underlies the meditation practices." - Abhijit Suresh

My Path to Engineering

Why CU С����Ƶ?

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"The joke is on him! I still live my life, sometimes, dangerously optimistic." - Sarah Aguasvivas Manzano

My Path to Engineering

Why CU С����Ƶ?

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Why CU С��Ƶ?

Why CU С��Ƶ?

Why CU С��Ƶ?

Why CU С��Ƶ?

Why CU С��Ƶ?

Why CU С��Ƶ?