Undergraduate Student Stories

CS graduating senior wins college academic engagement award

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2024 19:07:12 +0000

CS graduating senior wins college academic engagement award Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/07/2024 - 13:07

Grace Wilson

Ryan Slocum (CompSci'24) has received a 2024 graduating student academic engagement award from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

He was recognized by his nominators for his involvement with the President's Leadership Class, his supportive performance as a T.A., engagement with 3 internships and for the way that he modeled thoughtful discourse in his classes.

In addition, Slocum led a successful initiative to map the leadership landscape and ecosystem at CU Boulder for the Center for Leadership.

His nominators were impressed by Slocum's fearless desire to learn, his intellectual humility and excellence of execution while keeping a balanced perspective and sustainable lifestyle.

How did it feel to win this award?

I’m honored to have won the academic engagement award. I feel that it's a nice way to wrap up my time studying at CU, where I’ve been involved with a variety of programs and opportunities. Looking through the list of other college award winners, it’s a group I’m extremely proud to be a part of.

What is the most important lesson you've learned at CU Boulder?

I think the most important lesson I’ve learned at CU has been that it’s really important to try new stuff, especially the things that most scare you. That’s when growth happens, so it’s important to use those things that scare you as a sort of compass needle to becoming a better person.

What advice would you give to a younger you?

I think I would say the same thing as the above question: try new things, do stuff that scares you. You’ll only grow as a result.

Is there anyone you'd like to thank for helping you get to where you are now?

My parents have been extremely supportive, so they deserve my biggest thanks. I’ve also had some amazing professors during my time at CU, including Dr. Angela Thieman-Dino and Dr. Paul Diduch, who nominated me for this award. And my friends in the Presidents Leadership Class have been an amazing group to learn from and get to know over the last four years.

What's one of your personal or professional goals for the future?

Personal: I would like to compete in a 100 mile ultramarathon.
Professional: Earn a graduate degree in robotics, and work on something impactful and challenging in the robotics space.

Ryan Slocum has received an academic engagement award for his involvement with the president's leadership class, academic activities and work for the Center for Leadership.

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CS graduating senior wins college research award

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2024 18:25:18 +0000

CS graduating senior wins college research award Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/07/2024 - 12:25

Grace Wilson

Téa Wright (CompSci'24) has received a 2024 graduating student research award from the College of Engineering and Applied Science for her natural language processing (NLP) research with Katharina von der Wense.

Starting through the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), Wright worked on NLP for education with von der Wense, researching automatic story generation for vocabulary learning in preschool age children.

Wright then continued her research with the lab, working to create more inclusive NLP technologies for her undergraduate thesis.

Some human languages have smaller datasets available than others. This lack of data makes it harder to use statistical models which can understand and process text from these lower-resource languages to others simultaneously.

Wright's project explored digitizing Lakota and Dakota language datasets through optical character recognition (OCR) to improve the performance of these multilingual models, with a focus on how different errors from OCR impacted the performance of the models.

How did it feel to win this award?

I was honored to win this award! It is always amazing to see the realization of your effort and work.

What is the most important lesson you've learned at CU Boulder?

CU Boulder has taught me that it is important to seek out opportunities on your own. Professors and students are usually happy to talk to you about your common interests and help you figure out your concerns or questions. The community at CU has taught me to be more openly curious. The other important lesson Boulder has shown me is the importance of balancing academics with time spent with friends or in nature.

What advice would you give to a younger you?

I would tell my younger self not to stress about the specifics of what you want to do. Classes, mentors, and opportunities will help shape your goals and discover your interests. Settling on a specialty too early on can close doors, so take your time finding what is interesting and exciting to you!

What's important for people to know about you?

I’m a Boulder native :)

Is there anyone you'd like to thank for helping you get to where you are now?

I’d like to thank Professor Katharina von der Wense and my PhD student mentors Maria Valentini and Abteen Ebrahimi for helping me navigate my first experiences with research. They have changed the trajectory of my academic career and I am so grateful for their guidance over the past year.

What's one of your personal or professional goals for the future?

My next goal is to get my PhD in computer science and I ultimately hope to be a research scientist in a company where my work can have practical applications.

Téa Wright has been recognized for her natural language processing (NLP) research for education and endangered languages.

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CS capstone teams partner with company to build 'meaningful' tools

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:21:36 +0000

CS capstone teams partner with company to build 'meaningful' tools Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/25/2024 - 16:21

Grace Wilson

Left Photo: left to right, back to front: Row 1: Kevin Chen, Matthew Mayer, Row 2: Kyle Shi, Md Mahmud, Kevin Ash, Row 3: Parker Banks, Rui Wen, Igor Overchuk

Right Photo: left to right: Gabriel Freedberg, Jacob Shulman, Tony Weigand, Tyler Moll, Neil Patel, Luke Soderquist

For the past year, two CU Boulder computer science capstone teams have worked with Festo to create a product recognition tool and a virtual assistant.

Festo is a German company that produces and sells pneumatic and electrical control systems for process automation and provides technical training across many industries.

The product recognition tool allows users to take a picture of a Festo machine part to get a link to that part so they can replace and order parts that have lost identifying markers. The project involved building an image recognition pipeline that could match digital models of the parts with the photos.

The virtual assistant allows customers to have a conversation in real time with a 3D avatar that can provide documentation, order status and other customer service tasks via voice input. It combines large language models and database information to support customers.

Not just a test case

It was important to the sponsors that the 15 students involved in the projects work on something with real-world applications.

Diethard "Didi" Frank, Leader of Festo’s IT product management big data and AI, and one of the main touchpoints for the students, said, "What we are doing with the students is not just a test case. It's the first seed we plant, and we want to grow the projects much bigger, delivering real value to our business units across the globe."

This appreciation for utility was shared by the student project lead for the virtual assistant, Tony Weigand (CompSci'24), who said having a tangible product at the end of months of work was incredibly fulfilling.

Colin Gerson, the vice president for IT in the Americas for Festo, and another key contact for the students, explained that both projects align closely with Festo’s operational needs. "The capstone projects that we bring are meaningful for Festo, and we will use them. We won't just let them sit on a shelf as interesting learning experiences," he said.

Meeting expectations

To develop useful products, both student teams had to learn soft skills in team management and prioritization, as well as realistic expectation-setting and project-scoping when collaborating with the company.

Kevin Ash (CompSci'24), the student lead for the product recognition tool, said, "I've learned a lot about managing expectations and coming up with ideas that are feasible and can be completed using the resources we have."

Weigand, reflecting on his group's skills, said the project expanded the students’ ability to achieve goals.

"Being involved in this hands-on project has been super valuable," he said. "Reading about sprints and agile project management is very different from actually practicing them," he continued.

Gerson said that Festo helps the students understand project management coordination. "At the beginning of the project," he said, "when they're asked to create a project charter and milestones, they look a bit like deer in the headlights, but by the end, you can see that they've learned what to expect, and how to deliver."

Learning from one another

In order to surmount the challenging technical aspects of the project, both teams emphasized sharing knowledge and skill-building.

Working with his team, Weigand said, was very much a case of the sum being greater than its parts.

"Having different people with different areas of expertise provided a wealth of knowledge and capability, and our sponsor, Didi, was patient, helpful and accommodating," he said.

Ash also saw this in his team's work.

"There have been so many good ideas that we’ve been able to discuss," he said. "I feel like I’ve been getting a lot smarter just by being around the people in my group and hearing them discuss potential solutions to the problems we run into."

Frank said it's fun working together with the students.

"As we're coming to the end of the project, you see how the pieces are coming together," he said. "They distribute the work between one another and take the advice we give them. They're very enthusiastic about having a good and successful project at the end."

This past year, 15 students worked with Festo, a German automation and technical training company, to create a product recognition tool and a virtual assistant.

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CS students reflect on the 2024 National Society of Black Engineers' Annual Convention

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 20:36:11 +0000

CS students reflect on the 2024 National Society of Black Engineers' Annual Convention Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/25/2024 - 14:36

Grace Wilson

Photo caption: From left to right, back to front: Second Row: Abiriham Bitew, Abdirahman Ebiso, Algassimou Diallo and Robiel Kennedy, First Row: Albashir Ali, Bethlehem Belay, Mohamed Mohamedali and Aaron Asibbey.

The CU Boulder chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) recently had 35 of their members attend the 2024 NSBE Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

The annual conference provides workshops, panel discussions, a career fair and networking opportunities for NSBE members.

This is the largest group of students from the chapter that have attended the conference, with 35 students fully sponsored and $40,000 raised by the NSBE executive board through partnerships with the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering and the BOLD Center.

Among the convention-goers were seven students studying computer science, sponsored by the computer science department.

Conference Takeaways

Abiriham Bitew, NSBE chapter secretary, said he learned how to network better with industry representatives.

Alagassimou Diallo, NSBE chapter Pre-College Initiative (PCI) and Technical Outreach Community Help (TORCH) chair, said he learned how to work his personal brand.

"I realized that everything that I do reflects me," Diallo said. "So I made sure that my resume and the way I speak to recruiters and professionals is really on point, while also being my authentic self, letting companies know what they get when they get me."

For Robiel Kennedy, NSBE chapter fundraising chair, it was motivating seeing people from Google, Apple and other big tech companies giving presentations at workshops on how they achieved their goals.

Aaron Asibbey, NSBE member, said it was a reality check. "I thought it was just grades that mattered," he said. "But being at this conference was a wakeup call that showed me what I need to set myself up as a competitor. I feel like I wouldn't have seen that if I wasn't in NSBE."

Advice for future attendees

Diallo recommended that people attending the conference prepare by practicing their pitches to potential employers and be ready to pivot.

Asibbey agreed that practice was key. He had a strong resume, he said, but quickly realized that there's a difference between having the experience and being able to comfortably talk about it with other people.

Bitew said to have confidence, even if you're less experienced.

"I feel like a lot of first-years doubt themselves," he said. "But I've personally seen friends that were first-years and they got internships and offers, so I'll just say, don't doubt yourself."

NSBE's impact

"NSBE means support." Bitew said. "I feel like everyone in NSBE is trying to help you succeed in some way. NSBE helped me get my first internship. It's helping me get interviews right now. I feel like NSBE is there to help you continue to grow."

Diallo said NSBE is dedicated to improving his academic, professional, emotional and social wellbeing through workshops and events, everything from study sessions for finals to a recent Family Feud night.

"NSBE has had a really prominent impact on my life. It's all about camaraderie and development," Diallo said.

Kennedy said that the trip also brought the chapter closer together, with members building each other up to prepare for the career fair and networking events.

Asibbey said he felt being part of the NSBE environment has given him a new type of motivation to excel in different ways as an engineer.

Why computer science?

Kennedy got interested in computer science in high school.

"I had a friend in my math class and I bet him 30 bucks that he couldn't guess my phone password. In 15 minutes, he made a Python algorithm and guessed my password based on two numbers. He showed me the terminal and we went through all the code. I was like, dang, this is pretty cool stuff."

For Bitew, his introduction to computer science was also in high school. He made a computer text-based game his senior year and realized computer science could elevate his creativity.

"You can bring whatever you want into real life by coding," he said.

Diallo is more interested in the applications of computer science, particularly in healthcare. "I think it's very malleable. There are a lot of opportunities with it. I want to continue and stick with it and see what I can do to make my impact," he said.

Asibbey is also interested in applications of computer science, including supporting his family's healthcare business, but he also appreciates the flexibility of the major.

"I chose to major in computer science because with this knowledge andwon't be limited to one thing, one path. I feel like the beauty behind computer science is that you can choose the route that is favorable to you and run with it," he said.

NSBE members studying computer science talk about their conference experience, NSBE's impact and why they're interested in computer science

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Nathan Khazam: climbing and coding

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:42:08 +0000

Nathan Khazam: climbing and coding Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/19/2023 - 13:42

Nathan Khazam, a dedicated bouldering enthusiast and computer science student, sat down with Cybernews to discuss his academic interests, how he is navigating university life and what motivates him to hone his craft.

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Nazhoné Morgan: Code and Culture

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 22:04:23 +0000

Nazhoné Morgan: Code and Culture Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/16/2023 - 15:04

Grace Wilson

Nazhoné Morgan

When senior Nazhoné Morgan first considered computer science, it was through shadowing a marketing vice president at a web and app development company.

Morgan, who uses he/she/they pronouns, watched the intricate process of moving a concept from design through launch.

"I'm a very crafty person, and I thought that web development was a good middle ground between technology and creativity," they said.

However, as they have gone through their studies at the �鶹��Ƶ, their passions have deepened and widened into such spheres as cybersecurity, network systems and app development.

A large array of computer science

In their cybersecurity class, Morgan has been learning how to hack.

"I think that it's really cool to manipulate how code works and think outside of the box in order to take advantage of it," they said.

Their appreciation for network systems has been fueled by joining the First Nations Launch through CU Boulder's chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES).

"I had to teach myself avionics from scratch," they explained. Avionics — the term for electronic instruments used in aviation and astronautics — control the remote deployment of multi-stage rockets, such as the one AISES launched this past April.

"It was so cool being able to have the freedom to do what I wanted," they said. The launch was successful and won the group a grand prize trip to the Kennedy Space Center.

Through the ATLAS Institute, where they minor in creative technology and design, Morgan is also working with Teaching Assistant Professor Annie Margaret on an app. The app's goal is to help people reflect on their values, which meshes well with Morgan’s other minor in philosophy.

"I'm excited for when we actually get to launch and I can see my work in an app that anyone can download," they said.

An overflow of community

Morgan's journey through CU Boulder has been made easier by their fiance, their AISES community and meeting mentors like NASA's Aaron Yazzie.

"My fiance has been there through my entire college education. They're supportive of everything I do and they've helped me go out and try fun things. I really appreciate them and I love them," Morgan said.

Morgan tried to go to AISES as a first-year student, but they were just too busy. Later on, when they started going to every meeting, they were struck by what a welcoming and tight-knit group the club was.

"It's so cool to meet a nice little community like AISES and connect over indigenous identities and everything, especially because at CU I rarely see indigenous people," Morgan said.

Biomedical engineering student Evie Clark and Kaylan Madrid, an aerospace and women’s studies major, from the AISES leadership team also helped Morgan network with people from NASA, including Aaron Yazzie, a Navajo (Diné) mechanical engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Pointing to Indigenous identity

Morgan's grandparents and parents were discouraged from embracing their indigenous identities due to racism and discrimination. However, in Morgan's life, this forced assimilation has begun to lift. Their parents took them to powwows and other cultural events, and they began to learn more about their own history.

In high school, wanting to connect more with their culture, they started an Indigenous Culture Club with the Adams County K-12 school district. And as time has gone on, they said they feel more connected to their identity as Navajo (Diné) and Apsáalooke.

"I've started incorporating the community's teachings into my everyday life, and it's had a really positive effect on my personal life and how I feel about myself," Morgan said. "I think it's important for members of the indigenous diaspora to know that they don't have to feel disconnected from the community. Even if you didn't grow up with the culture, you still have time to learn."

Morgan is currently learning to speak Navajo, and they want to learn how to dance fancy shawl at powwows.

When asked about their own future, they say they just want to be happy.

"I know that I want to travel. I want to learn about other cultures. I want to learn about my own culture. I just want to live a life where I feel fulfilled and I feel like I'm doing the right things. I don't know where exactly I'm going, but I'm going somewhere and hopefully I'll be happy," they said.

When asked about the larger world, Morgan said they believe it's time to listen to indigenous voices.

"Educate yourselves about the ongoing genocide and colonization of indigenous people, and understand that colonizers are not always going to tell the truth," they said.

Nazhoné Morgan, a computer science senior, is exploring fields like cybersecurity, avionics and app development. They also actively connect with their Navajo (Diné) and Apsáalooke heritage through the CU Boulder chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and aim for a future filled with learning, travel and cultural understanding.

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Computer Science in top 20 Best Undergraduate Computer Science programs

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 16:44:07 +0000

Computer Science in top 20 Best Undergraduate Computer Science programs Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/25/2023 - 10:44

U.S. News & World Report ranked our Department of Computer Science at number 16 in the Best Undergraduate Computer Science rankings, when compared to public institution peers.

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CS student also international frisbee dog competitor

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 16:40:38 +0000

CS student also international frisbee dog competitor Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/07/2023 - 10:40

Grace Wilson

Top photo caption: AJ Juenemann and Woah Nelly in the field with Nelly leaping for a frisbee at the UFO World Cup Frisbee Dog Series

Alexander "AJ" Juenemann (CS'25) and his canine companions, Trip and Woah Nelly, competed in a world championship, the Ashley Whippet Invitational (AWI) World Finals, over Labor Day weekend. They will also be competing in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Finals on Sept. 29 and 30.

Nelly, a twice-rescued dog, originally came to Juenemann through a 90-day trial.

“The family fostering her told us they would drive her all the way to us just to see if we could take her," he said.

Despite her rough start, Juenemann says Woah Nelly is “an amazing dog capable of great things.”

"She might not be a perfect dog, but through her eyes, I see the world so differently," he said. This is also one of the reasons the computer science student said he loves his academic field, especially cybersecurity.

"Both with the dogs and in computer science, I love trying to do what no one else is thinking about," Junemann said.

His favorite part of the frisbee competitions is freestyle, a portion of the event set to music where dogs and humans move together in their own choreographed set of throws and catches.

Juenemann, who is now sponsored by Hero Disc USA, started throwing frisbees with his first dog, Trip, in high school. Back then, he could only dream about attending televised freestyle disc dog championships.

He says that his passion is only possible due to the support of his family and friends and his sponsorship. He flies to competitions between exams and homework assignments while his mother drives his dogs across the country to meet him there.

"She likes to joke that she was so excited to be done chauffeuring my sister and me to soccer when we were 16, only to have to start driving my dogs around," he said. She also, he adds, has a “best frisbee dog mom” shirt, which he thinks is hilarious.

On top of regional, national and global freestyle disc dog competitions, Jueneman is heavily involved in the CU Boulder community. He's a member of the Engineering Honors Program and has been an engineering fellow since sophomore year. He's also a member of the cybersecurity club on campus.

When asked how he stays motivated academically, he said he has help from his canine friends.

"When I go home on the weekends to see the dogs, I don't want them staring at me while I do homework,” he said. “I want to be out there with them, practicing."

Alexander "AJ" Juenemann (CS'25) and his canine companions, Trip and twice-rescued Woah Nelly, balance a life of freestyle disc dog competitions across the country with intensive cybersecurity education. Juenemann says the dogs help him keep motivated and his friends, family and sponsor help make it all possible.

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CU Engineering offers debt-free degrees for first-gen Pell-eligible Colorado students

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 16:29:41 +0000

CU Engineering offers debt-free degrees for first-gen Pell-eligible Colorado students Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/14/2023 - 10:29

The CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science has announced a new program to provide debt-free education along with academic and mentoring support for all incoming first-generation Pell-eligible students from Colorado.

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See who's recruiting for Fall 2024!

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 21:22:23 +0000

See who's recruiting for Fall 2024! Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/04/2023 - 15:22

Explore opportunities in graduate computer science education and research at CU Boulder, and learn more about what student life is like in the department.

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