Submissions

jam200020

jam200020@utdallas.edu

I chose UTD because it is a tier 1 research institution. I want to contribute to our collective knowledge rather than just absorb it as I have been doing in classes. I have some experience with research being in ACM Research but I would like to get more real-world experience.

NLP is very interesting and extremely useful. In addition, I enjoy social media and the societal factors that lead to conspiracy theories. I find it very important to combat misinformation online to promote a better society.

I am currently in ACM Research on a project of classifying genres using convolutional networks under the faculty guidance of Dr. Feng Chen. Last semester I was in the AIM (AI Mentorship) program where I learned the basics of artificial intelligence, including neural networks, and trained a neural network to crack a specific type of CAPTCHAs and deployed it on Heroku using a Flask website . In addition, this summer I have an internship at Noblis working on the Knowledge Spark NSR (Noblis Sponsored Research), which will utilize a graph database to create a context-aware integration with Microsoft Teams, similar to a virtual assistant. There will be AI on this project although I’m not sure how much I’ll work with it as an intern.

I will be working to grow in my artificial intelligence expertise by taking classes and pursuing research and personal projects. I hope I can contribute on this project and gain great experience.

PXG200018

harsha.gurram@utdallas.edu

I love the research topic of understanding the impact of fake news better to be able to better combat it in the future. I am also considering pursuing further education in data science and I think this research program will help me better understand if a P.H.D is the right path for me.

As someone who frequents social media websites and follows the news, I know misconceptions about COVID-19 have caused major harm within many communities. It caused asian hate crimes to reach an all time high, it caused many people to not vaccinate, and generated hate around the world. I think understanding the impact of this misinformation spread over the last year is important in combating future fake news that will come out over the next few years.

Over the past few semesters, I have learned how to use Python and libraries like numpy, pandas, seaborn to work with and understand data. I built a small trading algorithm to identify previous opportunities to invest based on criteria given any 2 securities. Additionally, it identifies whether you should implement the strategy in the present day given 2 securities. However, I have a low amount of experience in implementing advanced ML concepts.

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sxs200232

sxs200232@utdallas.edu

The primary reason why I am interested in doing research is to be able to expand my knowledge. I want to pursue AI/ML in the future, and being able to work in a lab is an excellent way for me to learn more. As of right now, I have an understanding of common ML algorithms, but I want to take this to the next level by being able to apply these concepts towards a long term relevant project to further my understanding and curiosity. Additionally, surrounding myself with like-minded individuals and people smarter than me to work towards a goal is a unique opportunity.

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This project is particularly interesting to me because I have found myself subject to various COVID-19 misinformation articles. When confronted with conflicting information, I personally was confused as to what I believed and had my previous notions challenged. This, along with the hands-on application of NLP Models towards this is definitely an interesting notion. I believe that working with a project that has specific relevance to my life as well as being able to learn more about the applications of machine learning towards real world applications such as these is something that I would love to contribute to.

Right now, I am participating in the AI Mentors program, a semester-long program where I will gain the experience of working hands-on in a team-based ML pipeline. I am currently working on creating a search engine for the GitHub Discussion board, working with NLP tools such as Hugging Face models as well as frameworks including PyTorch, Lightning Flash, and PyTorch Lightning. Additionally, I have worked on creating personal small-scale projects using datasets from the UCI Machine Learning Repository, including the breast cancer tumor dataset, car dataset, and student dataset.

I believe that I am an excellent candidate for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I have a keen interest in AI/ML and that interest is why I am pursuing a computer science degree. I have fostered this passion by learning more about ML in my free time and developed simple projects but I want to work on larger, more applicable projects. Furthermore, my strong work ethic will ensure that my contributions are punctual while maintaining premier quality. I would consider this lab as a priority as I want to fully benefit from working on something I enjoy. Finally, I have a strong collaborative mindset. I recognize the importance of cooperation through my experiences in a debate partnership, working on hackathons, and a myriad of other teams, and I can help create an atmosphere that fosters productivity and connectivity amongst a team of like-minded individuals.

ssb180006

ssb180006@utdallas.edu

While initially conflicted about the idea, I became more interested in research after taking CS 4V98: Undergraduate Research in Computer Science during fall 2021. I learned a great deal about what actually happens in research. Many major components of computer science and ideas in industry arise from a basis in research. Researchers at companies and in academia have explored, tinkered with, and perfected many of the tools and technologies we use today in computer science. But there are also researchers who strive to gather data, discover trends and patterns, and use these patterns to help define the world around us. I am very interested in this kind of research, of which many tenets of NLP fall under. I want to help people make more sense of the world around us. I also believe that research would help me greatly with effectively conveying my ideas and the work I do to the peers, professionals, and even non-academic individuals.

I’m primarily interested the practicality of this project. Covid19 changed the entire social climate of the world in 2020. I doubt that any person would view the world the same way as it was before 2020. I want to understand the process of change that occurred during the height of the Covid19 pandemic. What brought about these changes in which we view the world. Why do these changes have such a lasting impact on the future? One of the main components of the process include the rise of conspiracy theories surrounding the origin of the virus, the application of the vaccine, the methods employed by the government to mitigate the virus, etc. Why was there a rise in conspiracy theories regarding Covid19 and did this spread to non-virus related topics. I believe this project will lay the foundation for answering the questions I, and perhaps many others, have asked. I also believe I have the requirements necessary to succeed in this project. So I know I can efficiently apply my skills and knowledge to complete this project. I am also highly interested in the opportunities that could arise after the completion of the project: whether that is a clearer path towards graduate school, research in industry or connections made with faculty and students in academia.

In terms of coursework, I have taken CS 4375: Introduction to Machine Learning, CS 4314: Intelligent Systems Analysis, and CS 4V98: Undergraduate Research in Computer Science. In fact, it was the research class that expanded my interest in research. I worked on an NLP project with Dr. Rishabh Iyer under the guidance of Nathan Beck and Suraj Kothawade. The project goal was to extend the team’s DISTIL active learning toolkit (which worked primarily for image classification) to sentiment classification. Me and my project partner used 2 datasets from Huggingface, a Twitter sentiment dataset and a poem sentiment dataset, and ran them variations of LSTM models using Bag of words and GloVe embeddings as well as a BERT model through Pytorch libraries. Then, we implemented the DISTIL toolkit to function with the LSTM and BERT models to perform a sentiment classification task. We are able to meet benchmark standards for the LSTM and BERT models for the semester-long project. Currently, I am also working on a voice-based sentiment analysis project for CS 4485: Computer Science Project.

I want to go to graduate school for a Master’s in Computer Science. However, I also want to work in industry. Therefore, I have been looking into research positions in Industry such as those offered by Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and countless other companies. I hope that undergraduate research and a potential Master’s degree would prepare me well for research in industry.

vjm180001

vidhi.mehta@utdallas.edu

I have explored the corporate environment and would like to have experience in the research environment so that I can figure out where my interests lie before I graduate from university. I am also currently taking a grad level NLP course (CS 6320) which has peaked my interest in the field and I am looking to gain some experience applying NLP tools to real-world scenarios.

In the world where we are surrounded by false information and data, it is so important to help an end user identify whether what they are reading is even real. This is what initially got me excited about this project. I see that this lab requires experience with PyTorch and Tensorflow. Although, I have used these tools a few times, I am looking to gain more experience with them. I also hope to gain some real research lab experience.

I am currently taking NLP and AI courses and I have already taken an ML course last semester. I have extensive experience using Python. Through hackathons, I have also gained experience working on some data science projects. Although, I don’t have any NLP specific projects, I am excited to use this opportunity to learn more about it.

I do have experience using Tensorflow for a smart security system project I did a few years back where I was able to using face detection to alert the homeowner if there is a trespasser at the door.

mlf200000

mlf200000@utdallas.edu

In class, I sometimes observe the professors teaching and think to myself, “I could do that.” I know that being a professor usually requires a PhD, so the idea of pursuing one has been in my head for some time now. Research seems to be an enriching experience, and I would like to try it and see if it’s for me, since that’s the only way I can know for sure. And, no matter what I decide to pursue, I know I would learn a lot from engaging in research.

I am naturally very intrigued by the concept of AI, where patterns sort of “float to the top” through the use of refined techniques to find trends in data. Also, working on toward the goal of computers understanding the world around them would be neat.

I have created a basic tic-tac-toe AI using machine learning, an algorithm-based AI for connect 4, and have worked with Python and Google Colab during my time as an AIM mentee. I am also familiar with machine learning and deep learning theory because of AIM. I also made a basic program last semester to tokenize a short passage and give it a sentiment analysis score using scores for each word and a limited number of special rules, such as “very” or “not” either increasing or negating the value of a word.

More general than my interest in AI, I am often absorbed in thinking about optimizing things or making them more efficient, like my route to a certain place, getting multiple things every time I go to the store, not keeping extra chrome tabs open and clearing clutter, and organizing everything (but of course I make sure to my whole desk, because accessing local storage is more efficient than something I have to open a drawer for).

Also, I have wondered whether it would be beneficial to convert English into a pseudolanguage that resembled the grammar of a programming language, with some fields requiring uncertainty, but having the option to use context to choose the most relevant guess. An example could be the sentence “I like walking my cool dog to the park” turns into “I → enjoy → walk [ (my(cool*(dog)), toward the(park**) ]” *most likely cool as in epic instead of temperature because it is the most common use of the word **most likely park with grass instead of verb since no cars are mentioned. Since programming languages often use multiple conversions to reach machine language, I figured converting English would help a computer to understand it better.

axk190108

axk190108@utdallas.edu

I have been enamored with the field of research, not only because it’s on the cusp of ground-breaking work, but also as a personal outlet to express my interest in the world around me. It’s amazing that the research never stops, and that there’s always going to be something for me to discover out there. In the little research that I’ve done, I have seen first-hand the relentless nature of researchers in their efforts to pull back the curtain on the world’s biggest problems. My experiences with research so far have been transformative, it’s lit the fire in me to keep persisting for my goals. I'm devoted to the long hours and little pay, because I strongly believe that research is my oyster to the world.

As a CS major also minoring in biology, I’m enthralled by the intersection of medicine and computer science. I strive to use my unique skillsets in both medicine and computer science to improve medical outcomes for both patients and healthcare providers. COVID misinformation is a major societal problem, not just for the scientific community, but for the general populace in the last two years. I’m intrigued by how NLP can be used to solve large real-world problems, such as misinformation, and how I can utilize these methods in my future research. This project is unique to me in that it incorporates ML/DL concepts to primarily conduct research, instead of how I’ve only applied ML/DL to process automation. I aspire to gain insight, not only into how to set up NLP experiments, but also how to implement it to get the best possible results.

I currently work as a researcher in the Lumata Laboratory on campus under Dr. Lloyd Lumata. There my focus is on studying the metabolism of cancer cells. In addition to Dr. Lumata’s projects, I am currently working on writing code to automate several lab processes, such as NMR peak picking and pH balancing. The NMR peak picking project is an image-recognition project in which peaks on a C13 NMR machine are auto assigned while the pH balance project attempts to predict how much acid/base should be added to a sample to neutralize its pH.

I believe that my endeavors in research thus far have molded me into a researcher capable of this project. I have experience in conducting research and in implementing ML/DL projects. I believe that my skills in both computer science and biology align with the purpose of the Human Language Technology Research Institute (HLTRI), the sponsor of this project. I hope that this opportunity can further aid me in possible future ventures with the HLTRI as well as set my career in research further along the right track.

rmi190000

I want to have symbolic analytical work. I want to use the latest technology to improve people's quality of life. Working on the research, you need to improve and use powerful skills, technology, and tools. The standard type of job is often repetitive and boring, and you have to work on stuff you are not interested in. I have little patience for doing dry tedious office work. I am doing research in Machine Learning. I favorite and hardest is to build and test new model , idea and application.

I am interested in applying Deep Learning Natural Language Processing in the real world. I know the project where I can impact people's life. Furthermore, I will be working with intelligent people.

I have used scikit-learn for data preprocessing. I use PyTorch, NumPy, pandas, PyTorch lighting to create machine learning for my Semiconductor Research. I am an Officer of the Artificial Intelligence Society at UTD. Currently, I am responsible for being a mentor whose responsibility is to lead a team to implement a Machine Learning Model aligned with industry standards. For this project, the team will implement a Differential privacy pipeline, Information Retrieval, and SOTA NLP transformers using the Hugging Face Library.

My parent raises my sibling and me in a multilingual household. My dad ( graduate with a master's in Information Study in America) and mom speak four languages. At the same time, my grandma lives with us. She speaks three languages. However, she is illiterate. Mom wants me to speak better in our share ethnic language. At the same time, my grandma got better at Arabic. Her approach is to try to speak Arabic.

I worked on research with a Ph.D. student and sending to IEEE.

My favorite linguist is Noam Chomsky.

amz200002

amz200002@utdallas.edu

I haven’t done research before, so I wanted to try out something new. I feel like this will be a great opportunity to get my feet wet and really experience what the artificial intelligence field is really about, all while gaining valuable experience doing research.

The project actually seems very interesting to me because of how unique it seems. The fact that a model is being trained to look for conspiracy theories about COVID-19 through twitter is something that I have never really seen before. I feel like this will have a lot of applications, as misinformation is pervasive and a very detrimental shortcoming of social media platforms today. Additionally, I don’t really have experience with developing a natural language processing model, so I feel like this project will help me gain experience in actually developing and training a machine learning model.

Although I do not have much experience in actually making an Artificial Intelligence application, I have done a lot of research on the topic, and I find it really interesting. I understand many of the concepts that are presented when it comes to neural networks and various machine learning algorithms. Also, I am currently apart of ACM projects, so I have a lot of experience developing an application in a group setting. I can work really well with other group members. Additionally, I am very comfortable in various programming languages, especially python, and I am familiar with some of the machine learning frameworks that are available in python, such as Tensorflow and Keras.

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sxm200218

sxm200218@utdallas.edu

I am interested in research becuase I want to be at the forefront of knowledge and discovery. Even if the ideas I discover are minute, I still take pride in the fact that I am one of the only people on Earth that knows about it. I am on the border between the known and the unknown, and I am helping in pushing that border forward. Specifically, I want to combine the seemingly disparate fields of healthcare and computer science, especially medicine and machine learning/artificial intelligence. Almost all contemporary discussions in AI state that healthcare will be one of the last fields that is automated due to the sheer complexity of the human body and the vast variety of available treatments that need to be personalized for each patient. And while I agree with that sentiment, I still want to accelerate the integration of the two fields due to its many potential benefits. Doctors having extremely smart assistants on their fingertips during treatments and operations, pharmaceutical companies having programs that can craft chemical treatments for illnesses that are currently impossible to treat, and EMS having a second hand in the ambulance to help keep patients with critical health alive longer are just some of the infinite possibilities that can revolutionize human health. Even though these ideas currently seem far-fetched, idealistic, and something a science-fiction book would have, I want to make discoveries that would get us there. I want to be one of the stepping stones during the long journey towards that future.

I am interested in this specific project because I am fascinated by the ability of false articles to so easily influence such a large number of people. Such conspiracy groups that claim to “question reality” have existed in fringe corners of the Internet since well before the pandemic; however, the pandemic allowed those groups and ideals to attract many more people. I want to learn how this happened. It is exciting that the study has already discovered that the theories flourished due to a combination of uncertainty, mixed-messaging, social isolation, and existing mistrust of the government, so I hope to be able to discover the details of why so many people flocked toward these conspiracy theories. I am also eager to discover its effects on current events and the world in general using analysis of the semantic spaces of the threats. How much change did the conspiracy groups and their articles bring? How can we reverse that change? The knowledge discovered through this study will allow public health officials to gain a deeper insight into how to combat such misinformation and attract more people toward scientific values. Moreover, I want to join this project because I want to learn about machine learning and artificial intelligence. I do not have much experience with this field, but I want to gain as much knowledge about it as possible in order to fulfill my goals. Through this study, I will learn how machine learning programs interpret, analyze, and filter the hundreds of gigabytes of data on Twitter (and the Internet in general) into coherent, relevant information.

I am interested in this project becuase my favorite subjects (and ones that I have experience in) are computer science and health studies, and as I stated earlier, a project that gives me the chance to join those two. In computer science, I have experience coding in Scratch, Java, and Dart, and I have studied some basic concepts of machine learning on my own. In Scratch, I made a program that quizzed different parts of the body, plant, animal cell, and plant cell as part of a presentation on the benefits of Scratch for introduction CS education. In Java, I made a program that acted as a vocabulary learning tool for the translation and definition of Spanish words as part of an online coding competition across US high schools. Its features included randomized questions and repetition based on commonly missed words/translations. Also in Java, I made a basic tic-tac-toe program that can be played between two users. In Dart, I am working on coding an anxiety attack relief app with three friends. Its differentiating feature is its attack log, a short quiz that users with anxiety attacks can take during or after their attacks. It contains short, multiple choice questions about their attack. The answers are then used to analyze, over time, common attack triggers, common locations/scenarios that cause attacks, and more. That project combines my interests, just like this study. In health studies, I have experience in biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and biological research, all of which are relevant for this study. Specifically, for biological research, I have performed my own research study during senior year of high school regarding natural therapies to increase oxygen level in the body in order to strengthen immune system as a defense for diseases such as COVID-19, so I have previous knowledge regarding facts versus myths about COVID-19.

Hello! My name is Suvel Muttreja. I am a 17 year old immigrant that moved to the United States from India with my mom and dad when I was 8. Since then, I have faced a multitude of hardships, from constant relocation (forcing me to live in over 6 different states since I immigrated), to limited opportunities, to the threat of deportation. However, I have overcome all obstacles with the support of my parents and friends, and I will be sure to work just as hard with complete dedication for the success of this project!

PXL200016

PXL200016@utdallas.edu

To help develop a novel idea or algorithm to implement a very useful tool for society.

I would like to be in the data processing aspect, as in, after we receive the data from various data sources I would like to develop the model to organize this into useful information

I have experience in backend and frontend development. I have worked and am currently working in projects with Node JS and React front end. I also have experience in using Python for Deep Learning. The technologies I know in that are Tensorflow and Pytorch. I used these technologies to predit Ocean Plastic Pollution using a Transformer network. I also understand the Julia Programming language and it’s technologies such as Flux.jl, Plots.jl, TextAnalysis.jl, etc.

I am an avid learner, and love to learn new technologies. I always like to create fresh projects and love to work on new technologies that I don’t know before.

cxs190047

cxs190047@utdallas.edu

The primary reason why I want to perform research is that I find this area to be more intellectually challenging that general software engineering. So, I’d like to take upon this opportunity to explore more of computer science research.

I am keen to join this research project as I am interested in exploring Natural Language Processing. I am also naturally curious to figure out the conspiracies that have emerged surrounding COVID. Moreover, I value the additional mentorship available during the process as I see this as an opportunity to learn about research methodologies.

I have exposure to Python, but I am new to Machine Learning. However, I would be available to put in extra effort during the program to address any knowledge gaps.

I understand students with ML background are positioned better for this opportunity. I would just like to note that, given the chance, I can acquire the skills necessary for this role without compromising on the productivity levels as an researcher. Looking forward to the next steps.

abk200001

abk200001@utdallas.edu

I would like to continue my expansion of Computer Science skills to different areas.

I think the project has a lot of interesting technical challenges (PyTorch, Twitter API, neural data modeling) which I would love to take a crack at.

Most of my programming experience is through Onshape’s FeatureScript language, which is a programming language used to automate 3D modeling workflows, which I’ve written in extensively for both personal projects and work through my internship. I’ve also dabbled with Python, JavaScript, C++, and other languages through various personal projects and robotics, which has given me experience with linux, python, and other various programming skills. Lastly, I have a strong record of project documentation, both in code and external, including various contributions to my robotics team, facilitating our success with judged awards in 2020 and 2021.

I have a strong background in clean, well documented code, and a demonstrated ability to learn new skills and languages quickly and with little to no outside assistance. Accordingly, I think I would be able to adapt quickly to contribute effectively to this project, especially given my willingness to devote time and resources to making this project a success.

RSP180007

rsp180007@utdallas.edu

I’ve been mostly involved in development and operations thus far in my career, and the research work I’ve been able to do with Nova at UTD recently has inspired me to start pursuing research.

I actually have experience recently with webscraping and speech analysis. I enjoy doing things that actually can make a difference or answer a question, and being able to work with NLP is something I’ve been interested in. The recent hackathon at UTD, we did something similar to NLP with sentiment analysis for trading, and this project can give me a strong foundation to help with the goals that this lab seeks to accomplish.

I’ve used Pytorch and Tensorflow before. I have experience with nearly every facet of development, and have strong foundations in being able to sort through and analyze big data. The hackathon I mentioned before in which we used sentiment analysis, we placed 2nd for the Goldman Sachs award.

I pride myself on being able to learn things quickly, I’m sure I can be a valuable addition to the lab in whatever capacity is necessary.

eth210000

eth210000@utdallas.edu

Growing up, my favorite section of the National Geographic kids magazine was the fun facts section. I loved reading about the obscure discoveries some biologists had made in the Amazon, or the new wonky space behavior cosmologists were puzzled by. Oftentimes, in elementary school I would hide the magazine under my desk, so I could puzzle around with the facts and postulate why some species had developed the unique mutation it did, or what stellar entities may have caused such behavior to occur. Looking back, it’s obvious nearly my entire 3rd grade catalog of speculation on these matters was wrong (turns out a 3rd grader with no higher education isn’t smarter than the world’s leading scientists!), but while my interests and methods have changed; one thing hasn’t. I am still fervently curious about exploring the world around me and finding the basis for the unexplained and unknown. I’m interested in doing research for the same reason I spent most of my hours in elementary school daydreaming and theorizing; I want to find answers where there aren’t currently any. College is an amazing opportunity to do this, as it provides a formal and structured way to explore these questions. While I don’t have much formal experience in academic research, my passion for the fields of science, math, and economics provides me with many questions I’d like to one day answer, and the passion to help others find the answers to their questions.

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One reason I am interested in this project specifically is that coming from an Asian American background, I remember many of the more racially poignant conspiracies that were spread especially in the early days of the pandemic. The Stop Asian Hate movement that formed in response to many Asian hate crimes in the early days of the pandemic is clear evidence that conspiracies and misinformation online can “spill over” into real world effects. Another clear real-world effect of this misinformation has been the low vaccination rate among certain groups of Americans. I am also interested in this project, as I would like to study how social media affects psychological phenomena such as group polarization, and how this might’ve led to the aforementioned low vaccination rate. Dissecting how specific groups on platforms such as Facebook may have been started and how they grew may give us key insight on preventing the spread of misinformation and conspiracies in the future.

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I am relatively new to the field of CS and ML, although I have experience with most of the basic concepts, and have done a research project for high school in the past, I still feel I have much to learn about the field.

I think this project is very interesting, and given the increasing prevalence of social media in our life, it has become more important than ever to learn how social media can be used in negative ways. I understand that many applicants will likely be more qualified than myself, but I am always ready to learn new skills and I’m sure I could contribute something positive to your team.