October 18, 2022
Experiential learning is a core tenant of the School of Computing and Information (SCI)’s commitment to providing its students with a comprehensive and well-rounded education. Real world opportunities in research and internships allow students to apply the skills and knowledge gained in the classroom, and to strengthen those skills to prepare them for a future beyond their undergraduate studies.
Thomas Downes, a senior studying Computer Science, is one student that has benefitted from the experiential learning opportunities offered within SCI. Downes has spent the last year participating in various research projects under the direction of SCI faculty members Dr. Jacob Biehl and Dr. Adam Lee.
“My favorite part has been the opportunity to broaden the research community’s collection of knowledge and to work cutting-edge technology I would otherwise not have access to,” Downes said about the opportunity to collaborate with faculty mentors on research that he is passionate about.
Downes’ research experience was focused on the field of Human-Computer Interaction, or HCI, which is the science of designing technologies for human use and understanding how people use technology. His research opportunity consisted of three main parts, including creating software and designing hardware to assist in the gathering of data, putting participants through studies to gain data, and assisting in the writing of papers summarizing the research findings.
About his work on the research, Downes said that “the research I have participated in will help to push the boundary of society’s understanding of HCI, as well as hopefully to inspire future related research.” Downes recently submitted a research paper to the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing, an international conference of Human-Computer Interaction.
Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Downes plans to pursue a master’s degree and possibly a PhD. “Being able to participate in research has given me a better understanding of what is involved in a PhD degree as well as what I could expect from a job doing research,” said Downes about his experiential learning opportunity.