If someone
had told an 18-year-old me that I would get the chance to develop an App with brilliant
people before completing college, I probably would have responded with an
awkward, sarcastic, “Ha ha, uh, sure thing.” My dream about becoming a software
engineer was something I could never have predicted achieving, both the opportunity
and the capability.
Before I even knew how to write the first
“Hello World!” program, I always expected myself to work with computers and I
had wanted to take part in creating something important. Thanks to Dr. Deborah Sturm
of the Computer Science department, I got that opportunity after enrolling in
CSI’s CS program, and it was time for me to stop daydreaming and start doing.
I spent much time and effort learning and practicing as much as possible,
and was very fortunate to have my work noticed by Dr. Sturm. I started helping
with bug-hunting and examining UX, then began to work more deeply on one of Dr.
Sturms current projects once I progressed further in my studies.
The goal
of the App is a serious game, something that could be used as a research tool
and emotion-recognition trainer. It allows researchers to create games for
children to play that are on the autism spectrum. By playing, researchers can
extrapolate all kinds of data, especially data on a phenomenon called over-selectivity,
where a specific aspect of a situation is focused on and everything else
ignored, and players can practice to better match and recognize emotions.
This App
may not be very large scale yet (though that depends on the data the App helps to
find), but this is something that can really help make a difference in some
people's lives. Not only have I had this great opportunity to create something useful,
I learned so much along the way, be it programming concepts and design
patterns, using technology new to me, or requirement gathering and planning
during meetings with researchers. It has really been an experience.
Only by
always pushing to understand more, and and by being fortunate enough to be surrounded
by such incredibly intelligent and kind students, professors, and advisors, was
it possible for me to have had the opportunity to take part in something so
important. I am extremely thrilled and grateful for all these experiences. This
all has been in part thanks to the extremely friendly and supportive Verrazzano
School (I practically have Cheryl on speed dial with how often she has helped
me), allowing me to focus more on this project. Finally, of course, I would
like to deeply thank Dr. Sturm for giving me the opportunity to work with her.
This has really been a massively impactful experience, and I cannot express
enough how wonderful it has all been.
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