[Student Profile]
GPA: 3.95
SAT/ACT: 1600
Academic focus/Extracurricular activities: comp sci, history, science fair, machine learning
[Prompt & Essay]
Explain your interest in the major you selected and describe how you have recently explored or developed this interest, inside and/or outside the classroom. You may also explain how this major relates to your future career goals. (400 words)
I held my breath as the drone slowly crept forward. My stiff hands trembled as I desperately strove to keep it on track. A single wobble would ruin everything.
As a freshman, after hearing about train derailments on the New York Subway, I embraced the challenge of identifying track defects to prevent rail accidents, which threaten the lives and safety of millions of people worldwide. My partner and I spent months building model tracks, recording drone footage, and using computer vision to classify tracks as either safe or defective. Later, I extended the project by utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) to improve the accuracy and speed of track defect detection. When there were not enough images from drone footage to properly train our ML model, I used Image Augmentation to generate additional images by altering the brightness, zoom, and orientation of existing images. Ultimately, our project was endorsed by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which runs the D.C. Metro, for its potential to prevent accidents and save lives. While I enjoy solving problems, I’m most fulfilled when those solutions make meaningful impacts.
I’m pursuing a Computer Science (CS) degree because I embrace the challenge of creation. The untapped potential CS has to improve public safety and solve global issues fascinates me. I have deeply explored this passion through advanced CS coursework, science fairs, and internships. During my internship at the MITRE corporation, I collaborated with experienced researchers and implemented machine learning models on time series data for crop type classification to improve global food sustainability, working to secure food distribution logistics in the case of natural disasters or other crises.
UIUC continuously innovates its CS curriculum to stay relevant in an ever-changing field, something I value and will take full advantage of by taking courses like Machine Learning in NLP and Cutting-Edge Trends in Deep Learning and Recognition. I’m also eager to join Dr. Svetlana Lazebnik’s work on scene understanding and visual recognition, which aligns with my senior research project on violence detection through video footage. Through its advanced curriculum in Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, along with research opportunities in Applied AI at its Center for AI Innovation, UIUC’s CS program will equip and empower me to solve global issues and make the world safer for all.