REU!

This summer I went to a fantastic internship in Washington D.C. at Gallaudet University! My internship was a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). For undergrads interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) subjects, I highly recommend looking at REU’s for any curious student. They are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and cover all areas of research at many universities. REUs are fantastic opportunities to learn and explore different areas of science.

My REU at Gallaudet was called Accessible Communication in Technology (AICT) led by Dr. Raja Kushalnagar, Dr. Christian Vogler, Ms. Linda Kozma-Spytek, and Mr. Norman Williams. There were 15 students on six teams. Each team had two mentors and a graduate assistant. The undergrad population was composed of aspiring audiologists, psychologists, and fellow computer scientists!

My partner and I studied captioning latency specifically in captioned telephones. We wondered how does the delay between the audio of someone speaking and a live captioner keeping up with the speaker affect the understanding by the deaf or hard-of-hearing listener.

Other teams were also working on interesting projects. In no particular order, the projects they worked on are:

• Hearing Assistive Technology and how users use them such as phone apps in restaurants, hearing assistive devices in theaters. 
• Punctuation in captions and how the absence of punctuation or correctness of captions aid or disrupt user’s viewing. 
• Voice assistance devices, testing the feasibility of substituting voice instructions with ASL instructions. Imagine waking up a computer just by signing 'Hey!'
• Captioning interfaces such as how long each line of captions should be and how fast should captions go - they tried to find the Goldilocks zone such that the captions were not too long, not too short, not too slow, and not too fast! 
• Captions in virtual reality and not only added captions to a few virtual videos, but also added indicators to show who was speaking.

For a full scope on each of these projects, visit the AICT website. You can also see past years’ projects too!

I learned so much from working on this REU, but not just about computer science. With this REU, I was living and working at Gallaudet University, https://www.gallaudet.edu. For someone who was mainstreamed like me, it was an awesome chance to see what going to a Deaf University and living in the Deaf World would be like. The rooms were already fitted with flashing fire-alarms and doorbells that flickered the lights. Nearly everyone I ran into signed using American Sign Language (ASL). The fastest ASL I learned was coffee— because I was waking up three hours earlier than normal coming from the west coast to the east coast— the cafeteria lady would ask (sign) what kind of drink I wanted!

I loved the days where I did not have to speak, but still communicated regularly with people. It was freeing. Many people signed and spoke at the same time, especially in mixed company. That’s the level of ASL fluency I aspire to because it’s one thing to learn another language, it’s another to think and communicate simultaneously in two languages!

This REU was an experience. I learned so much beyond the scope of the original REU, expanding my computer knowledge, practicing ASL, and interacting with people from all walks of life with different hearing abilities.

Are you ready for an REU? Go check them out!

Take a Risk!

Originally written March 14, 2019 (Happy Pi Day!)

Take a Risk

Last year, I took a social dance class in college. Not only did I learned waltz, salsa, swing, and tango, but I also learned many life lessons. My teacher, Richard Powers, gives halftime talks to the first social dance class that covers not only lessons for making the most out of dancing, but making the most out of work, career, and life.

One of many things I took to heart from my social dance class is that it is okay to take risks — encouraged even. Taking a risk and trying something new might end in failure, but it can be fun and even lead to something great!

Taking a risk does not mean being careless. All dancing classes have safety suggestions that should not be ignored. For example, it is common sense for partners to make sure they do not run into other dancing couples; it is highly recommended to avoid dislocating or spraining a joint; and communication is vital in any relationship. Without communication — spoken, visual, or touch — any attempt of trying something new will fall flat.

Communicating with a partner can be as simple as saying “Let’s try it!” or really listening to each other’s non-verbal cues, watching for feedback, and learning from past experience. If a partner looks queasy after a double turn, then a triple turn will not make it any better. If a partner is smiling after that leap that did not turn out quite right, then it is okay to try it again. Communication shows when it’s OK to take risks and how far to push the envelope.

It’s always a risk learning something new, whether it is a new move or a completely new dance. Rarely will anyone get it right on the first try. In fact, even though practice makes perfect, it is still possible to mess up even the simplest step. The key  here is getting up and keep dancing. Embrace mistakes as they happen. Repeat them if they make you smile. Change them if you feel if they could be better.

Asking someone to dance is another risk. It can be nerve-wracking to approach an unknown dancer. The worst that can happen is they don’t want to dance. That’s okay - they’re not the only dancer in the room. Otherwise, they say yes and there are two possible outcomes. One, maybe they are more experienced and you’re afraid to be left in the dust. That’s okay. Now you have a chance to make yourself a better dancer by trying to match your partner’s skills, to learn something new. Two, maybe they are less experienced and you feel like you are floundering. That’s okay too. Now you have a chance to flounder, to learn together, and to make something great, — maybe even start a new dance craze. Take a chance! Ask someone new to dance!

My class required us to go out dancing for homework—and this was a challenge for someone socially anxious like me.  My panic attacks always happen at the door to the dance floor. It is the point where I have a choice between dancing and having fun or leaving to try another day. Thoughts that are running through my head start negatively — “I don’t know enough,” “I’ll make a fool out of myself,” or “I’m not dressed for this.” That point at the door is the perfect time to challenge myself to take a risk. I switch gears and change my negative thoughts to “I don’t know enough, but I’ll learn from this experience,” “I’ll make a fool out of myself, but I’ll have fun doing it,” and “I’m not dressed for this, but who cares?” Sometimes it is easier to stop thinking and open that door and wing it. 
          It’s time to take a risk!