Erin Kirsten

Year in School
Sophomore

Major
Math + CS

Research Interests
Computers and Education Interactive Computing

Research Mentor
Prof. Brian Bailey

Research/Engagement Experience
Girls Who Code Facilitator

Interests
Hiking, climbing, playing guitar

Project Title
TeamViz: A tool for Assessing Team Process.

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
I started out by attending math competitions and joining the math team in middle school. Once I got to high school and took my first computer science class, I felt the same rush of excitement from getting my code to work as when I find an elegant solution to a difficult math problem.

What social interests matter to me?
Equal access to education and climate change.

What is my most impactful college experience?
Making new friends from different cultures and backgrounds.

These are a few of my favorite things!
Herbal tea, the Japan House gardens, Studying at a cute cafe or library on campus.

Research Description
I'm working with Orchid, a research group in the field of human-computer interaction with a focus on designing systems to improve teamwork and feedback. Currently, I am designing a tool to visualize activity trace data from Google Docs version histories. This tool has the potential to help instructors identify rates of team member contributions for grading purposes and reduce biases in peer feedback through data-driven metrics.

Biography
Erin is a Freshman from Hoffman Estates IL pursuing a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. Her participation in competitive math influenced her decision to choose the CS + Math major. Her research interests include interactive computing and CS + Education.