Sailaja Nallacheruvu

Year in School
Junior

Major
Computer Science

Research Interests
Interactive Computing

Research Mentor
Camille Cobb

Research/Engagement Experience
I'm currently the Vice President of Women in Computer Science, an Engineering Learning Assistant for first years in CS, and a committee member for Reflections | Projections. This is my second semester in CS STARS, and I've been working with Camille Cobb since I started in January 2023. I'm currently working on a HCI project to study the way security & privacy is portrayed in television.

Interests
Data Science, Human Computer Interaction, Fintech

Project Title
Security & Privacy Portrayals in Media

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
I'm really interested in the way computer science can be used to solve problems in any industry or field, and that the skills you gain in this major are applicable in both technical and business settings. I took a few classes in different aspects of the field in high school, and wanted to learn more about it and its applications so I chose to major in it in college!

What social interests matter to me?
Immigration, Gender Equality

What is my most impactful college experience?
I've really enjoyed being a part of Women in Computer Science since my freshman year! It's allowed me to meet a lot of people who inspire me and have become my friends in the past few years, get exposed to a lot of new opportunities as a CS student, and also made me more confident as an organizer and communicator!

These are a few of my favorite things!
Legos, Baking, Reading!

Research Description
Research shows that television influences the views of young people and plays a large role in society. Because of this, we are studying how the presentation of technology in television impacts the audience's perspectives in regards to security and privacy, and how it may impact their behaviors. Through web scraping and data visualization, we will find the most commonly used words related to S&P in teen dramas and determine whether or not and how teen viewers, and their beliefs and actions, are influenced by these mentions.

Biography
My name is Sailaja Nallacheruvu, and I'm a junior in computer science with a minor in economics! I'm from Vernon Hills, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago.