Vasudha Das

Year in School
Freshman

Major
CS + Linguistics

Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence

Research Mentor
Prof. Julia Hockenmaier

Research/Engagement Experience

Interests
Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence

Project Title

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
I became interested after I took a computer science course in my freshman year of high school as part of a cohort program. I enjoyed the problem-solving involved in programming and wanted to further explore its real-life applications.

What social interests matter to me?
Educational equity and environmental sustainability

What is my most impactful college experience?
Meeting new people and exploring different RSOs that have helped me find a community here at UIUC!

These are a few of my favorite things!
Baking, drawing, music, and spending time with friends and family

Research Description
This project aims to develop collaborative systems that can solve tasks in a 3D environment. The specific task involves a two-player game in which one player (referred to as 'the architect') instructs the other (referred to as 'the builder') to construct a 3D structure using building blocks through a chat-based communication system. The goal is for these models to improve human-robot collaboration, utilizing the Minecraft gaming platform for practical testing and implementation.

Biography
My name is Vasudha Das, and I am a freshman studying Computer Science and Linguistics at UIUC. I became interested in this field after taking a computer science course in my freshman year of high school as part of a program to earn my Associate degree in computer science. I explored the field aside from academics as well by participating in clubs such as Girls Who Code and working on projects that allowed me to engage in and gain experience with different aspects of computer science. Through those experiences, I have worked with Java, Python, R, and React. I am excited to explore and learn more about the discoveries in the field of computing, especially natural language processing, and I hope to work towards my Masters degree in the future so I can pursue a career in research.