Maharsh Jani

Year in School
Sophomore

Major

Research Interests

Research Mentor

Research/Engagement Experience

Interests

Project Title

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
My interest in Computer Science I think started from some of my first memories I have with a computer. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have a computer in our house and I remember playing the game Road Rash (It's a motorcycle racing game where you can nudge people while racing!) on it nearly every day! I feel it was that love for the game which got me interested into Computers in the first place. Like any interest, it just kept getting better and better as the years roll on! Slowly I started to want to learn more about how it would work under the hood, which got me interested to learn about the different Operating Systems and how they sort of work with a big picture view!

What social interests matter to me?

Why did you choose Illinois?
I chose Illinois for its CS + Education program! Very few colleges in the country offer a CS + Education program in the first place, so choosing Illinois was not very hard! At most colleges, you could “make” yourself a CS + Education program by majoring in CS and then maybe minoring in Psychology or Learning Sciences, but the phenomenal support you get from both colleges, Siebel and the College of Education, makes it well worth it considering it gives you the perfect combination of structure and flexibility in taking the classes that interest you!

What are your passions outside of computing?
Outside of computing I really enjoy spending time with family! Besides that I also love to swim, bike, run (doing triathlons!) and playing squash with my friends! I'm also trying to learn Mandarin and love learning about different cultures and their cuisines!

What has been one of your favorite experiences at Illinois that you would like to share with prospective students? (For Continuing UIUC Students)
One of my favorite experiences at Illinois has to be Sights & Sounds! (Where the new freshman class learns Illinois traditions and gets a sense of pride and belonging for Illinois!) It is really fun to bond with the people around you and to be part of something bigger than all of us! Fun Fact: the people I met during Sights & Sounds are now some of my closest friends and roommates!

What has been one of your favorite experiences as a CS STAR? (For Returning CS STARS)

What is my most impactful college experience?

These are a few of my favorite things!
One of my favorite things to do is to go out alone for a long walk or a long bike ride without any music or phone! It makes me feel calm and in the moment especially when things around you move so fast it feels good to take out time to decompress and reflect on the day or a problem I'm facing at that moment! Also something that I like is doing triathlons and seeing how far can I push my mind and my body to do things that seem challenging. In the future I hope to do an Iron Distance Triathlon!

Research Description

Biography
Hi, I'm Maharsh! I study Computer Science, Education & Economics here at Illinois. I was born and raised in India but now I live in Princeton, NJ! I'm passionate about where Computer Science & Education intersect. I'm also keen about understanding how the economy works and why things behave the way they do and the effects it has on regular people and their communities!