Dylan Ja

Year in School
Freshman

Major
Computer Science

Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence

Research Mentor

Research/Engagement Experience

Interests

Project Title

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
My passion for Computer Science started with Jurassic Park. After spending years rewatching the movies a thousand times to then making dinosaur stop motion movies, I discovered block coding and used it to build my own Jurassic Park Game. The ability to combine my favorite movie series with creative technology hooked me on to coding.

What social interests matter to me?

Why did you choose Illinois?
I chose UIUC because of its great computer science program and collaborative community.

What are your passions outside of computing?
One of my favorite things to do in my free time is volunteer at my local library to help share my passion for science and STEM. I also enjoy reading sci-fi novels, my favorite being Jurassic Park. At home, I also enjoy caring for my garden. I'm the proud caretaker of hundreds of Venus Flytraps that I cultivated from an original three plants. My collection of carnivorous plants has expanded to now include other species like Sundews and Pitcher Plants that I now diligently care for.

What has been one of your favorite experiences at Illinois that you would like to share with prospective students? (For Continuing UIUC Students)

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!
Jurassic Park, Chess, Board Games, Jazz, Coffee Ice Cream, Garlic Bread Sticks

Research Description

Biography
My name is Dylan, and I'm a student majoring in computer science. I'm from the suburbs of Chicago, and I love learning more about and sharing my passion for computer science and other STEM related subjects. At CS STARS, I can't wait to perform research and delve into topics like data analytics and machine learning algorithms, where I can discover how they work and see how they can provide groundbreaking solutions to current problems.