Meghana Gopannagari

Year in School
Sophomore

Major
Computer Science

Research Interests
Interactive Computing

Research Mentor
Prof. Hongye Liu

Research/Engagement Experience
I am currently conducting research with Professor Hongye Liu and Professor Lawrence Angrave, where I am working on the online platform ClassTranscibe that allows students of all abilities to convert lectures into customized, accessible digital books. ClassTranscribe uses crowdsourcing and automatic captions to accurately convert recorded online lectures into notes that students can read on their own. This semester, I hope to work on adding more accessibility features such as improving alternative text on images and figures.

Interests
I'm interested in human-centered design, interactive technologies, educational technology, and natural language processing.

Project Title
TBD

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
In high school, I took my first computer science course, and I really enjoyed having the freedom to create anything I wanted to make through programming. I would often go to hackathons with my friends, and I liked how we could develop our initial ideas into working apps and websites using our programming skills. Exploring the field of computer science has helped me build important skills such as collaboration, problem solving, and time management, and I am excited to learn more about the field at the University of Illinois.

What social interests matter to me?
I care about accessibility for all individuals, regardless of their abilities. I find it important that as developers and programmers, we should consider the needs of all of the people that use our product to ensure that everyone feels included, and I hope to increase inclusivity and accessibility specifically in education through conducting research.

What is my most impactful college experience?
My most impactful college experience was meeting women in STEM through the Women in Engineering Orientation during the start of my freshman year. It was interesting to find a community of women that shared similar interests, and I enjoyed meeting people from so many different backgrounds.

These are a few of my favorite things!
In my free time, I enjoy crocheting bags, sweaters, and stuffed animals! I also like walking around campus and spending time with my friends and family. Recently, I've also enjoyed cooking for my friends and trying out new recipes.

Research Description
I am currently conducting research with Professor Hongye Liu and Professor Lawrence Angrave, where I am working on the online platform ClassTranscibe that allows students of all abilities to convert lectures into customized, accessible digital books. ClassTranscribe uses crowdsourcing and automatic captions to accurately convert recorded online lectures into notes that students can read on their own. This semester, I hope to work with the team to develop more accessibility features and to collect feedback on the website.

Biography
I'm a current sophomore majoring in computer science and minoring in game studies and design at the University of Illinois. Outside of the classroom, I am a co-chair of Alpha Omega Epsilon, and I hope to conduct research on educational technology through the computer science and education departments at the University of Illinois. I am interested in developing technologies following the human-centered design process, and I hope to conduct research on how to create technologies that are directly based on the needs of users. In the past, I have worked on projects involving machine learning, artificial intelligence, mobile app development, and web development.