Hetvi Patel

Year in School
Freshman

Major
Computer Science

Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence Data and Information Systems

Research Mentor
Prof. Julia Hockenmaier

Research/Engagement Experience
During high school, I developed a passion for User Experience and User Interface Design (UI/UX). Within this I became very passionate about using user research to improve technological and visual features of a product or app. In my internship with a startup, I was able to conduct user research and collect data through surveys of users to help improve and add certain features to the app and overall improve functionality.

Interests
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Data Modeling, Software Engineering

Project Title
TBD

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
After being a part of many engineering and CS classes throughout high school, I developed a passion for CS because of its interdisciplinary nature to support pretty much any field. Seeing how technology for example modern translating apps could help me communicate with my grandparents who don't speak English, inspired me to be a part of this shift towards using technology for social good.

What social interests matter to me?
I am very passionate about using CS to help people of all populations especially those of diverse backgrounds and age groups. I am also very passionate about increasing diversity within the STEM field.

What is my most impactful college experience?
My most impactful college experience is probably being able to become a part of RSOs like WCS and SAIL because throughout high school I have attended events like ChicTech and SAIL, which inspired me into CS, so being able to make a full circle and join them as a college students will be very exciting.

These are a few of my favorite things!
Painting, road trips, ice cream and sunny days!

Research Description
The goal of this project is to improve the interaction between a human and robot by having the robot understand a given command by a human and execute it accurately. In this project through NLP (Natural Language Processing), we're using Minecraft to simulate the interaction between a human (the player) and the bot that executes the given building task in the game.

Biography
Hetvi Patel is a freshman from Naperville, IL majoring in computer science. Being greatly involved in high school as a TA for AP Computer Science influenced her decision to pursue the interdisciplinary field of CS. She is very expanding about increasing diversity in STEM particularly for women in engineering and CS through her involvement in organizations such as STEM & Buds. She is passionate about using data and AI to support people in various demographics.