Atmikha Jeeju pauses to reflect, on the exciting opportunities offered at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering in general, and on the recent Luddy Living Learning Center Spring Break Tech Tour in California -- and meeting school benefactor Fred Luddy -- in particular.
“It’s amazing,” the freshman computer science major says. “Coming into IU, I wasn’t expecting so many opportunities.”
That spring-break trip, as well as one to Austin, Texas, for the SXSW Conference, showcases how the Luddy School prepares students in multiple ways, from academics to technology to relationship building to mentoring and more.
“I have friends at different universities with the same major,” Jeeju says. “The opportunities I have here are elevated from the ones they have. Most of them are focused just on careers. Ours are focused on growing and developing.”
That’s a priority for Jeeju, who is interested in a career at the intersection of aviation, computer science and coding. She was one of 64 LLC students to participate in the week-long tour to the San Francisco area. It was her second Luddy LLC trip, following her participation in last fall’s Technica 2023, the world’s largest hackathon for under-represented genders, at the University of Maryland
Spending time with Fred Luddy, a former Indiana University student who founded ServiceNow and turned it into one of the world’s most innovative and successful companies, was a highlight.
“It was such a privilege to meet him,” Jeeju says. ‘Reading about him online is very different than seeing and talking with him, and getting to know his story. He gave a lot of life and career advice.”
Students visited ServiceNow, as well as Amazon Web Services, Stanford University, and the Apple Visitors Center. They toured Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco historical neighborhoods such as Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and Haight-Ashbury. They spent time at Golden Gate Park, which includes the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum.
Along the way, they got potential life-changing insight.
“We got tips on how to apply for programs and internship opportunities,” Jeeju says. “It was nice connecting with them. I know, in the future, I have them to reach out to.”
Nicole Mitchell, Luddy LLC associate director, said the trip’s main purpose was to provide opportunities to learn through experience and reflection. She said the focus was on professional development, as well as personal growth.
“We wanted to connect students with tech companies, tech professionals and Luddy alum in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley to learn more about their fields of interest and see the possibilities of where a Luddy degree can take them,” Mitchell says. “We also wanted to provide a safe travel opportunity to help students build independence, resilience and adaptability while learning about diverse cultures within other parts of the country.”
Another highlight was meeting Stanford Associate Professor Ge Wang, a leading researcher at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, and a co-founder of the music app Smule. He inspired students with his talk about the intersection of music and AI.
“He was amazing,” Jeeju says. “I’ve never met anyone as passionate as he is about the combination of AI and music. Music was not something I thought about with AI.”
The trip provided invaluable career advice and connection building with alums and business professionals that will pay off now and in the future. It also allowed LLC students to bond in ways that rarely happen during the school year.
“I met so many people,” Jeeju says. “It wasn’t just about coding. It was about getting to know each other better.”
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Fifteen Luddy students, including sophomore computer science majors Tri Huu Minh Nguyen and Anshu Malika Roja Selvamani, and senior cybersecurity and global policy major Sheena Phillips, got eye-opening experiences at the SXSW Conference, which ran March 8-16 at the University of Texas. The trip was organized by Tiana Iruoje, Luddy director of student engagement and success.
“The goal for them was to not only experience the academic side of technology,” says Shabnam Kavousian, Luddy teaching professor, who was a chaperone/mentor on the trip, “but also network with companies and bond with each other.”
They did all that and more.
The conference hosted hundreds of sessions that focused on breakthroughs in technology, film, culture and music for professionals and students. Celebrities such as actor Ryan Gosling participated.
Topics included Artificial Intelligence, the tech industry, climate change, creator economy, energy, food, transportation and extended/virtual reality. There was even an opportunity to connect with astronauts on the International Space Station.
“What I especially liked was going to sessions where I could meet people in tech and quantum computing,” Nguyen says. “The Live from Space session was very interesting. We saw how astronauts navigate in space.”
He also was intrigued by Austin officials’ vision to use autonomous vehicles to help produce a cleaner city.
AI sessions focused on the societal implications as well as the ethics surrounding its use.
“There were a lot of talks on AI, the pros and cons, and how it affects democracy and the truth,” Kavousian says. “A lot of our students went to that.”
Adds Selvamani: “You could explore different fields within AI, like the ethics of AI, and the legal aspects with the arts and entertainment.
“It was a good opportunity to network and learn along the way.”
A Tech-for-Good session also stood out.
“I got a lot of value out of it,” Selvamani says. “There was something for everyone from film, music, creators and tech. It was interdisciplinary even within the arts and entertainment. It had an element of how tech is helpful in those areas.”
Nguyen says he met interesting and influential people who talked about their passions, including AI, his academic specialization. He’s working with Luddy’s Vehicle Autonomy Intelligence Lab team and Lantao Liu, associate professor of Intelligent Systems Engineering and Computer Science, for IU’s entry in this summer’s Indy Autonomous Challenge.
It's a steppingstone, he adds, to his goal of eventually “running a company that uses AI to help people.”
Selvamani hopes to get a summer internship, likely in Austin or New York City, through her conference contacts.
“The experiences I’ve had with the Luddy School have been incredibly helpful,” she says. “I’ve built a lot of connections.”
Highlights for Phillips were attending AI sessions and a talk with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswald, speaking with representatives from intelligence agencies such as the CIA and the National Reconnaissance Office, and watching fighting robots in BattleBots Metal Mayhem.
“I got exposure to some incredible individuals in the industry,” she says.
Senior Informatics major Arpan Bose vouches for the benefits of these trips, and all the Luddy opportunities. He calls his role as a chaperone on the Texas trip a “great leadership opportunity.” He connected with people in different industries, learned how to hone speaking and communication skills through different panels, and explored the augmentation of technology across various entertainment industries.
“I got to hear about the forefront of Artificial Intelligence from tech industry leaders,” he says.
Bose graduates in May and has taken a job with the NCAA in Indianapolis in its creative and digital department. Thanks to the skills he learned at Luddy, he’ll use media technologies to help capture stories of student-athletes.