Suzanne Kaltenbach

10/18/2016
Honors 100
Experiential Learning Interview: Vinny Palaniappan
In my interview with Vinny, I learned that computer science is very important to him. He
took some coding classes in high school, but what initially got him interested in it was the fact
that both his dad and brother code. What he likes most about it is the artificial intelligence, the
way it applies with every other academic area, and the design aspect of it, which allows him to
see his work in progress when designing something like a website. In the future, Vinny wants to
do use computer science to do research and apply it to neurobiology. For now though, hed like
to obtain a position of leadership and get involved in international engagement while hes at the
University of Washington.
I came up with three experiential learning opportunities that I thought Vinny might enjoy
doing. The first is a research opportunity titled Functional Neuroimaging Biomarkers for
Neurodegenerative Disease, that I found by searching the UW Undergraduate Research
Database. This project involves analyzing MRI imaging and learning skills such as data mining
and machine learning, which are valuable to companies looking for data scientists. I think Vinny
would appreciate this project because it includes two of his expressed interests, computer
science and neurobiology, and allows him to explore how they overlap. Another experiential
learning opportunity I found for Vinny fulfills the international engagement area. Its a study
abroad program in Spain, called Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Vinny mentioned during the
interview that hed like to go to Spain because he took Spanish in high school and would like to
see what he learned in class in action. I think this experience would be a great way for him to
do that and also continue his studies, as I checked to make sure that the university offers
computer science classes. The third idea for an experiential learning opportunity I had for Vinny
covers the leadership portion. I think he might enjoy starting his own club on campus relating
computer science and neurobiology. This would be a good way to meet people with interests
similar to his, while also learning more about the areas of study that hes into. I searched the
UW RSO database and only came across a few computer science clubs, most of which are
focussed on hacking, so the whole computer science community on campus would benefit from
the start up of a club like this.