My name is Tatyana Matthews. I am a junior computer information science major with a scientific concentration at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. At no point in time, did I think that I would major in a scientific field. It was not until a representative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) opened my mind to the wonders of computer science that my curiosity was triggered.

At ECSU, I am involved in the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) program, directed by Dr. Linda Hayden. The goal of this program is to develop and implement innovative and applicable education and research collaborations centered on ice sheet, coastal, ocean, and marine research. While being engaged in this program, I have learned a number of skills which will serve me well as I venture out and participate in internships as well as other research opportunities.

During the spring of 2014 at ECSU, mentors Je’aime Powell (Old Dominion University) and Justin Deloatch (ECSU) led research titled, “Configuring and Customizing the HUBzero Experience”. As a part of this research team, the project investigated how HUBzero elements are utilized for scientific collaboration, education, and research. The focus was to learn how to make use of the database component of HUBzero as well as the process of publishing the hub so that it could be viewed publicly. The data that was used for the database component was derived from information collected by the 2013 Research Experience for Undergraduates Pasquotank River Watershed Team. Upon conclusion of this research, the team was very successful in accomplishing its objectives. To be specific, the team created a hub named CERSERhub, uploaded the water quality data to the database component, and gained as well as comprehended knowledge of HUBzero.

In the summer of 2014, I engaged in an enriching research undergraduate experience at Indiana University Bloomington. I worked in Dr. Geoffrey Fox’s Informatics lab under the mentorship of Scott McCaulay, investigating the “Apache Big Data Stack”. Exploration of this study included installing and testing as many open-source software packages as possible on to FutureGrid machines and later making those packages accessible utilizing the product Chef. The particular focus of this research was Apache HBase, a scalable database, in which the package was installed, abstract knowledge was developed, deliverables were produced, and its Chef cookbook was installed. The research revealed how the Apache Big Data Stack could be used and applied to solve challenges pertaining to Big Data.
Throughout the spring of 2015 at ECSU, Mr. Edward Swindell led the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) team in researching “Remote Sensing Archeological Sites through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)”. As a part of this research team, the group used the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ UAV in addition to, supporting image mapping software, to produce elevation datasets practical for remote sensing archeological sites and studying ground anomalies.
I returned to Indiana University-Bloomington in the summer of 2015 where my research focus differed from my initial experience in that I studied “The Security Risks and Vulnerabilities of an Android System”, as a part of Dr. Xiaofeng Wang’s Informatics Lab. This research experience enabled me to learn the approach to handling the challenges generated by vulnerabilities in Android System applications. This approach consisted of designing and conducting a malicious attack meant to change the homepage of an application via intent uniform resource locator. The research study highlighted how the Android System can continue as an open-source system and remain secure despite the threat of malicious attacks.
During the spring of 2016 at ECSU, I engaged in research centered in “Quantifying Sargassum Boundaries on Eastern and Western Walls of the Gulf Stream Protruding Near Cape Hatteras into Sargasso Sea Bermuda/Azores”. The research included identifying the Sargasso Sea boundaries, exploring the prominence and cause of Sargassum near Cape Hatteras, in addition, incorporating various indexes (Floating Algae Index and Normalized Differential Vegetation Index) and algorithms to identify the pelagic species.
My experience at Indiana University-Bloomington prompted my interest in Human-Computer Interaction and Design (HCI-D). In regard to future endeavors, my goals are to further my education by obtaining master’s and doctorate degrees in the HCI-D field. The plan is to design and develop human-computer interactive educational technology that enriches and enhances childhood education. Incorporation of computer science, the skills gained, and internship opportunities I have taken part in will bring this plan to fruition.