CERSER 2016-2017 :: Tatyana Matthews :: Professional Statement

My name is Tatyana Matthews. I am a senior 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 eyes to the wonders of computer science that my curiosity was triggered.

At ECSU, the Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) is a scholarship program directed by Dr. Linda Hayden. The program is designed to develop and implement innovative and applicable education and research collaborations centered on ice sheet, coastal, ocean, and marine research. As a recipient of the scholarship award, one has the opportunity to learn numerous skills that are key to performing excellently in internships as well as other research opportunities.

During the spring of 2014 at ECSU, mentors Je’aime Powell and Justin Deloatch led a research project titled “Configuring and Customizing the HUBzero Experience”. 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. The team was very successful in accomplishing its objectives of creating a hub (named CERSERhub), uploading the water quality data to the database component, and gaining comprehensive 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 platforms 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, Pix4D, to produce elevation datasets practical for remote sensing archeological sites and studying ground anomalies. My personal contributions consisted of collecting, recording, and synthesizing site data, such as environmental conditions, challenges faced by the team, and technological limitations. The team’s research and results have been published as part of the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (IGARSS) Symposium.

Returning to Indiana University Bloomington in the summer of 2015, the research was centered on “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 project consisted of designing and conducting a malicious attack meant to change the homepage of an application via intent uniform resource locator using vulnerability CVE-2014-3500, Apache Cordova, and Android Studio. 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 titled “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.

The following summer in 2016, I worked as a software engineering intern for Apple in Cupertino, California. An experience that was provided through a scholarship program designed between a partnership with Apple and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), known as the Apple Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholars Program. As a member of a team, my contributions involved further developing a web application utilizing JavaScript, REST API, and tools such as Redux and React.

During the spring of 2017 at ECSU, I conducted research titled “Enhancing Interactivity and engagement to the Science Gateway Community Institute Workforce Development Site”. In 2016, the San Diego Supercomputing Center launched the Science Gateway Community Institute (SGCI), a partnership with several universities, one of which being the CERSER program on the campus of ECSU. One of the five areas within SGCI is Workforce Development. This area has a website and the team’s goal was to enhance the site by increasing its interactivity, attracting potential members, and disseminating information. As a member of the team, my contributions involved designing and developing the team website using Bootstrap components, producing the team PowerPoint presentation, and clarifying the team’s future works in the research paper.

My experience at Indiana University Bloomington prompted my interest in Human-Computer Interaction and Design (HCI-D) and my time at Apple deepened that interest. My goals are to further my education by obtaining master’s and doctorate degrees in the HCI-D field. It is my aim to learn the principles of HCI-D and apply those principles in order to design interactive technologies that enhance the user’s experience and confidence in their abilities.