On August 17th, over 140 new CSE graduate Students met with CSE Faculty at the annual Graduate Student Meet and Greet in the Hall of Flags. Students got to hear each faculty member present their current research interests and had an opportunity to discuss the department over pizza.
“I am happy the event had such a great turnout. I think it is really important for students to meet with faculty as well as other graduate students before the start of the semester to create that sense of community.” said Assistant Professor Julia Woodward, who runs the Encode Lab, which focuses on understanding adults’ and children’s interaction with technology.
“Being new to Florida, I had many shared experiences to bond over: how the moving-in is going, what activities/tourism spots we have discovered around Tampa, and so on.” said Assistant Raiyan Abdul Professor Baten, who recently joined the CSE faculty. His research focuses on building technology to enhance humans' soft skills and collective performances. “The most intriguing part was discussing my research interests with them, and we brainstormed new ideas on the spot!” Said Dr. Baten. “It was a fun, engaging, and unexpectedly productive event for me.”