ULibraries Research Guides: When Machines Decide: The Promise and Peril of Living in a Data-Driven Society: Student Profiles

Student Profiles

Austin Anderson	I'm currently a CS major at the University of Utah. I graduated from Desert Hills High School, Varsity Captain of the Swim team and High Honor Roll. I cant speak any foreign languages but I'm pretty fluent in a lot of coding languages. I also have a unhealthy fascination with The Great Gatsby.
Abigail Busath	I grew up with a cautious father who always made me read the "terms of agreement" before proceeding onto websites and applications, which has therefore instilled a healthy dose of paranoia in me. I’m not completely crazy, but I do have a fondness for superheroes, hobbits, Jane Austen novels and the BBC. When I’m not studying I’m reading, painting or watching soccer with a little too much animation. I am a Pre-Nursing student enrolled in the Early Assurance nursing program and Honors College. I want to graduate with a BSN from the University of Utah and continue into a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist graduate program. Helping people has always been a joy of mine, and as I am incredibly interested in the human body and healing diseases (particularly surgery) I figured healthcare was the proper path for me to take. Currently I work as a Patient Care Technician at Primary Children’s Medical Center.
Logan Cox	My name is Logan Cox and I am currently majoring in Business and Computer Science. This will be my third year at the at the U. I currently work in the Cyber Security department at the University of Utah Information Security Office and at the Lassonde Studios as a Resident Advisor. I currently am working on a startup that can help create transparency in the health field using heath data provided by the government. I have passions for powerlifting, business, coding, health, and working with underrepresented communities.
Morgan Cox	I left my home near Denver, Colorado last year to study video game design at the U, and in the time I've been here, I've discovered that my interests lie specifically in researching how those games affect our society. I find the study of societal expectations and social norms to be fascinating, especially in conjunction with studying the relationships between people and media. Media has a powerful role in our lives, from children realizing what normal behavior is by watching characters interact, to games devoted to help heal mental and physical injuries; since I'm interested in researching this role, I'm majoring in Psychology as well as Film & Media Arts with an Emphasis in Entertainment Arts and Engineering. When I'm not studying, I like to stay involved in a wide variety of extracurriculars. From the Honors College and the Pride of Utah Marching Band, to both my service sorority and social sorority, to living with exchange students last year, I'm always looking for new things to try.
Logan Dean Erickson	I have been an actor and game designer almost all my life. I act and develop games because I believe that everyone deserves to laugh, smile and be entertained. The game industry is still young and has so much untapped potential beyond entertainment. With game development as my passion, I want to create games that do more that just entertain but also educate, heal and allow players to see a topic from a new perspective. Growing up in River Falls, Wisconsin I played a lot of games with my family. As I got older and acted more frequently I decide that I needed to hide my love of games and inner geek because it wasn't cool. I soon after realized that such a tactic was not going to work and it was much better to be yourself. I know that sounds corny, but it is true. Now, I encourage everyone and anyone to always follow their passion no matter how ridiculous it seems and unleash their inner geek. I also love to breakdance in my free time as it may be the best stress reliever on the planet. I currently produce the University of Utah's premier geek website, The Geekwave and work as a Game Designer at Octothorpe.
Zachary Grena	I decided to cross off all of the in-state schools on my potential college list and strike off to the great state of Utah after living in Texas my whole life. I grew up watching my dad pull apart computers and work on various projects on his workbench after work which kicked off my fascination of technology. I am majoring in Finance with a minor in Computer Science and have a heavy interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications. More broadly, however, I am very interested in ways that new methods of doing business and a new concept of currency would mean for small business owners and our economy. I am very excited to explore what big data might mean for the future of autonomy and privacy with people from very diverse backgrounds and areas of study. I am currently training for a marathon, and other interests/obsessions include coffee, competitive swimming, existentialist philosophy, and backpacking.
Joseph Hutchins	I’m a Sophomore working towards an Honors Bachelor’s in Information Systems, I moved across the state last year from Saint George to come to the U. I’ve been using computers since before I could read; I remember using Netscape on the family computer when I was 3 years old, and I’m pretty sure I taught my elementary school librarian more about computers than she taught me. I spend my free-time as a singer for the University’s Chamber choir, or trying to teach myself about whichever subject I’ve found myself obsessing over that week. I work as a producer, operations assistant, and on-air personality for K-UTE internet radio, and I’m also a computer lab aide for CSBS. I hope to learn more about data science and how to better personalize our daily lives from what medicine we take to what food to make.
Skyler Jayson	I’ve lived in Utah ever since my family immigrated here when I was at the age of three. Growing up I had to figure out social norms and expectations due to the culture difference. I’ve learned that learning first-hand is much more valuable than learning through secondary sources. Even though college football is the holy grail here I am an avid fan of the Patriots and the NFL. Other than school work I spend my time exercising, playing, and pondering about why I am here. I love working with people and tend to have an over-optimistic view on them. With that I love to help people and have an astonishment with the human body and its mechanisms. I hope one day to work on prosthetics to help give those things which most of us take for granted.
Andrew Yang	I've lived half my life in Beijing, China, so Chinese traditions and culture are deeply ingrained into my way of thinking and acting. With that background in mind, maybe me liking to do math isn't that weird? I also enjoy practicing Chinese calligraphy, reading (mostly in Chinese, it's way easier for me), and playing video games. And maybe the occasional coding side project for personal uses. I am currently studying Mathematics and Computer Science here, and hopefully will be in a CS grad school program in 2 years.