When you were a child, what was your response to this question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Describe your research in five words.
“Digital communication bots assisting collaboration.”
A food scientist! I enjoyed learning about the chemical processes that occurred within food production and distribution. I quickly learned that I was not very good a chemistry.
Share the pivotal moment in your life that helped you choose your field of study.
In middle school, I built a desktop computer with my dad and was completely amazed by how all the parts worked. Even though I am not interested in hardware, I knew that I wanted to work with computers in the future. I knew that I wanted to study information and computer science to make technology accessible for all people after I took my first human-computer interaction course.
Dodson (second from right) and friends gear up for last week’s UNC vs. Duke game.
Tell us about a time you encountered a tricky problem. How did you handle it and what did you learn from it?
While working on data engineering during my internship last summer, I often ran into problems where I was unsure about some of the code that I needed for my project. I took initiative, learned a new programming language, and also asked my manager for help. I learned that the best way to better myself is to admit when I have no idea what is going on, use my resources, and ask for assistance from other people!
What are your passions outside of science?
I absolutely love planning events on campus surrounding issues that need to be addressed by the student body. I am programs chair for the Study Abroad Peer Ambassadors, and I hosted the first-ever Mental Health and Study Abroad panel event last semester!