Duy is a senior studying computer science with minors in mathematics and psychology. He has a keen interest in social robotics, a discipline blending psychology and robotics, which he hopes to continue studying in the future. Duy’s family immigrated to the United States from Vietnam five years ago, and the language barriers he experienced sparked his interest in social communication.
For his thesis, Duy is researching how to improve the communication of people who have ALS and speak with an aid of an Augmented/Alternative Communication (AAC) machine. He hopes to lessen or eliminate the pause between the computer and its voice to normalize social interaction. Duy is first measuring the pause in conversation to determine when it becomes socially inhibitive. Then, he will work in a robotics lab to create a more effective AAC device.
Outside of class, Duy has volunteered at the Garfield Elementary School Lego Robotics program, helping children apply math and science lessons to robotics.
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