Elaina Wittmer
Years of professional experience?
I worked in Class Action Law for 2 years prior to joining iCAN
Year that you started the iCAN program
What was your major and background?
Linguistics
Research/Engagement Experience
What are your interests within computer science?
Human-Computer Interaction, Data and Information Science
How did you get interested in Computer Science?
I discovered an interest in Computer Science primarily through my experiences in data wrangling. While completing my degree in Linguistics, I worked with a lot of unstructured data (primarily audio) and I enjoyed the process of giving shape to audio data and writing scripts to analyze it.
What social interests matter to you?
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Computing, LGBTQ+ rights
What is your most impactful iCAN experience?
My summer research experience with Dr. George Chacko was the highlight of my time in iCAN. I conducted a project investigating metrics of scientific impact by leveraging previous work by another UIUC student. The results of this work can be found at http://el-wittmer.github.io
What are your hobbies/outside interests?
Most recently I've been making my own hardcover notebooks, but I tend to collect lots of hobbies. Some others include creative writing and embroidery.
Where are you from?
Bement, IL