Garima Sharma

Year in School
Senior

Major
CS + Advertising

Research Interests
Data and Information Systems Interactive Computing

Research Mentor
Prof. Hari Sundaram

Research/Engagement Experience
I currently am the Outreach Co-Chair for Women in Computer Science, where I work on organizing events to encourage individuals to pursue a computer science education! I have previously served in leadership positions in Reflections | Projections, Association of Computing Machinery, HackIllinois. I also was an undergraduate representative on CS CARES, working on promoting a safe and inclusive environment for the Computer Science community. In terms of research, this my third year in the CS STARS program! I have done research in CS Education (ScribeAR) as well as Interactive Computing (Combatting Misinformation). I was a participant in the CS REU 2021 where I did research in CS Education with Professor Angrave in the ScribeAR project.

Interests
Reading, exploring farmers markets, trivia, and visiting coffee shops!

Project Title
Combatting Misinformation

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
Through mentorship! As a high schooler, I had the opportunity to join mentorship programs, which allowed me to learn about the various career paths in Computer Science.

What social interests matter to me?
I'm extremely passionate about diversity and inclusion efforts in STEM! As someone who was welcomed in Computer Science through such efforts, I find it extremely important to help the next generation of computer science students feel welcomed as well.

What is my most impactful college experience?
My most impactful college experience has been the work I have done with Reflections | Projections. In Reflections | Projections 2022, I hosted a panel with Professor Angrave and the COO of Coursera on CS Education from the industry and academia perspective! I was also able to host a talk with Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation on digital privacy laws and student involvement in policy. Through this work, I was able to learn how technology can impact the world around us!

These are a few of my favorite things!
My favorite coffee shop on campus is Brewlab Coffee!

Research Description
The combatting misinformation project aims to combine deep learning with advertising theory to alter the discourse structure of scientific abstracts. By extracting facts from research journal abstracts as immutable text and changing the narrative structure, we create a newer model that produce information that is persuasive and interpretable to all readers. Our goal is to determine how persuasive and interpretable texts can impact attitudes and pro-social behaviors!

Biography
Garima Sharma is a senior in Computer Science and Advertising with career interests in product management and marketing, in addition to research interests in human-computer interaction and social computing! She has a certification in Technology Commercialization, and is interested in the intersection of technology, humanities, and business. Garima has been in the CS STARS for the past three years, and has done research with Professor Hari Sundaram, Professor Ewa Maslowaska, and Professor Lawrence Angrave. She is passionate about student involvement and mentorship, and is currently the Outreach Chair of Women in Computer Science. She previously was a member of the CS CARES Committee, and has held leadership positions in ACM, HackIllinois, and Reflections | Projections.