2021-12-01: Yash Prakash (Computer Science Masters Student)

 


My name is Yash Prakash and I am currently pursuing my master's degree in Computer Science at Old Dominion University (ODU), Norfolk, VA. But my journey began as an Electronics and Instrumentation engineer at Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka, India where I completed my bachelor’s degree.

I loved physics back in school because physics is purely about asking questions and solving problems. So, I decided to pursue Electronics and Instrumentation for my undergraduate program since I always wanted to be an engineer like my father, purely for the love of envisioning, building, and creating new things.

My passion for the subject grew stronger when I was first exposed to the world of research at Défense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). I had the opportunity to work with a scientist (Division D) on C2000 Piccolo MCU F28069M launchpad kit. I learnt a lot during my time at DRDO, especially I gained a lot of hands-on experience in the world of embedded systems. That’s when the curiosity grew, and a question arose what can be done with the data received from these embedded controllers. That’s when I decided to explore the world of Data Science, Machine and Deep Learning. I did an internship at Decision Culture, a start-up in Bangalore where I received exposure into the field of core Data Science. But since the hunger grew, I decided to pursue more in the same field that’s when I got in contact with a professor at ODU Prof. Ajay Gupta and I arrived at ODU in 2019 to do an internship in computer science we had two projects at that time, a project given to us by a company called PRA Group and another project based on Alzheimer’s. My group consisting of four members won both the projects and I received the best Data Scientist Award. I learnt a lot during my time here at ODU and it helped me boost my knowledge and self confidence tremendously. After completing my undergraduate program, I worked as a Business Analyst at Merkle Sokrati a digital marketing-based company my primary reason for joining this company was to explore a whole new sector of data and to gain real time exposure of how a multinational company operates. 

Whilst my time at Merkle Sokrati I got in touch with Dr. Vikas Ashok and volunteered working for him for a couple of months to not lose touch with deep learning and to acquire more knowledge. Post which I received a RA position under him, and I arrived in the United States in the month of August 2021. It’s been three months working in the Accessible Computing Lab and WS-DL (Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group) and I know deep down I am in the right place, and I am really grateful to be here. 

And well "Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination" Drake.

Thanks for reading the Blog,

 

~YASH PRAKASH



 


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