Sofia Serrano | Photo by Adam Atkinson
What I study and why: I study natural language processing (NLP), with a focus on analyzing the computational models used in our field! I originally got into NLP because of my fascination with how to model complex human thought processes in a way computers can handle, and my thinking was, what better way to do that than to model the language through which we express those thought processes? Over the past few years, though, as NLP models have improved (think systems like ChatGPT), my research has actually shifted to explaining large computational models in a way that’s useful to humans trying to understand them. So my focus has undergone a bit of an inversion! But that shift stems from my strong belief that in order for NLP models to be most useful and beneficial for society, they need to be understandable.
This fall I’m teaching: CS 420: Artificial Intelligence and one section of CS 105: Digital Media.
What students can expect from me: Enthusiasm! I’ve been reliably informed that I am pretty energetic and more than a little loud, so while I’ll occasionally remember to rein in the pep a bit, consider yourself warned! I got into CS because I think it’s a ton of fun and scratches both a problem-solving and creative itch, and one of my favorite things in the world is to help others find the parts of computer science that resonate with them. This means that I’m committed to presenting material in different ways, fostering an inclusive classroom, and to supporting students as they engage with CS concepts. Students can also expect me to be responsive to them and to their experience of a course—I’m here to partner with students to help you learn!
Getting to know me: I love to play Dungeons & Dragons. I’m currently the DM for my group from grad school (we rotate who DMs), and I’m always interested in fun battle maps/monsters to throw at my players. I’ve also been a knitter for a really long time; in many ways, knitting was my introduction to computer science before I officially studied CS. When I was a kid, on a whim, I knit myself a 10-foot-long striped snake stuffed animal. He lived on my window’s curtain rod for years.
Continue reading to meet more of Lafayette’s newest faculty members.