USU Discovery Spring 2021

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

DISCOVERY SPRING 2021

FOSTERING DIVERSITY Computer Scientist Omar U.Flórez PhD’2012 leads efforts to make artificial intelligence more inclusive

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

From the Dean MICHELLE

B A K E R

Donna Barry

Dear Alumni and Friends, On January 1 of this year, I assumed leadership as interim dean of the College of Science, following Dean Maura Hagan’s retirement. At USU Provost Frank Galey’s request, I agreed to extend my service as interim dean through 2022, as the university searches for the college’s next dean.

Serving the college in this capacity has been a rewarding experience, even during a challenging pandemic year. I am indebted to our faculty, staff and students, who’ve risen to the challenge and displayed remarkable resilience. I look forward to continued service as we work toward the college’s mission of teaching, research, outreach and service.

Each summer, as new Aggies begin arriving for orientation and preparation for a new academic year begins, new game day T-shirts appear in the campus store, emblazoned with a new theme to urge Aggies to victory. I was immediately struck by this year’s theme, which could not be more appropriate for bringing us together after weathering a difficult year: “Aggie Family. We Fight as One.” We are indeed a family and we pull together in adversity. In this issue of Discovery, you’ll read about Aggies who’ve overcome challenges, with the help of families, mentors, fellow students, alumni and donors.

Our community spirit – our spirit as an Aggie Family – is a resonating theme in our college stories.

Wishing you health and happiness as we embark on a new academic year,

Michelle Baker

MICHELLE BAKER, PhD Interim Dean, USU College of Science

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Spring 2021 MICHELLE BAKER Interim Dean GREG PODGORSKI Associate Dean

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Courtesy DOP, Andina, Peru

Fostering Diversity

Aggie computer scientist Omar U. Flórez PhD’12 leads inclusiveness efforts

SEAN JOHNSON Associate Dean MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO Editor/Writer/Photographer/ Layout Designer NEAL BAIR Online Edition NICHOLE BRESEE Student Photographer

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Discovery, the magazine for alumni and friends of Utah State University’s College of Science, is published twice a year.

Please direct inquiries to editor Mary-Ann Muffoletto, at maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu.

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“Don’t Lose Your Momentum Now”

From an Alum

Aggie Scientists Receive Honorary Doctorates during 2021 Commencement

Computer Scientist John Edwards ‘98 reflects on absolutes

From the Dean .................................................................................. 2 COVID-19 Vaccine is Here ................................................................ 6 Eye to the Sky ................................................................................... 8 When Life Gives You Lemons ........................................................ 20 Surprise Gift .................................................................................... 24 Student Hardship Fund ................................................................. 26 Keep in Touch ................................................................................. 27

Graphic design assistance from Holly Broome-Hyer.

Contributing writers: John Edwards, Logan Jones.

Printed with Forest Stewardship Council certification standards.

ON THE COVER USU Computer Science alum Omar U. Flórez, PhD’12, is a Natural Language Processing (NLP) research scientist at Twitter Cortex in San Francisco, California.

Photo Credit: Alessandro Currarino, El Comercio, Lima, Peru

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“Don’t Lose Your Momentum Now” Aggie Scientists Julie Robinson and Karen Morse Awarded Honorary Doctorates during USU’s 134th Commencement When College of Science alumna Julie A. Robinson (BS’89, Chemistry and Biology) was invited to speak, during USU’s “Year of the Woman,” at the university’s 2020 commencement, she was thrilled.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 commencement ceremony didn’t happen, but Robinson, who spoke Above, screen capture of USU College of Science alumna Julie A. Robison from the university’s 134th Commencement Ceremony video, created to complement the May 2021 in-person college ceremonies.

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during USU’s 2021 virtual commencement, was swift to assure graduates she was just as honored to be speaking year later. “(Your class) has persisted in the face of challenge and uncertainty,” she said.

Robinson, who earned a doctoral degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1996, spent more than 12 years as Chief Scientist of the International Space Station and currently serves as Chief Scientist for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters.

The southeast Idaho native says she grew up under a

“Looking back on it, it was kind of a pioneering set of social expectations that were very different for effort,” she says. “I didn’t think of that at the time. I just women than for men. Yet, she noted the women of Utah worked hard and enjoyed it.” and Idaho, including her great-grandmother Mary Jane Morse, who became the first female president of Lamb Robinson, have always worked for the economic Western Washington University, where she served for security of their families.

15 years until her 2008 retirement, says her time at USU “Given your degrees and accomplishments, your “made a difference in her life.” contribution may not conform to the definitions of “Utah State gave me a really broad perspective of the gender roles of the past, but instead depend on your things that, later, I would use to handle the presidency at education and your talents,” she says.

(WWU),” she says.

Robinson admits she was tired when she graduated Morse told graduates they’d “be able to contribute from USU, and told her Honors Program and Chemistry to your community, to your work, to the state, to the mentor, Dr. Joe Morse, that she was considering country, maybe to the world.” postponing graduate studies and taking a less stressful job.

Morse responded, “Julie, you could do that, but it would be a terrible loss to Science. Don’t lose your momentum now.”

“Those few words transformed my thinking,” Robinson says. “I made the choice to pursue the career where my talents were ... maintaining that momentum pushed me through to start graduate school and on to complete my doctorate.”

She admonished graduates to remember three points from her story and the preceding, unusually challenging year: 1) Find a way to encourage those who are exhausted, discouraged and thinking of settling for something During the virtual portion of USU’s 2021 Commencement, former USU dean, provost and less than their potential; chemistry professor Karen Morse, accepts her honorary doctoral hood from her husband 2) Ask yourself if your Joe Morse, who also served on USU’s chemistry faculty and as head of the Honors Program. The couple, now retired, resides in the San Diego, California area. assumptions and expectations are holding others back.

“That’s one of the strengths of the degree that 3) Be kind, offer support and you have been awarded,” she says. “You have a way avoid off-handed criticism of others. of looking at things and finding ways to do things and not ... giving up on the challenges you’re going to have “Go Out There and Be an Aggie” when you’re out in your job; raising a family. It is really Reflecting on the 25 years (1968-1993) she spent a special thing to have a degree from Utah State. Go out at Utah State, Dr. Karen W. Morse acknowleges she there and be an Aggie.” n accomplished several “firsts”: First female head of the -MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO Department of Chemistry, first female Science Dean and first female provost.

To view the 2021 Commencement Virtual Ceremony, visit: usu.edu/commencement/schedule/logan-campus

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C OV I D - 1 9 Va c c i n e i s Here, But Will Pe o p l e Ta ke I t ?

Jevin West (BS’00, MS’04 Biology) heads the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public As 2020 drew to a close, news of emerging COVID-19 vaccines began popping up like spring dandelions.

On December 8, with a shot broadcast ‘round the world, British nonagenarian Margaret Keenan rolled up her sleeve for the first jab, followed shortly by others, to hopeful applause. Would Americans follow suit?

Above, USU Biology alum Jevin West, director of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, presents during a recent lecture. The associate professor reports widespread skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines.

Quinn Brown, UW

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That’s a question USU College of Science alum Jevin West ‘00, MS’04, associate professor at the University of Washington and director/founder of that institution’s Center for an Informed Public, asked himself.

The data scientist and his colleagues analyzed billions of collected tweets and other social media data to decipher Americans’ views on the first coronavirus vaccines. The verdict? Many people were hesitant, and continue to be hesitant, skeptical and downright resistant to embracing the new technology.

“Anti-vaccination sentiment is nothing new,” says the Ammon, Idaho native, who majored in biology at USU.

“But we’re seeing uneasiness among people who generally support widespread inoculation.”

USU alum Jevin West, with One of the obstacles is the mind-blowing speed at co-author and University of Washington colleague which the new vaccines were developed.

Carl Bergstrom, published “It’s an amazing scientific and technological feat Calling Bullshit: The Art of and yet, being used to a much longer path, many are Skepticism in a Data-Driven incredulous and wary of vaccines yielded in such a World, in August 2020. The book addresses the spread politically charged atmosphere,” West says. of misinformation and Concern about the economic motives of vaccine disinformation through the manufacturers and overly eager politicians is often online world. cited. Others worry about the ethics of the nation’s frailest citizens, along with the lowest-paid frontline workers, being the first to receive the unseasoned vaccinations. Still others, especially people of color, heed warnings of the past.

What West and his colleagues also see is the lightning-speed spread of misinformation – honestly mistaken untruths – along with disinformation – opened my eyes to the value of an interdisciplinary intentionally misleading falsehoods – through the approach to complex problems. And their willingness to Internet landscape. invest time in me, as an inexperienced student with no “Stemming this spread is at the core of our knowledge of research, empowered me.” center, which has, as its mission, to resist strategic It’s an approach West explores in his book, Calling misinformation, promote an informed society and Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World, strengthen democratic discourse,” he says. released in August 2020, “Our exit out of this pandemic very which he co-authored with “My faculty mentors much depends on the dissemination UW colleague Carl Bergstrom. of accurate information and people “Public research Keith Mott and David Peak getting effective vaccinations.” universities like Utah State West, who earned a doctorate and the University of ... opened my eyes to the from UW in 2010 and joined the Washington are pivotal school’s faculty in 2013, says his players in efforts to value an an interdisciplinary passion for research and learning promote scientific solutions approach to complex was fostered at Utah State. to world crises, like our Entering the school “on a current pandemic,” West problems.

And their generous academic scholarship,” says. “Through their outreach, the 1996 graduate of Idaho’s citizens are empowered willingness to invest time Hillcrest High School participated to seek accurate information in USU’s Honors Program and and work together to in me, as an inexperienced soon got involved in solve challenges. I feel so undergraduate research. lucky to be a product of this student with no knowledge of “My faculty mentors, Keith mission.” n research, empowered me.”

Mott from Biology and David Peak -MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO from Physics, were deep thinkers,” - Dr. Jevin West BS’00, MS’04 he says. “Their collaboration SPRING 2021 I DISCOVERY MAGAZINE

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Eye to the Sk y USU Physics Alum Milo Maughan, BS’11, MEd’13 Named 2021 NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador As an ambassador, Maughan will Aggie alum Milo Maughan, a science participate in virtual training in astrophysics teacher at Draper, Utah’s Corner Canyon and planetary science throughout the High School, is among 30 teachers summer. This fall, he’ll travel to NASA’s selected nationwide for the SETI (Search Armstrong Flight Research Center’s airborne for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) science facility in Palmdale, California, for a Institute’s NASA-funded 2021 Airborne week-long STEM immersion experience. A Astronomy Ambassador program. highlight of the visit is training aboard an “It’s a great honor and thrill to be chosen,” airborne NASA astronomy research facility, says Maughan, who earned a bachelor’s Milo Maughan such as the Stratospheric Observatory for degree in physics from USU in 2011 and Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). SOFIA is a continued his studies to complete a M.Ed. Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a degree in 2013, as part of the university’s (then) newly implemented Secondary Education Science telescope with an effective diameter of 100 inches. A joint project of NASA and Deutsches Zentrum für LuftGraduate Route to Licensure Master of Education und Raumfahrt (DLR), the German Aerospace Center, program. the aircraft takes passengers 45,000 feet high into the Above, screen capture of SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory stratosphere. That’s enough to escape 99 percent of for Infrared Astronomy, a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere, allowing the a telescope with an effective diameter of 100 inches. Physics alum Milo Maughan is among 30 teachers selected nationwide ambassadors to study the solar system in ways that to fly on the aircraft in Fall 2021.

Courtesy DLR

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aren’t possible with ground-based telescopes.

Maughan looks forward to the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I have always been a science nerd – especially when it comes to space,” says the 2004 graduate of Utah’s Alta High School. “From this experience, I’ll be able to take all we’ve learned and experienced back to the classroom. It’s a way to make learning fun and ‘real world’ for the students.”

Following his ambassador training, Maughan will teach a physical science curriculum module created by the SETI Institute that connects curriculum concepts to NASA and SOFIA-enabled research.

“The curriculum, combined with the data we collect and the lessons we create, will be used for years to come,” he says.

While the airborne astronomy experience will greatly enrich Maughan’s teaching repertoire, applying physics principles to real-world examples is nothing new to the educator. Maughan began honing his teaching skills in hands-on, real-world learning, while still a student at

Utah State, as coordinator of the Department of Physics’ annual USU Physics Day at Lagoon. Maughan held the student coordinator post for several years in a row, planning the detailed logistics of the day-long event that draws thousands of high school and middle school students each year to the Farmington, Utah amusement park.

Maughan himself had participated in Physics Day as a high school student.

“I never dreamed I’d one day be coordinating the event and communicating with science teachers throughout the Intermountain West,” he says. “Physics Day is a great opportunity for students to practice what they’ve learned in the classroom. The entire USU physics department – faculty, staff and students – turns out, along with industry partners, to welcome participants and pitch in with running the event. I loved interacting with the volunteers and the students – helping them learn new things.”

In fact, coordinating Physics Day is part of what led Maughan to teaching, along with serving as a Continued

USU Physics alum Milo Maughan lectures in his Corner Canyon High School classroom. The Utah native was among the first students to graduate from USU’s Secondary Education Science Graduate Route to Licensure program.

Courtesy Milo Maughan

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Aggie alum Milo Maughan, center, instructs students in his lab at Draper, Utah’s Corner Canyon High School. Maughan, who teaches Advanced Placement Physics, along with general physics and astronomy, says it’s fun to see students get excited about science and “it’s especially gratifying when students ‘get it’ – when they study challenging topics and the light comes on.”

Courtesy Milo Maughan

supplemental instructor for several physics courses.

“When I entered USU, I envisioned studying for an engineering career,” he says. “But as I got into my undergraduate studies, I began to gravitate toward teaching others.”

Tonya Triplett, principal lecturer in USU’s Department of Physics, was among his most influential mentors, Maughan says.

“She is creative, energetic and taught me a great deal about both teaching and research,” he says. “She taught me how to design demonstrations that make science learning fun.”

Triplett also gave him some practical tips for teaching, including adopting an offbeat “look” for deflecting criticism in course reviews.

“Ms. Triplett explained that students sometimes take out their frustration with negative comments in teaching reviews,” Maughan says. “She favors colorful, whimsical sweaters and noticed her students

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sometimes mention them – favorably or negatively – when writing class critiques.”

Maughan sported bright yellow “crocs” (waterproof, resin clogs) during his undergrad teaching and noted references to the “Yellow Croc Kid” in his students’ reviews.

“Some hated my shoes, some laughed at them, but my teaching reviews were mostly good and constructive,” he says.

Maughan says he still wear crocs, but in a more nondescript brown, and he’s added bright bowties as his signature look.

Other Physics faculty members who mentored Maughan during his undergraduate and graduate studies, included J.R. Dennison, who supervised the student’s Physics Day efforts; Mike Taylor and Jan Sojka, who guided the scholar in research; as well as Physics academic advisor and Graduate Program Coordinator Karalee Ransom.

“Utah State provided great opportunities for me and I felt especially at home in the Physics Department,” says Maughan, who served as a College of Science Ambassador and was among the first recipients of the Farrell and Ann Edwards Endowed Scholarship.

Since graduating from USU, Maughan taught one year at Utah’s Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, and just completed his sixth year of teaching at Corner Canyon High School.

He teaches Advanced Placement Physics, along with general physics and astronomy.

Once a month, weather permitting, he treats his students to star parties, with opportunities to view the night skies through a telescope.

“It’s fun to see students get excited about science,” Maughan says. “And it’s especially gratifiying when students ‘get it’ – when they study challenging topics and the light comes on. That’s what makes teaching fun.“ n

During his USU student years, Maughan served as coordinator of USU Physics Day at Lagoon, now in its 32nd year. The massive STEM outreach event attracts some 10,000 middle and high school students each year from throughout the Intermountain West.

Maughan attended the event as a teen and continues to participate as a teacher, bringing his students to the annual gathering.

M. Muffoletto

-MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO

Maughan on the USU campus in 2012. The Draper, Utah native, who graduated from Alta High School in 2004, now teaches at rival Corner Canyon High School. At USU, Maughan served as a College of Science Ambassador and was among the first recipients of the Department of Physics’ Farrell and Ann Edwards Endowed Scholarship.

M. Muffoletto

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Fo s t e r i n g Diver sity USU Computer Science Alum Omar U. Flórez, PhD’12, leads efforts to make artificial intelligence more inclusive

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M. Muffoletto

This September, USU alum Omar U. Flórez serves as keynote speaker for the 2021 Tapia Conference, sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and presented by the national Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology (CMDiT), the largest academic conference to celebrate diversity in computer science.

The virtual conference will reach computer scientists throughout the United States. It’s a special event for Flórez, who earned a doctorate from Utah State in 2012.

Not only does it afford him with an opportunity to reach a national audience; it marks a full circle in his personal journey.

“The ACM Tapia Conference (named for Rice University mathematics professor and outreach activist Richard Tapia) supported me from the time I was a student,” Flórez says. “I have fond memories of attending the conference events and drawing inspiration from speakers from many countries and backgrounds. Now, I have an opportunity to give back.”

Flórez will speak about how language can be inclusive for everyone, as artificial intelligence (AI) can understand multiple languages simultaneously.

In the nine years since his USU graduation, Flórez, who is a natural language processing (NLP) research scientist at Twitter Cortex in San Francisco, has built an exciting and eclectic career. Not lost on him are the pathways and mentors who led him to enriching career opportunities in California’s information technology mecca from his hometown of Arequipa, Peru. Flórez is committed to opening those pathways to new generations of computer scientists.

South American Beginnings

A first-generation college student, Flórez received encouragement from his parents to excel in academics.

“I grew up in a middle class family and my parents never went to university,” he says. “When I was young, they told me to not focus on money, but on knowledge.”

Peru, he says, has frequent earthquakes and,

consequently, Peruvians have learned one’s assets can easily be lost to natural disasters. Rather than helping with the family business, Flórez’s parents encouraged him and his sister to focus on their studies.

“They just wanted us to learn as much as we could in school, hoping that would give us a different life,” Flórez says.

As a child, Flórez was fascinated by computers and robots. Following high school, he entered the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineeringcomputer science in 2006. During his undergrad years, Flórez wrote four research papers, accepted for presentation at refereed conferences.

“Doing research as an undergrad was fun and I learned a lot,” he says. “Later, I figured out that doing research was a good way to get into graduate school.”

Not finding the graduate programs he aspired to in Peru, Flórez looked abroad for opportunities.

“Peru is among the countries that consume technology, but it doesn’t produce a lot of it, so I soon realized I’d have to leave to pursue my passion,” he says. “One of the reasons I left my country, is because I wanted to do research in a global environment.”

He applied to graduate programs in Chile, Brazil and the United States, before selecting Utah State’s computer science program.

“Being willing to go somewhere else, beyond your comfort zone, to compete globally is very important for all students, no matter where you’re from,” Flórez says.

The Utah State Years

“I arrived at Utah State with very big dreams, because I wanted to be a really good professional in computer science,” Flórez says. “It was a very different culture, but Cache Valley, with its friendly people, became my second home.”

Flórez’s first USU advisor, SeungJin Lim was instrumental in recruiting the young student to Utah State.

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was a very supportive advisor,” Flórez says. “He was the one who brought me to Utah State and I was amazed at how much he trusted in me, coming from so far away.

I’m very grateful for his confidence in me.”

Flórez subsequently began research with advisor Curtis Dyreson, professor in USU’s Department of Computer Science.

“During my studies I learned mathematical techniques, algorithms and other computer science concepts,” he says. “But perhaps more importantly, Curtis taught me the importance of trust, allowing me the space and freedom to pursue ideas in research.

This kind of level of confidence is important to achieve results.”

Dyreson correctly predicted future success for Flórez.

“He is very smart and independent,” said the professor during the scholar’s studies at Utah State.

“He’s already made several contributions to the state of

the art and I anticipate he’ll be a leader in this field in the future.”

While working with Dyreson, Flórez developed a novel research project employing the power of observation, probability and computation to give transit managers a leg up on heading off ugly traffic snarls.

His efforts garnered a $20,000 IBM Scalable Data Analysis for a Smarter Planet Innovations Award, which propelled Flórez toward post-graduate opportunities.

The team’s proposal involved streamlining ways of searching and analyzing data from video traffic cameras to determine and predict patterns of commuter behavior. The aim of the project was to provide transit managers with reliable data to guide transportation management decisions, as well as access to real-time information to respond to problem situations.

Developing Inclusive Pathways

While pursuing his degree at Utah State, Flórez, along with two friends from Peru attending graduate schools elsewhere in the U.S., developed the algorithm TalentScore, to seek out Latin American youths through social media and match them with university scholarship and assistantship opportunities.

“We knew how difficult it was to find, and gain access, to opportunities in higher education, particularly at the international level,” he says. “It’s even more difficult when you’re young and inexperienced, facing economic

USU Computer Science alum Omar Flórez attends the 2018 Conference on Neural Information Processing (NeurlPS) in Montréal, Canada.

Courtesy Omar Flórez

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In a 2011 photo, USU Computer Science alum Omar Flórez, left, with faculty advisor and mentor Curtis Dyreson, professor in USU’s Department of Computer Science. Flórez says the IBM Scalale Data Analysis for a Smart Planet Innovations Award he earned with Dyreson was a turning point in his early career.

M. Muffoletto

challenges, a first-generation student and, if you don’t have mentors.”

Flórez and his friends had already forged that path and wanted to share share what they’d learned. The trio called their creation “PrimerosPuestos” (First Places).

“The opportunities are there — it’s just finding a way to break through barriers that keep talented students and potential mentors from making a connection,” Flórez says. “But my friends and I believed we had just the tool to make those connections happen.”

In addition to helping teens and young adults find college-level opportunities, PrimerosPuestos connected primary schools in need with potential donors.

“We helped an elementary school in Peru collect donations to realize their dream of having a decent library,” Florez says. “Our site allowed us to put schools in touch with appropriate donors who could quickly help. Our goal was to match each person or group in need with the best fit.”

The grad students’ innovation attracted attention, with their Facebook page ballooning to more than 12,000 fans within weeks. PrimerosPuestos was one of seven start-ups from Peru that advanced from the 2011 Intel Challenge Latin America competition to the international Intel Challenge. It was also a finalist in the 2011 Wayra competition, a contest sponsored Continued

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by Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica to foster technological innovation throughout Latin America.

While the project received accolades from Telefónica and Intel, as well as welcome media exposure, it fell short of securing the needed funding to sustain itself and, within a year, folded.

“It was disappointing, but I learned a great deal from this venture,” Flórez says. “I was very inexperienced and social entrepreneurship was very new in Latin America.

The investors we approached wanted to see a faster return on their investment than we could achieve. We had a longer-term view.”

He also realized the importance of timing.

“At the time, I thought, ‘We have a good team and a product based on good technology, so that should be

enough,” Flórez says. “But I learned it takes more: You have to have the right ideas at the right time at the right place.”

Building a Career

From Utah State, Flórez traveled west, accepting a research scientist position with Intel Labs’ User Experience Research Team, based in Santa Clara, California. Among his initial assignments was working with the Anticipatory Computing Team to enable computers to understand causal relationships to explain human user behavior.

“For example, I implemented personalization algorithms from wearable devices that reused information, such as location, heart rate, physical activities, mode of transport, mood states, sleep quality

Omar Flórez, deep in computational thought, in California’s Silicon Valley.

Courtesy Omar Flórez

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A screen capture from the Guatemalan-Colombian educational platform Platzi, featuring USU alum Omar Flórez teaching an online course in artificial recurrent neural network architecture in Spanish. Flórez says making artificial intelligence education and development accessible in multiple languages is crucial for advancing the field and fostering inclusiveness.

Courtesy Platzi

and more, to treat people as individuals,” Flórez says.

“I wanted to identify which patterns in people’s daily activities could negatively impact their sleep, so that a device could generate data-driven hypotheses that approximate a healthier lifestyle.”

From Intel, Flórez moved to Capital One, where he conducted research on enabling natural dialogues between humans and devices.

“These included the algorithms used in chatbots to generate automatic responses to customer questions and to perform banking operations using text messages,” he says.

Currently at Twitter Cortex, Flórez is delving deeper into machine learning, studying how unlabeled collections of data contribute to understanding how people communicate in social media.

“We need lots of data to build these models,” he says. “On social media, people communicate via emojis,

memes, entities, news and more. I study how to use all this information to understand and generate content, hoping computers will help to decode human language.”

A Unique Artificial Intelligence Plan for Peru

Flórez is part of a committee assisting the Peruvian government in formulating a national artificial intelligence (AI) plan for Peru.

“Over the years, I’ve been able to contribute to my country, even though I live in the United States,” he says.

For context, Flórez explains, most countries are formulating AI plans.

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to align with goals for global competition, including investing in education, technology, communications and infrastructure.”

The idea, as well, Flórez says, is to be inclusive and to use technology to help everyone.

“For example, a homeless person should have access to the Internet, hardware and the opportunity to learn to code,” he says. “The government should make tools available for everyone to become educated and have the opportunity to get a job and achieve success in an information economy.”

The plan, Flórez says, is “connected to the idea of being able to compete globally, with no physical constraints – an idea I’ve embraced since my undergrad years.”

Diversity will Fuel the Future of AI

If artificial intelligence is to advance to the next level, the field needs many people and people of different backgrounds, Flórez says.

“I do research in machine learning and, because of that, I’m aware of the limits of artificial intelligence and where we may need to go in order to solve important problems,” he says. “We need many people to solve these challenges.”

The way to make this happen, Flórez says, is by having more diversity among computer scientists.

“I really encourage undergraduates to get into artificial intelligence and machine learning, because not only are there are a lot of opportunities to make progress in this area, but we need everyone to solve these challenges in fair and productive way,” he says.

“We need to encode everyone’s view.”

Included in these efforts is recognizing not only barriers of culture, access and opportunity, but language. To that end, Flórez created a comprehensive Spanish-English dictionary of AI terminology. First shared in 2018 on the Internet hosting for software

development site GitHub as an open source project, the dictionary, Diccionario Inglés-Español de Términos Técnicos en Inteligencia Artificial (IA)/SpanishEnglish Dictionary of Technical Terms in Artificial Intelligence (AI), allows users free access, along with the ability to add new terms to the growing project.

“The genesis of this dictionary came, in part, from my own experience,” he says. “Even though I speak English, it was challenging, when I was starting out in AI, to find technical documentation in Spanish and to map the new concepts in my second language.”

Flórez sees a Spanish-English dictionary as just a first step toward making the AI community more inclusive.

“I’d love to see similar dictionaries paired in other languages from Africa and Asia,” he says. “In a perfect world, everyone would have fair access to AI knowledge in their own languages, but the reality is English has become the lingua franca among AI developers.

Multilingual AI dictionaries could help make AI information more readily available to the whole world, encouraging young engineers and students across the globe to get on a level playing field in AI development.”

Giving Thanks

Flórez says he’s greatly appreciative of his USU experiences and the mentors who guided him in his chosen path toward meaningful opportunities.

“I really want to say ‘thank you’ to all of my USU professors: Curtis Dyreson, Xiaojun Qi, Vladimir Kulyukin, Dan Watson and SeungJin Lim,” he says. “I have such good memories and we had such a good time together doing research.”

Flórez adds, “The confidence that had in me, when I was an inexperienced researcher, really left a mark with me. I’m very grateful.” n -MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO

Opposite: College of Science alum Omar Flórez witnesses the raising of the Peruvian flag at San Francisco’s City Hall during a ceremony arranged by the city and the Consulate of Peru to mark Peru’s Independence Day. Though he now resides in the United States, Flórez says he seeks ways to contribute to his native country, including serving on a committee assisting the Peruvian government in formulating a long-term artificial intelligence plan for the South American nation.

Hernando Torres-Fernández, Consul General of Peru in San Francisco, California

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W h e n L ife G ive s Yo u L e m o n s . . .

Science Unwrapped Volunteers Turn to Video to Reach Audiences of All Ages with STEM Outreach A winning component of the and learning about majors College of Science’s Science offered in the College of Science.

Unwrapped public outreach But those lively interchanges program is the collection of came to a screeching halt, as volunteer groups at each event, Science Unwrapped prepared for who provide hands-on learning its Fall 2020 series. activities.

“We couldn’t meet in person, so Each Science Unwrapped event, we had to quickly pivot,” says which draws an average of 400 Science Unwrapped Chair Greg attendees ranging from Podgorski, Associate Dean for preschoolers to senior ciizens to Undergraduate Program and each gathering, features a talk by Services. “We enlisted help from a USU scientist or a visiting USU Media Services and moved Society of Women Engineers researcher. Following the talk,

our presentations to the Zoom attendees ask questions of the scientist and then webinar platform.” head from the Eccles Science Learning Center Emert The hands-on learning activities? Student and Auditorium into the atrium, where dozens of learning community volunteers booths and exhibits await. quickly moved to video, For more than 11 years, Science Unwrapped and soon produced a attendees have enjoyed use of microscopes to view library (often with just a aquatic creatures, opportunities to build model rockets, mobile phone) of lively, robots and vehicles; watched their hair stand on end innovative offerings. with a van der Graff generator, played with oobleck, “We’re very handled live snakes, played in the water with river impressed with the models and all manner of STEM activities – all the while, creativity and conversing with science students innovation of these volunteers and very Zootah at Willow Park grateful for their efforts,” Podgorski says. “Though we missed the high energy and fun of in-person gatherings, we were able to offer our Science Unwrapped fans a wide variety of entertaining and educational learning videos on our website.”

“Our students dealt with the stress of the sudden move from in-person classes to online courses with resilience and still went above and beyond to provide valuable learning experiences for the community,” he says. “That’s outstanding service and teamwork.” n

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View the Learning Videos at: usu.edu/unwrapped/learning-activities View Science Unwrapped Presentations at: usu.edu/unwrapped/presentations SPRING 2021 I DISCOVERY MAGAZINE

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ALUMNI OF USU’s COLLEGE OF SCIENCE SHARE INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

Absolutes and the Wor ld We Live In Spring 2021 Guest Columnist

JOHN EDWARDS

Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Utah State University BS’98, Computer Science Utah State University MS’04, Computer Science Brigham Young University PhD’13, Computer Science The University of Texas

At the start of my second term attending Utah State, I walked into my calculus class to find, standing at the front of the room, a lanky and energetic professor by the name of Duane Loveland.

It was clear from the outset that he was passionate about both mathematics and teaching, and I felt lucky to be in his class. There were only 20 or so students enrolled, and as we neared the end of the term, I had the highest score in the class. Maybe I was overconfident or got busy (probably the former), but I didn’t study for the final like I should have, and I performed badly. Nevertheless, I still had the highest cumulative grade in the class, so I was surprised

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when I saw that my final grade was an A-. I approached Dr. Loveland about it, and he replied simply that I hadn’t met the standard for an A. I had no response.

What was I supposed to say? There was a standard that had been published in the syllabus and I didn’t meet it. It didn’t matter whether I did better or worse USU alum John Edwards ‘98 than anyone else in the is a member of the College of Science’s Department of class. The standard was Computer Science faculty. an absolute.

As scientists, our professional world deals largely with absolutes. The Pythagorean theorem, DNA transcription, the speed of light, Dijkstra’s algorithm… the list is long. We use the scientific method to search for truths that are quantifiable, provable and, well, absolute.

But sometimes, even as scientists, we use the scientific method for things that may not be quite as absolute. Gradient descent, the uncertainty principle, genetic variation, and many other principles and techniques fall into this group. As scientists, we are generally pretty good at accepting uncertainty, approximation and probability. We understand that some things in our world aren’t absolute.

Do we transfer our acceptance of non-absolutes to living in a world with other people? Do we accept

messiness and diversity in life?

Some people view sports in absolute terms (every Houston Rockets’ loss is a tragedy for a friend of mine).

Others don’t. Some folks view politics in absolute terms. Others don’t. Some see religion as an absolute. Others don’t. Where we each fall individually is maybe less relevant than whether we can appreciate others for who they are and what they believe.

I was a software engineer for 10 years before returning to academia. One day, after a visit with a climatologist, who showed us some beautiful hurricane prediction software he’d written, my boss remarked to me, “Well, that was cool, but it will never make him any money.”

I was shocked. What I had seen as inspiring science my boss saw as counterproductive to the bottom line. I realized that maybe I wasn’t in the career I really wanted. The next day, I started filling out applications for graduate school.

The problem was, I felt critical of my boss. I had an

Aggie alum John Edwards with wife, Angela, and twin sons Laren, left, and Martin in Cache Valley, Utah, in the late 90s, as Edwards was completing his undergraduate studies at Utah State.

Photos courtesy John Edwwards

elitist, academic view of the world and felt that everyone should feel the same. But my boss was building a company that made software products to benefit people. And his company gave people jobs so they could live comfortably with their families. Who was I to judge him?

I’m grateful that I didn’t get an A in that calculus class. It was exactly the lesson I needed as I embarked on a career in science and engineering. But when it comes to human relationships, maybe we should live less with a syllabus in hand and more with gratitude for this diverse, uncertain, messy and beautiful world in which we live. n

-- JOHN EDWARDS

John Edwards resides in North Logan, Utah with his wife and children. They enjoy gardening, hiking and “pretty much anything else outdoors.”

Dr. Edwards at work in his USU office.

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Sur prise Gift Holiday Present Secures Alum Bradley Hintze’s Aggie Legacy

BY LOGAN JONES, EDITORIAL MANAGER, USU OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT

Anne Cherry made a call to USU’s College of Science last fall with an unconventional proposal: She aimed to create a fully endowed scholarship in her husband’s name as a surprise Christmas gift.

Anne’s husband, Dr. Bradley Hintze, who graduated from USU with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 2009, is a proud Utah State alumnus, who shows his Aggie pride every chance he gets.

Above, USU College of Science alum Bradley Hintze ‘09, left, with son Alden, wife Anne Cherry and son Otto.

Jared Lazarus

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“Bradley talks about Utah State all the time,” Anne says. “He reads Discovery, the College of Science alumni magazine cover to cover, and is always telling me about the stories and what’s happening in the college.”

Knowing how much Bradley not only values his time at Utah State, but higher education access in general, Anne was happy to establish a gift that reflected this passion.

Bradley discovered his wife’s thoughtful gift under the Christmas tree at the end of a trying 2020. The North Carolina residents both work in healthcare

— Anne as an anesthesiologist, and Bradley in data writing or using a pipette, virtually impossible. science at the Duke Institute for Health Innovation.

His largest preceived barrier to college, however, After months of working during the unpredictable was the cost. Thanks in large part to generous financial COVID-19 pandemic in different capacities, the surprise aid, Bradley earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry scholarship was a welcome sight on Christmas from Utah State in 2009, followed by a doctorate in morning — even though Bradley didn’t see it right away. biochemistry from Duke University in 2015.

“I went through this box and “Giving a scholarship really saw all this Utah State stuff and means a lot to me, because I “I’m a first-generation college didn’t realize what was in the received scholarships myself student. To me, first-generation bottom,” Bradley says. “After — and it was the only way I going through most of it, I could see myself going to students are impacted the most thanked Anne, and she looked college,” he says. “Scholarships by college, and I think they have at me and said, ‘Bradley, open were really the only path I had the folder.’” to a college degree, and I was the biggest barriers to obtaining “I opened it, and was fortunate enough to get them. overwhelmed,” he says. “I was So, being able to provide that to degrees, so it was important to telling everyone that she got future students is really exciting to me that we give the help where me an endowed scholarship, me.” and all I got her was a new Anne and Bradley ensured the it is needed.” cookie sheet.”

Dr. Bradley J. Hintze Endowed - Dr. Bradley Hintze, BS’09 “Which is what I wanted!”

Scholarship would be awarded Anne adds. annually to a student in the After graduating from Utah’s Alta High School College of Science. Their gift is specifically designed to in 2001, and being surrounded by peers who did help those facing the added difficulty of being a firstsomething other than college, Bradley was unsure if he generation college student and avoid the burden of even had the brains for college. He also has a disability student loan debt that can plague a college graduate. that makes fine motor coordination activities, like More broadly, they hope this will add to the college’s financial offering helping to attract low-income students who would otherwise be deterred by the overall cost of college.

“I’m a first-generation college student,” Bradley says.

“To me, first-generation students are impacted the most by college, and I think they have the biggest barriers to obtaining degrees, so it was important to me that we give the help where it is needed.”

Already a distinguished Utah State alumnus, Bradley’s efforts to eliminate barriers for future students and provide them freedom to pursue education and enriching careers through the College of Science is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

“To look back at Utah State every year and see a student succeed with our help, while remembering my time there, Bradley Hintze ‘09, right, at USU in 2008, with research mentor Sean Johnson, faculty member in the Department of Chemistry I look forward to seeing that,” Bradley says. “And, I can’t and Biochemistry. Bradley, who earned a doctorate from Duke wait to follow these students and see where they go and University in 2015, is a senior data scientist with the Duke Institute for Health Innovation. what they do next!” n Donna Barry

-LOGAN JONES

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S t u d e nt Har dship F u n d Launched; U S U Pr epar es fo r ‘A’ D a y of Giving 2021 Nichole Bresee

As reported in our Fall 2020 issue of Discovery, Aggies from around the world generously responded to Utah State’s 2020 ‘A’ Day of Giving, collectively supporting 69 areas of impact across the university with a giving total of $96,720.

Donor gifts collected during this 24-hour effort included donations to establish the College of Science Student Hardship Fund, which is now up and running to assist Aggie scholars in need.

Plans are in motion for ‘A’ Day of Giving 2021, to be held Thursday, October 21, during Utah State University Homecoming Week October 18-23. Watch for details!

We offer heartfelt thanks to all of our supporters, who faithfully support USU’s mission, especially during challenging times.

We are the Aggie Family! n -LORI HENNIGAN, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Diane Alston

Jan Sojka

Greg Podgorski

Xiaojun Qi

Karalee Ransom

Joel Pederson

Sean Johnson

Michelle Baker

Lance Seefeldt

Jim Powell

To make a gift to the College of Science Student Hardship Fund, visit:

give.usu.edu/cos

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w w w. u s u . e d u / s c i e n c e / u n w r a p p e d

Let Us Hear from You We invite you to stay in touch with us:

n Via the Web Visit our website at www.usu.edu/science n On Social Media Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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Via Phone: 435-797-2488

n On Utah Public Radio Hear about our research during “Science by the Slice” mini-casts

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Via Email: science@usu.edu

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From Fall 2019: Members of USU’s student-led Science Council gather to show gratitude, before welcoming new Aggie science and math majors at the college’s annual “Discover Science” event. M. Muffoletto