Name:Julie Gawenda

Bio:

I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering and minor in Biological Sciences. During my undergraduate degree at UIC, I was a teaching assistant (TA) for almost three years in the Computer Science (CS) Department at UIC. I assisted with several CS classes, including CS 109: Programming for Engineers with MatLab, CS 111: Program Design I, and CS 294: Undergraduate TA Training Seminar. From semester to semester, I witnessed the rapid turnover of TAs, who primarily came from computer science and engineering backgrounds, with inadequate teaching experience to warrant a smooth transition from the role of “student” to “teacher.” Hence, my project, re-vamping the existing CS undergraduate TA training program, was born and accepted to SIGCSE 2024.

I am currently working on my Master of Science by Research, within the Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). I have received an Irish Research Council Enterprise Partnership Scheme – Postgraduate Scholarship to fund research with Hollister Incorporated, an ostomy medical device company. I am primarily investigating the contribution of intestinal bacteria to the pathophysiology of peristomal skin complications in models of ileostomy.

Country:United States

Affiliation:University of Illinois Chicago

Research interests:Computer Science Education, Teaching Assistant Training