Student Spotlight: Arcade Wise Explores the Future of Computing

By Simran Ahuja

Innovation Academy student Arcade Wise recently had the opportunity to explore the cutting-edge world of computer science through quite a few unique experiences. Over the summer, Arcade visited St. Louis for the Strange Loop conference, visited New York to learn more about Folk Computer, started a new internship, and took part in the BridgeUp STEM program.

One of the highlights of Arcade’s summer was attending the Strange Loop conference, a gathering of computer scientists and programmers focused on the more experimental and academic aspects of the field. Arcade had the opportunity to gain experience about cutting-edge research, such as new voice interfaces for typing and alternative computing models. “You could do indent and open parentheses and other things that you normally can’t do with a normal dictate feature and is a much more convenient way to make editing code with your voice,” explained Arcade. Their experience at the Strange Loop conference has catalyzed further learning and connected them with people who shared the same interests and knowledge base. This led to them taking a trip to New York to connect with the folks at Folk Computer.

Folk Computer is a groundbreaking concept that challenges traditional notions of individual computing devices. Instead of relying on personal laptops or desktops, the project aims to create a more collaborative and interactive computing experience. Imagine a system where multiple people can work together on a shared computer, arranging programs physically on a table and interacting with them in real time. Arcade was particularly impressed by the innovative use of physical objects to stand for digital programs. ”We can do new things,” explained Arcade. ” I could have a screenshot program that uses a little origami button to activate the screenshot, and I can put that together with my little PDF viewer program that is just an actual PDF because you could just print it out and use it on the table.” And all of this without pressing a button or looking at a screen!

Arcade also had the opportunity to take part in BridgeUp STEM, which is a program that provides female and gender non-conforming students with the opportunity to further their STEM knowledge at Georgia Tech. They took part in a summer coding class for BridgeUp students and went on to complete a collegiate-level study in the field of HCI, or human-computer interaction.

Arcade’s experience this summer has connected them to opportunities- including their new job. They are currently working on a project at a company that involves developing a video conferencing solution. While the work may be more mundane than the cutting-edge research they encountered at Strange Loop, Arcade is excited to apply their skills and knowledge to real-world problems.