Rozy Eastaugh is a senior and incoming Master’s student at Stanford University studying Electrical Engineering and minoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Rozy is passionate about applying engineering to tackle socio-environmental challenges like renewable energy and community-led sustainable agriculture. She has been working as a hardware engineer this past year, designing and testing hardware-software systems for both solar and consumer electronics applications.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU STUDIED IN COLLEGE? HOW DID YOU END UP STUDYING AI?
“In high school, I did some research in a computational neuroscience lab. I entered college with the plan of studying Biomedical Engineering to pursue this interest further. However, a year into undergrad, I realized that my passion for math, computer science, and hands-on problem-solving was best satisfied by the multifaceted and widely applicable field of electrical engineering. I love EE because it combines pure math, software engineering, and mechanical engineering to understand all levels of a system and solve a problem with the big picture in mind. AI is one of many software tools that I have learned and applied in my work with hardware and software systems. AI is a powerful and useful tool for any engineer to have in their problem-solving toolbox!”
WHAT RESEARCH/INDUSTRY WORK WITHIN AI HAVE YOU BEEN FOCUSED ON? WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AI?
“I am most excited about the intersection of AI and climate change. AI can help us tackle many global sustainability challenges, including deforestation, renewable energy efficiency, and food deserts. AI can help us create art to increase empathy surrounding the impact of climate change, show the correlation between pollution exposure risk and social factors such as race and class, and predict natural disasters so that lives can be saved. I am excited that in recent years, conversations around AI + ethics have become more prominent. AI is versatile and powerful, and understanding its social implications at every step of the development process is essential to using the tool for good.”
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TEACHING EXPERIENCE IN INSPIRIT AI?
“My favorite part has been watching students grow over the session, both in their understanding of the concepts and in their relationships with each other. I love watching students help each other with bugs in their code, bond and laugh at the end of a class session, and share with each other what intellectually and personally motivates them. I learn just as much from my students’ insights, curiosity, and optimism as I hope to teach them!”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN STUDYING AI OR PURSUING A CAREER IN AI IN THE FUTURE?
“A lot of people see AI as this complex, unattainable concept that will someday lead to robots taking over our world. I would advise students to take AI down from this pedestal a little bit, understand that it is one of many technological tools that can help us solve big problems, and believe in their ability to learn AI concepts. I would stress the need for interdisciplinary voices and fields in tandem with AI; it’s easy to get carried away with a tool this powerful, but as we stress at the beginning of the project week, it’s important to ethically examine our work and stay grounded in the problem we’re trying to solve.”
