Presenting Research and Professional Perspectives

This week was focused on finishing major assignments and continuing work on group projects. In CST 349, I collaborated with my team on our final research video presentation about why AI-generated images and videos sometimes seem “off.” We continued developing the slides, visuals, and script so that the project can move into recording and editing. In CST 300, I finalized my ethical argument paper about ransomware payments and submitted my final draft. Finishing that essay felt like a big milestone because it required combining ethical frameworks, stakeholder analysis, research, and APA formatting into one complete argument.

For our final research video project, my team divided the work by role so that everyone could contribute to a different part of the final product. Quinton worked on the outline, Nabiha and I worked on the slides and script, Luke is helping with voiceover, and Todd is handling editing. We used Discord to communicate and shared files to keep the project moving. The process has mostly been smooth, but I learned that large collaborative projects need earlier internal checkpoints. Since recording and editing depend on the slides being finished first, one delayed part can slow down the whole group. Next time, I would want to set smaller deadlines for the outline, rough slides, final slides, script, recording, and editing so that the work is more evenly paced.

This week’s lecture materials connected closely to both our final video project and my future as a software engineer. The video presentation rubric helped me think about how our group should structure our final research video, especially the importance of having a clear theme, logical organization, audience engagement, and content that fits the target audience. I also reviewed the presentation resources, which reminded me that slides should support the message instead of replacing it. For our project about why AI-generated images and videos seem “off,” this means using visuals and short bullet points while letting the script explain the deeper ideas. For my computer science-related TED Talk, I chose “How to Stand Out in the Ocean of AI Slop” because it connects directly to our topic. The talk emphasized that AI can generate content more easily than ever, but originality, effort, and human vision are still what make creative work meaningful.

For my personal-interest TED Talk, I chose “The Power of Gaming Together in a Lonely World” because I am a gamer and liked its focus on games as spaces for connection. It reminded me that technology is not only about technical features, but also about how people interact, collaborate, and build community. The Harvard podcast on AI’s perils and promises also gave me a more balanced view of artificial intelligence. It showed that AI should not be treated as completely good or completely bad. Instead, future software engineers need to understand both its possibilities and its risks, including ethics, oversight, bias, privacy, inequality, and social impact. Overall, this week helped me see that strong technical work also requires strong communication and critical thinking.

For my industry expert interview, I chose to focus on Nick Cunningham, a Staff Software Engineer at Fiddler AI and my former engineering manager at Rev. Nick was my first engineering manager in a professional software engineering environment, so he had a major influence on how I first understood the industry. He was also one of the people who encouraged me to pursue a computer science degree, which makes his perspective especially meaningful to my academic and career path. One of the biggest themes from Nick’s advice was the importance of never stopping learning. Software engineering changes constantly, so developers cannot rely only on what they already know. New tools, frameworks, languages, and industry expectations appear quickly, and engineers need to stay curious in order to keep growing. Nick’s advice helped me understand that learning is not something that ends after getting a job or completing a degree. It is part of the job itself. Another piece of advice that stood out to me was the value of passion projects. Building projects outside of class or work can help a developer practice skills, explore new technologies, and show initiative. Passion projects also make learning feel more personal because they are usually connected to something the developer actually cares about. This advice influenced how I think about my own portfolio and future projects. Instead of only completing assignments, I want to keep building projects that show my interests and my ability to learn independently. In terms of industry trends, one major topic is the growth of artificial intelligence. Nick said the best approach is not to ignore AI or fear it, but to learn how to use it effectively. AI is becoming part of software development workflows, and engineers who understand how to work with it will likely have an advantage. The people most at risk are not necessarily the people using AI, but the people who refuse to adapt to it. Learning to harness AI responsibly can help engineers become more productive while still relying on their own judgment, problem-solving skills, and technical understanding. A technical challenge in software engineering is that the work is rarely just about writing code. Engineers also need to understand existing systems, debug unexpected problems, communicate with teammates, and make decisions about tradeoffs. A solution that works technically may not always be the best solution for the product, the users, or the team. This means successful engineers need both technical skill and strong communication skills. They have to explain their reasoning, ask good questions, and stay open to feedback. Reflecting on Nick’s advice, I can see how much it shaped the way I think about my career. When I first worked in software engineering, I was still learning what it meant to be part of a professional engineering team. His guidance helped me see that becoming a strong engineer is not about already knowing everything. It is about being willing to learn, ask questions, build consistently, and improve over time. That mindset is one reason I decided to continue my education in computer science. My next steps are to keep developing both my technical skills and my project portfolio. I want to continue learning about AI tools, but I also want to strengthen my core software engineering foundation through my coursework. I also plan to keep building personal projects that connect to my interests, because those projects can help me practice new skills and show future employers what I am capable of creating. Overall, this interview reminded me that growth in software engineering comes from curiosity, adaptability, and consistent practice.