Hi, my name is Christian Lindner and I'm from Huntsville, Alabama. I am a senior Computer Science student at the University of Alabama with two summers of internship within the government and private sector and I plan on pursuing a career in software development after I graduate. I enjoy many sides of Computer Science but the ones I am currently most interested in are Data Visualization, Geographic Information Systems, and Augmented or Virtual Reality. I like learning more about new tools or technologies emerging into the Computer Science space. I also am very interested in linguistics and language learning so WordBuds is a project I am very excited to help advance.

Hi, I'm Mae Olsen! I am a second semester senior at the University of Alabama double majoring in computer science and mathematics. My main skills lie in machine learning, probability, and statistics, with some robotics and data science. I am currently working on a bioinformatics research project through the biology department at UA and would like to continue studying and performing research on a Master's level starting next spring. Human-centered research is interesting and fulfilling to me, so WordBuds is a great fit.

Hello! My name is Chris Phornroekngam and I am a computer science major with a concentration in cybersecurity. I have a strong interest in industrial automation, SCADA systems, and IoT devices. I am excited to work more in this world in the summer where I have accepted a role at Nucor Steel Decatur as a process automation engineer. I am originally from Huntsville, AL where my parents own a local Thai Restaurant. They are originally from Bangkok, Thailand, so naturally, I grew up speaking Thai and English. I take pride in my multi-ethnic background and adore teaching my friends more about the Thai language and culture. WordBuds is a perfect intersection of my passion for language acquisition and programming!

Hello, I'm Tucker Portis! I'm originally from Montgomery, Alabama, and I'm currently pursuing a Master's in Mathematics along with a Bachelor's in Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Alabama. I'm especially interested in data science, data analytics, and machine learning. For example, I developed a Python based recommendation algorithm that predicts user preferences using linear regression and gradient descent. Outside of class, I previously served as Secretary for the ACM chapter on campus, where I helped connect students with guest speakers and internship opportunities. I will finish my Master's in December of this year, so this upcoming summer I am excited to be interning with Regions Bank in Hoover, AL. Overall, I really enjoy combining technical tools with real world applications, which is why opportunities like WordBuds are especially interesting to me.

Hello, my name is Noah Wiechertjes, and I'm an aerospace engineering and computer science double major undergraduate student concurrently pursuing a master’s degree in the former. My main interest is in software for aerospace applications, especially navigation, control, and tracking systems. I’m from west Michigan, where my mother works as a special education teacher and frequently talks about speech and language acquisition topics, which made this project, WordBuds, particularly interesting to me. I look forward to leaving my mark on this impactful project.