Lee Caputo

Lee Caputo is currently in his 3rd year of study at the University of Florida majoring in Computer Science. In May 2022, he will graduate with a minor in Digital Arts and Sciences from the Digital Worlds Institute of the College of the Arts at the University of Florida. Although Lee has not been involved with any technical or professional student organizations on campus, he is however a member of the Gator Anime Club where he interacts with its members to enjoy a common pastime.

During the past spring and summer semesters, Lee enrolled in multiple major specific technical courses that are project based and required him to design and build applications/games from scratch. In particular, he worked on a mobile app built with the React Native framework that focuses on de-escalating police-civilian interaction during a traffic stop; he also programmed several games using Unity with the most notable being a 3D platformer that required the player to explore a desolate island. These courses provided him with valuable experience and insights into software development workflows, software design principles, and a multitude of programming languages and tools used in the development process. He was also able to develop important interpersonal skills through team collaboration on software projects. Lee intends to keep honing the technical skills that he has acquired and aspires to one day work as a Software Developer.

Lee is very enthusiastic about world history and anthropology. He likes to binge watch documentaries on historical events and figures. He is also an avid reader of medieval fantasy novels.

Andrew Watson

Andrew Watson is a fourth-year student at the University of Florida, where he is majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Electrical Engineering. He works as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Herman Lam, the University of Florida’s Site Director of the NSF Center for Space, High-Performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC). In this position, he works and assists with research projects that involve high-performance reconfigurable computing. This involves using FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Array) to accelerate HPC (High-Performance Computing) tasks. Specifically, Andrew works with the conversion to and optimization of applications using Intel’s OneAPI programming model for FPGAs. His most recent project in this position was measuring and comparing the performance of existing applications written in OpenCL to the same applications when converted to Data Parallel C++ (DPC++), a language used in OneAPI. Andrew has worked in this position since May of 2021.

Andrew’s interests lie at the intersection of machine learning and high-performance computing. In addition, he is interested in lower-level computing, such as programming embedded systems and IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Andrew is also involved in the Study Abroad program at the University of Florida. He studied in Chengdu, China in the summer of 2019 as part of the University of Florida’s UF in Chengdu program. He also enjoys hiking, especially while traveling. Last summer, Andrew traveled and hiked in the Balkans.

Daniela Fragoso Diaz

Daniela is a fifth-year student pursuing a B.S. in Computer Engineering at University of Florida. She is working as a software engineer doing a part-time internship for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters with UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group). She is working on implementing Contract Tests using Pact library with NodeJs to facilitate end-to-end integration tests within different components of an application. She is a volunteer Technical Contributor for SpaceML, an extension of NASA’s Frontier Development Lab. She is currently working on SpaceML’s NASA WorldView Satellite Image Search System Project and has experience presenting their work to panels of professionals and Technical VPs from NASA. Throughout her college experience she has dedicated her time to exploring and learning about technologies that include reconfigurable computing, AI, software engineering, sustainable energy, and mobile development. She enjoyed being Teaching Assistant at the University of Florida, in which she led discussions and taught computer science material to students, allowing her to continuously expand her communication and technical skills.

She has also been a mentor for WiCSE where she helps her mentees in professional and academic topics that include interview preparation, resume, class material, and involvement on campus activities. She was an officer of The Gator Salsa Club, where she was able to combine two of her passions: leadership and dancing Latin rhythms like salsa and tango celebrating her Cuban heritage.

She is a Jose Marti Challenge Grant recipient, and she was the 2018 John & Mittie Collins Engineering Scholarship recipient awarded by the University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering for her excellence in her academics and extracurricular activities.

As an AI and Machine Learning enthusiast, she believes these technologies have the power to enhance scientific advancements and research. She also believes in developing technologies that are accessible and affordable to everyone.

Antony Perez

Antony Perez is a 4^th year Industrial and Systems Engineering Major and Business Administration Minor at the University of Florida, with an expected graduation of Spring 2022. Antony Perez is an active member of the University of Florida community, and he has been part of various student organizations including The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Freshman Leadership Council, Engineering Ambassador’s and Rem on Campus. He currently serves as the President of UF’s chapter of Rem on Campus, a subset of the national organization Rem and Company, whose mission is to keep doors open and dreams alive by providing pro-bono consulting services to small businesses and non-profits. As President, he is responsible for overseeing the chapter of 40+ members as well as managing multiple client relationships.

In the past two summers, Antony has diversified his experiences and has attended leadership programs with Proctor & Gamble, Bain & Company, and Trane Technologies, focused on Supply Chain Management, Management Consulting and Technical Sales, respectively. He has developed a passion for helping businesses solve their problems and spent last summer as an Associate Intern at Boston Consulting Group, working on a retail consulting project. This hands-on experience allowed him to understand the workings of a multi-billion-dollar client, as he worked to save costs by driving synergies. He hopes to continue learning more about opportunities that will allow him to grow his expertise in a professional setting.

Antony has an entrepreneurial and easy-going personality. He has a particular interest in blockchain technology and is currently working on a start-up in space during his free time. In addition, he enjoys playing sports and going to the beach with his friends and family for relaxation.

Vishaun Shiwmangal

Shaun Shiwmangal is currently a 5^th year student at the University of Florida majoring in electrical engineering, with an expected graduation date of Spring 2022. His hometown is Palm Bay, Florida.  Shaun is taking Integrated Product and Process Design this year working on the American Express sponsored project. He is part of team Easy Money and has enjoyed getting to know his fellow teammates and learning the systems engineering process. When it comes to school involvement, Shaun has served as the president of Epsilon Lambda Chi while also being a co-chair for the social and service committee in the Engineering Ambassadors. He is a former executive board member and director of collegiate affairs in the Freshman Leadership Engineering Group. Through his involvement, Shaun has found that his leadership style is based around relationship building and empathy. He was awarded the Horatio Alger Scholarship. Adding to his school involvement, Shaun has gained valuable experience working as an intern for different companies. In Fall 2019, Shaun worked as a Manufacturing and Supply Chain intern with GE Appliances a Haier Company. He was able to work in Total Preventative Maintenance Engineering in Lafayette, Georgia. In the summer of 2020, he completed an internship at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems as a Technical Hardware Intern working in the Signal Conversion Technology group. He returned to Northrop Grumman Mission Systems for a summer internship in 2021 as a Returning Hardware Engineer intern where he was able to gain valuable insight into the company and their values. These experiences have been beneficial in understanding strengths and weaknesses, while also getting the opportunity to network and better understand what it means to be an engineer.