LINGUISTICS

American Sign Language

In June 2023, I enrolled in the ASL 101 course offered by Signing Online, in an attempt to familiarize myself with American Sign Language and gain proficiency in the language. I completed several course modules offered as part of the beginner course that covered common phrases for greeting and departure such as “What’s up?” and “See you later,” as well as ways to express one’s feelings, ask simple questions, and construct basic sentences, while learning more about the Deaf community, regional variations in ASL signs, and sign language interpreters. I received a certification of completion at the end of the course after successfully clearing the final examination.

Linguistic Society of America

I was also selected as a member of the Linguistic Society of America in September 2023 for the duration of an year, during which I acquired a deeper understanding of sociolinguistics, multilingualism, and machine translation through resources such as readings and texts, videos, and webinars. I will also be participating in the North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO) in January 2024.

AISERA Internship

In June 2024, I undertook a 7-week long full-time internship with Aisera, a software company focused on artificial intelligence and generating AI based solutions under the mentorship of the Head of Quality Engineering. As an intern, I used my knowledge in AI and Python coding to contribute to two projects under the organization’s Prompt Engineering vertical: (1) Automating testing for LLMs, particularly their RAG system; and (2) specifically enhancing indexing to sort out information efficiently; also within the RAG system.

Linguistics Essay Prize - Trinity College Cambridge

I participated in the prestigious Trinity College Cambridge’s Linguistics Essay prize in August, 2024 where I focused my essay on exploring the transformative power of figurative language such as metaphors and similes; on human cognition and decision making. I did so by exploring its effects on specific areas including athletic performance behaviors and perceptions in debates about societal issues like crime prevention.