About Mike:
I am a rising fourth year with a passion for exploring the frontiers of science. I created a student taught class, CS 1501: Artificial General Intelligence, completely by scratch and turned it into a highly successful and rewarding lecture series. The course looks at the intersection of cognitive science, AI, and philosophy, while covering concepts of minds, brains, superintelligence, and what it means to be human.
I enjoy working out, guitar, writing, political activism, and reading literature, as well as well being a "Book a Week Challenge" participant for 2 years, totaling over 100 books. I plan to move to Stockholm, Sweden after graduation to work as a machine learning engineer and travel Europe, in order to experience all that I can. Afterwards, I hope to attend graduate school for a computer science Ph.D. to further research cognitive architectures and artificial general intelligence. I have an adopted Border Collie, Shadow, my best bud whom I love very much, along with my girlfriend and life partner, Kendall.
What has kept Mike motivated:
What inspires me is a hard question to answer. I would say it is the drive to leave humanity better then I found it, the pursuit of unknown frontiers of science though AGI research, and the pursuit of a fulfilling life and a lasting legacy. I try to find happiness in small things, from cooking something I cannot pronounce, looking at the incredible intricacy of a honeybee, or simply laying in the grass with my dog. I have realized life is short, and that it is way too short to worry about GPA or status. Our humanity and gift of consciousness is what unites us all, and that is something we should not forget- especially in these times. I keep asking myself the big questions of life, and maybe, just maybe, I will eventually find an answer. This searching for knowledge is an incredibly humbling and profound endeavor, and what I would say is my primary motivation and source of meaning.
“The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” ― Frank Herbert, Dune