People / Students / 2022-2023 Cohort
Theresa (Andrea) received her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Information Technology at Northeastern Illinois University in 2022. In addition to learning about the fundamentals of computing, Andrea took interest in a variety of subjects including Conservation Psychology, where she learned about environmental education, and History of Food & Drink, where she learned about the current food industry’s impact in a global context. During her undergraduate career, she worked on a preliminary research project that analyzed engagement on safety-net food services within social media. What piqued her interest in artificial intelligence was an internship with AbbVie where her team built a program that predicted adverse effects of drugs based on pairs and combinations of drugs. She realized that the impact that AI can have in the healthcare industry is immense, and the impact in sustainability and conservation would be just as powerful.
Andrea hopes that the MSAI program at Northwestern will prepare her to build AI systems that tackle the environmental problems she learned about during her undergraduate studies. Andrea is interested in working to use AI to improve sustainable development within the transportation, lifestyle, and aqua/agriculture industries.
