Diving Into Computer Science With Aram Sargsyan (MSCIS ‘23)

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Contributed by Aram Sargsyan (MSCIS ‘23)

From a very young age, I was very interested in mathematics. I loved being challenged, and solving difficult problems was very pleasurable for me. By the time I was in high school, I also got into informatics and programming. So, when it was the time to decide what major to choose at university, it was more or less obvious, and I smoothly dived into studying computer science. Later, I focused on machine learning, which per se is a unique synergy of computer science and mathematics — the two fields I adore. My bachelor studies at AUA were eventful. I obtained valuable knowledge and skills, which I currently use in my professional and personal life.

AUA, and especially the Akian College of Science and Engineering, shaped my professional career and growth. At AUA I was given many opportunities to try myself, to get better, to put forward or advance new ideas and always stay motivated. I strongly believe that AUA gives you the necessary skills and knowledge, and if you use them correctly, you will succeed.

Academic Achievements

I participated in programming olympiads during the first half of my studies at AUA. The very first time I participated in the contest, I wanted to explore the opportunities, to understand what it was and how it worked. At that time, I had very little experience. But I liked it, so I started working on myself to improve my skills. We also had group training. As a result, in the following year, our team successfully advanced through several stages reaching the regional finals. After that, I got busy and did not have the time to continue training. It was a useful experience for me.

During my studies, I have been engaged in several projects. One of them was in the scope of the AUA-Mentor Graphics collaboration, where I worked on data augmentation problems as a machine learning specialist, before starting my capstone. Deciding what to do as a capstone project was a hard task for me. I had several interesting and at the same time challenging ideas that required additional knowledge, experience, and time. So, I needed to embark on something more realistic. While I was in search of the right topic, as a part of the project with Mentor Graphics, we managed to come up with sound, competitive, and novel solutions for data augmentation. So, it was a perfect option for my capstone. After consulting my instructors, I eventually decided to present this work as my capstone. After some refinements, it might be published. 

One of my recent achievements is “The Best Bachelor’s Degree Student Award” in the field of IT, which is a checkpoint indicating that I am on the right track and should move forward and keep getting better. It is also very motivating because I know that I am valued, that my efforts are recognized.

Launching a Career in Machine Learning

My interest in the field of machine learning developed during my sophomore year in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program at AUA. I was mesmerized by the results and progress in the field, so I took a course in machine learning. Several months later, I was working as a machine learning specialist.

I am currently leading the machine learning team at Hoory. We are developing an AI assistant, which can be helpful in various domains by automating conversations with users. I am currently concentrating my efforts on the natural language processing field. We are trying to manipulate the textual data in different ways, manage it in a structured manner, and formulate reasonable answers to the user queries.

For me, success in a career is when you love what you do, when you are motivated and valued. It is a huge success if you know that whatever you do impacts the larger communities, and that the outcomes of your work will live longer than you.