Using Technology for Good

“My current position and opportunities are way beyond what I even dreamed of when I was growing up in the Philippines,” says undergraduate student Edrich Silva. Now more than halfway through his higher education journey, he is eager to establish his career in the field of computer science.

On the New York City campus, Silva is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in data science through the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences’ B.S. with Accelerated M.S. Options program, allowing him to earn both degrees in five years.

Movies like The Matrix and WarGames piqued Silva’s interest in computer science as a child, but it wasn’t until his family obtained its first computer that he became deeply invested in the field. Exposure to technology’s endless possibilities and capabilities made him realize that computer science can be used to solve nearly any problem.

Growing up, Silva envisioned a modest future in the tech field, but he has since expanded his ambitions to ensure that any role he takes on empowers him to create social good. That is, a role where he can initiate long-term change for society’s benefit.

“What truly excites me is finally putting my childhood dreams into reality,” Silva says. “I hope to truly make a meaningful contribution to society, and I aim to make that inner kid in me proud.”

Silva finds inspiration in companies like Johnson & Johnson, which leads numerous initiatives to advance healthcare; Costco, known for its commitment to ethical practices; and USAA, which offers programs that support military families’ financial security. If he continues his pattern of achieving goals he has set for himself, he will work for a company—if not one of the aforementioned—with similar social-good values.

Until he graduates and formally enters the field, Silva is finding ways to enact positive change and improve student life on campus. This includes serving as a Peer Success Guide (PSG), working in the Office of Student Life, and acting as a student representative for the First-Gen Committee.

As a PSG, Silva provides social support to more than 50 students and advises them on on-campus resources so they may comfortably adjust to campus life. In his student life role, he is responsible for assisting visitors, fulfilling on-campus clubs’ requests, supporting the office’s hosted events, and maintaining the New York City campus’ food pantry, the Grizzly Cupboard. Finally, he provides input and ideas for the First-Gen Committee’s plans and implementations, offering faculty and staff committee members a student perspective to help further support first-generation college students.

Beyond his campus community-focused work, Silva puts his computer science and data science skills into practice as a student research scholar and senior lab technician in the Human Factors and Neuroscience (HFAN) research lab, led by Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counseling Robert Alexander, Ph.D.

There, Silva contributes to projects that explore the connections between eye movement and psychology. He was most recently involved in a research project studying eye movement differences between fans and non-fans of the television show Supernatural and evaluating whether they looked at show-related visuals in a distinct way. The student researchers concluded that fans of the show viewed images differently compared to non-fans, confirming that humans perceive visual content in ways based on knowledge and exposure to certain information.

As he continues dedicating his time in the lab to analysis and visualization of collected eye movement data, Silva reflects on how far he has come—both literally and figuratively—from a young boy with a dream in the Philippines to a young adult achieving his goals in New York City.

“My journey from being a socially awkward and reserved student to becoming a person who embraces challenges and has more experience truly is extraordinary to me,” he says. “My education and on-campus experiences have shifted my self-perception to see that I can achieve things beyond my wildest dreams.”

To anyone studying subject matter they are passionate about, Silva offers simple advice: “Be bold, be brave, and don’t let the fear of failure stop you from achieving your goals. Do it for your younger self and achieve what you have always dreamed of.”