蜜月直播

As a busy, high-achieving undergraduate at Marist, Class of 2014 valedictorian Justin Svegliato was a dual major in computer science and philosophy with a minor in mathematics. Such varied interests could have led him in a number of divergent directions. Though he felt a pull toward academia, he found himself face-to-face with a great opportunity while still in school.

During his sophomore and junior years, Svegliato developed software as an intern at Goldman Sachs. That led to an enviable part-time consulting job while he was still in school and a job offer upon graduation. The offer was too good to pass up (鈥淚 was still very interested in academia, but wanted to give industry a shot,鈥� he said), so Svegliato spent two years at the storied Wall Street firm. 鈥淎lthough it was professionally challenging, it didn鈥檛 sway me from my original plans,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 still wanted to be a professor.鈥�

He researched various graduate programs and was particularly intrigued by Dr. Shlomo Zilberstein鈥檚 work in artificial intelligence at UMass Amherst. Today, Svegliato is a PhD candidate in Resource-Bounded Reasoning Lab, which is focused on how intelligent systems like robots and self-driving cars make decisions. Currently, Svegliato鈥檚 academic research is on metareasoning or, as he puts it, 鈥渞easoning about reasoning.鈥�

The lab is tackling big questions, Svegliato noted. 鈥淲hen should a robot stop thinking and start making an actual decision? We鈥檙e developing techniques and models for that.鈥�

Svegliato is also working on self-driving cars with Nissan. 鈥淲e develop models and algorithms that help self-driving cars make decisions,鈥� he explained. He noted the many decisions a self-driving car needs to make, including when to yield at intersections, when to stop for pedestrians, how to manage obstacles, and when to change lanes. As self-driving cars become more common, this research is extremely timely.

The work is a dream situation for Svegliato because it brings together his interests in computer science and philosophy in a unique way. 鈥淚鈥檓 like a kid in a candy shop,鈥� he admitted.

What鈥檚 up next after he earns his PhD? Although Svegliato would like to start his own AI and robotics company, he remains drawn to academia. 鈥淚 have a feeling I鈥檒l be a professor,鈥� said Svegliato, who spoke fondly of Marist professors Alan Labouseur and James Snyder. 鈥淚f I could be anything like James or Alan, that would be awesome,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t would be fulfilling to help students learn, grow as researchers, and develop their careers.鈥�