Joel Walsh's research explores the intersection of educational technology, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing.
He specializes in designing novel learning technologies that utilize machine learning, multimodal models, and knowledge representation. Walsh comes to 17³Ô¹Ï from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, where he was an AI research intern at Finetune Learning, and previously taught high school mathematics in Los Angeles. He has a Ph.D. in STEM education and an M.S. in computational science, engineering, and mathematics from UT Austin.
What attracted you to 17³Ô¹Ï?
I didn’t know much about 17³Ô¹Ï before moving to Los Angeles. I began to hang out with a friend’s partner and her crew, who all went to 17³Ô¹Ï. They described an idyllic undergraduate experience where they had opportunities to TA classes, do research, and really get to know their professors. It sounded like a great experience. Then, as luck would have it, that friend (Madeline Wander) and I were both hired this year as incoming professors.
How did you take an interest in computer science, and in your specialty in particular?
I first became interested in computer science as a high school math teacher at Locke High School in Watts. In California at that time, you had to have a mathematics credential to teach CS. I became the CS teacher and STEAM club advisor and we all sort of learned how to code together. When I went back to graduate school, I knew that I wanted to really learn how a computer works, and how computing could support human flourishing.
Can you talk about a favorite class you have taught (or are currently teaching) and what students can expect to take away from it?
I am really enjoying the COMP 395 Special Topics class: Deep Learning. When I was a graduate student, I thought deep learning was magic. So now I get to teach magic. Students can expect to develop an understanding of the mathematics behind Deep Learning, and how to use python frameworks that are standard in industry like Pytorch, Numpy, and Scikit-Learn.
Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing in Los Angeles?
I like to play basketball all around Los Angeles. I also enjoy eating at restaurants and cafes in all the different ethnic enclaves in the city. I firmly believe that this is the greatest food city in the world.
Anything else you would like to add?
I enjoy teaching 17³Ô¹Ï students because they have interests outside of computer science and are given the latitude in the academic core to explore those interests.