Cesar Torres is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington. As a researcher, Cesar specializes in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) synthesizing new media and craft theory into the software and hardware design of creative tangible user interfaces. He has received multiple best paper awards at top venues within HCI and been supported through the NSF and Adobe/GEM Consortium Graduate Fellowships and a Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant. He recently joined the program committee for ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS), while previously serving on committees for ACM CHI and ACM TEI. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Art Practice and B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.
The Hybrid Atelier
Meet the members of the The Hybrid Atelier.
Faculty
Visiting Scholars
Sara Rastegarpouyani an Iranian interdisciplinary artist living and working in the United States, earned a B.F.A in Graphic Design, an M.F.A. in Illustration, and her second M.F.A in Studio Art in Glass. She is a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA. Her research study and artistic practices are in association with the subject of cultural identity and cultural heritage and their gradual destruction over time, and more recently she is focusing on the relationship between “cultural identity and human rights”. Having a strong tie with culture and history as an Iranian artist, and being inspired by the relationship between heritage, culture, identity, and human rights through her recent research and works she is putting the main emphasis on the idea of temporariness and being exposed to change and destruction. Through her artworks, she is challenging and questioning herself about the subjects of preservation vs destruction, indigenous vs universal cultural territory, and human rights vs violations.
Staff
Mann Pandya graduated from UTA with his Masters in Computer Engineering in Fall 2019. He currently serves as a volunteer lab manager for The Hybrid Atelier. He has a background in Electronics with a specialty in Hardware Design Verification. Besides his specialty in electronics, he has a good software background in Computer Vision and Computer Graphics.
Ph.D. Students
Akib Zaman is pursuing his Doctoral degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). He completed his BS in Computer Science from UTA. His research interests include applications of Machine Learning in various fields ranging from image processing to HCI.
Shreyosi Endow is pursuing a PhD in Computer Engineering at University of Texas at Arlington. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from University of Texas at Arlington in May 2020. Her research interests are in assistive technology and electronics.
Masters Students
Hedieh Moradi is pursuing her Master's degree in Computer Science and Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington. She recently received her MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from the Art and Art History Department at UTA. During her MFA, her research was focused on how to use design to improve the quality of life for others. She received The McDowell travel award to go to Iran and work with one of the pioneer design institutions in Tehran to improve their design curriculum. Also, she conducted a workshop for the grant-funded “Green STEAM”. She was also invited to be the guest speaker three times inside the department to talk about her research and design thinking process for the entrepreneurship event. she received her bachelor's degree in the same field from the Azad University in Tehran her home town in 2014. Before her arrival in the United States, she worked at one of the high-rank publications in Iran for three years. She started as a layout designer and was promoted to become the art director.
Jeremy Scidmore earned a BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later returned to SAIC to study Arts Administration and Policy. While in Chicago he became committed to the idea of art as activism, developing and advising an array of community-based programs for underserved neighborhoods. His concurrent personal art practice has covered a wide array of glass media (neon, hot glass, kilnforming, glass printing), as well as installation, video, and sound. He continues to balance these studio-based explorations with community activism through arts advocacy and teaching.
Scidmore is currently based in Dallas/Fort Worth where he is Studio Technician and Faculty in the Glass Department at the University of Texas Arlington. Additionally, he has been an instructor, lecturer, and adviser at a range of academic, nonprofit, and for-profit institutions including Google, Solar City, The Crucible, Chicago Public Schools, Street Level Youth Media Group, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana, Pilchuck Glass School, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Public Glass, Ox-bow School of Arts and Residency, California College of Arts, Bullseye Glass Co., The Art Institute of California, Urban Glass, and North Land Creative Glass (Scotland).
Undergrad Research Studios (UGRS) Fellows
Vijay Singh is pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design at The University of Texas at Arlington. He possesses a wide range of abilities that combine innovative art techniques and design principles. Vijay believes in designing products that resemble the natural nature and workflows of humans.
Vijay Singh has extensive experience working on product designs and is a keen User Experience Researcher. He has experience working as a Freelance UX Designer and has worked on projects with various acclaimed companies such as Fossil, Google, Apple, and Hennessy.
Ruta Vaghasia is a junior pursing her Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Arlington. Ruta is currently interested in learning about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Processing as data is all around us!
During her free time, she likes traveling and exploring new places to know more about different cultures and it's always a great stress buster.
Ivan Jaimes is pursuing his Bachelor’s of Computer Science Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Ivan is a Full stack engineer that loves to keep up to date with the latest tech frameworks and libraries. His interests include graphics using open frameworks, signal processing, music composition, and functional programming.
Garrett Land is pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design at The University of Texas at Arlington. He is an innovative UI/UX Designer with experience designing interesting experiences while keeping accessibility in mind. Garrett has a background in programming and implements generative design into his problem solving tool-set.
Garrett has experience with a variety of projects focusing on: Brand Identity, Packaging, Web Design, and Mobile App Design.
Cristina Cervantes is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her concentration in Animation/Gaming provides her with the technical and design skills needed for animated video production. Cristina’s current interest is learning different animation styles, ranging from traditional to computer-based animations.
During her free time, Cristina enjoys learning how to make a 2D drawing and transforming it into a 3D model for animation. She is also frequently improving her drawing skills using mixed media and exploring various animation software, such as Maya and Blender. In the future, Cristina intends to produce more 3D animations.
Cherryl Maria Bibin is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is passionate about the applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in various domains to improve the quality of human life. Her interests include the applications of mathematics and computer science and the impact it can have on the society. She is passionate to bring technology to improve healthcare especially for the lesser privileged communities by incorporating machine assisted intelligent systems. She has also developed a mobile application cAppAble which was aimed at helping underprivileged people and people with disabilities to get job opportunities by connecting them to NGOs and corporates. She believes that we are preparing for a world where humans and machines will work together and we must prepare ourselves to embrace this change. She is also a trained Carnatic singer and is very passionate about music. Her hobbies include debating, watching investigative thrillers and is a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes.
Dema Elansari is pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in computer science at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has a passion for the world of biotechnology and the possible future applications for this field. Currently, she is interested in pursuing different projects involving the combination of biomedical applications and computer science.
In her free time, she is working on improving her skills in coding in various languages, and in the future, she wants to pursue opportunities in the field of biotechnology.
Esau is a Junior pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. He loves to challenge himself and attend hackathons where he always finds an opportunity to learn something new.
During his free time, he enjoys attending car shows, photographing cars, driving exotic cars, and spending time with his two cats.
Anvay is currently pursuing a Bachelors's degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science at UTA. He has experience in 3D modeling and machining/fabrication. In the future, he would like to pursue a career in robotics working on projects involving human-robot interaction.
In his spare time, Anvay enjoys rock climbing and working on small personal projects.