Angela Tsao named 2020 Udall Scholar

UGA junior Angela Tsao is working to advance research at the intersection of computer science and sustainability, and her focus has earned her national recognition as a 2020 Udall Scholar:

She was one of 55 undergraduates selected from across the nation and U.S. territories for the scholarship, which is awarded to sophomores and juniors on the basis of their commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care or Tribal public policy.

Tsao, from Manchester, Missouri, is working toward bachelor’s degrees in computer science and cognitive science in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and a master’s degree in artificial intelligence. An Honors studentand Foundation Fellow, she plans to earn a doctorate in artificial intelligence, developing and applying novel machine learning techniques for environmental data analysis.

With the addition of Tsao, UGA has had 14 Udall Scholars in the past 10 years and 19 total since the scholarship was first awarded in 1996. The Udall Scholarship provides up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses.

Tsao’s goal is to become a lead researcher at NOAA, where she plans to apply machine learning techniques to environmental data in order to advance the understanding of natural processes. She hopes to use emerging technology—from virtual reality to genetic algorithms to neural nets—to bridge the gap between science and society.

Congratulations to a truly amazing undergraduate student. The cognitive science degree is a great program that spans artificial intelligence, philosophy and linguistics, bringing Franklin expertise together in a very timely combination to provide great students like Tsao the tools to make a difference.