Alumni

Students Learn Agile Applications in Hanover Challenge Workshop

On Friday, October 18th, Hanover Insurance and OPIM Innovate co-sponsored a guest lecture on Agile Data Analytics. Run by alumni Matias Niño, an agility and project management professional from REI Systems, students were introduced to agile and its applications regarding software development.

As explained by Niño throughout the lecture, “Software was the first knowledge work that came about” and could not be sustained by previous project management methods. The waterfall model, for example, was too rigid to handle the rapid advancement of technology; projects often reached obsolescence before they were even completed, and only one end product could be produced to provide feedback. With agile, however, multiple work packages are completed in an iterative process responsive to change. This allows project teams to change their trajectory if the business or supporting systems call for it.

Other than the convenience of flexibility, Niño also praised agile’s ability to decentralize project processes. “When you put decision making as close to the work as possible, you get better results,” he said. To demonstrate this, he had the attending students participate in an activity. Inspired by the human knot icebreaker, students were asked to split into teams and tangle themselves together. The difference between this activity and the regular exercise, however, was the source of direction in the first round. During the first round, a “project manager” from each team gave orders; both were unsuccessful at untangling their teams before time was up. Yet, when the teams were left to their own devices, both completed their objective in seconds. “It was better to have people working from the inside,” said Rose Zimmerman (MIS ’20). “Since they were in it, they knew what was going on.”

Niño, being a Management Information Systems alum based out of Virginia, traveled back to Connecticut to volunteer his time and guest lecture. When asked why he pursued this opportunity, he stated the following: “I really did this because, thinking back to when I was here at UConn, the professionals that came back to give their guidance and share their experiences were really inspiring to me. They helped me with life-changing decisions. After I graduated, I wanted to do the same.”

We thank Matias Niño for guest-lecturing and everyone for attending the Agile Data Analytics workshop. 

Interested in attending one of our upcoming Hanover Challenge workshops? Here’s the schedule.

 

 

 

A Reflection: OPIM Innovate Alexa Skill-Building Workshop

On Friday, March 29th, OPIM Innovate hosted its Alexa Skill-Building Workshop from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in the Gladstein Lab, BUSN 309. Led by Tyler Lauretti (MIS ’18), a Travelers Information Technology Leadership Development Program employee and Alexa developer, the workshop introduced Amazon’s Alexa service through the lens of artificial intelligence and offered attendees the opportunity to develop their own Alexa skills, or voice-activated applications, with a zero-code graphical interface called Voiceflow.

Before introducing attendees to Alexa skill building, Lauretti wanted to describe the Alexa with artificial intelligence (A.I.) terminology. “The speech recognition and natural language processing realms [of A.I.] really make up the core of Alexa,” said Lauretti, “but what really makes Alexa and other voice assistants strong and powerful is machine learning.” Alexa, through speech and natural language processing, is able to extract pertinent information from voice requests and transform recordings into text. From these voice requests, she is also able to extract information to formulate a text response, and then voice that response to the user. With machine learning added to the mix, Alexa is able to learn with each request, and her underlying models get better over time. This is why, for example, an Alexa user with a strong accent is more easily understood the more they use the device.

In addition to the A.I. exposition of the workshop, Lauretti also clarified a few common, yet incorrect assumptions about the Amazon Alexa. For one, the Alexa cannot be purchased from Amazon, unlike their Echo and Dot smart speakers. Why? Unlike Amazon’s physical hardware, the Alexa is a cloud-based voice service that connects to all Amazon smart devices and some third-party devices. As such, while Alexa is a complement to Amazon’s smart speakers, she is also the overarching artificial intelligence framework that keeps every device responsive. When Alexa is asked something through a smart speaker, for example, a recording of the request is sent to the Amazon cloud for processing and analysis. Then, once the meaning of the message is predicted, Alexa gives you her best response.

As Alexa is a speech and natural language processor, developing apps for her is restricted to her ability to “hear” and to “speak.” As such, for Alexa skills, they have to be built so that they are “voice first,” or able to be used with just vocal input. This can be a weakness in some cases, especially for developers who want to create Alexa skills that may require the user to divulge sensitive information out loud. In Lauretti’s experience, the best way to develop an Alexa skill is to have it be “something that’s fun for you to do.” This can range from Disney trivia to teaching Alexa how to help users figure out whether or not they should order pizza or wings for the night, skills Lauretti has created in the past. Skill building can also be practical for businesses, and many businesses are currently building their own Alexa skills to make the customer experience better. Yet, like with speaking with a friend, Alexa responses should always include natural contractions and pauses, utilize follow-up questions, and have variation like “Sure!” and “Got it!”.

Before utilizing Voiceflow, Lauretti had attendees create paper fortune tellers (shown to the right). The point of the exercise was to show how Alexa can only process voice information, and cannot utilize any other “senses” in order to make a decision. As such, while paper fortune tellers require you to pull, fold, unfold, and process visual information, Alexa cannot do that with her limitations; she can only be programmed to listen and respond. Thus, when attendees began to use Voiceflow, which allows you to chain commands and responses together in a circular decision-tree-like diagram, all of the different blocks available for use on the graphical interface involved either speaking or listening for information. For example, in emulating a paper fortune teller game, a “Speak” block can be created with directions on which color to pick so Alexa can voice them to the user. Then, that “Speak” block can be chained to a “Choice” block outlining all of the different choices to search for in the voice input (blue, red, yellow, or green, for example). If the user does not pick a color on that list, the “Choice” block can be linked back to the “Speak” block through an “else” option so Alexa can clarify the different color choices, again. As can be inferred, an Alexa skill diagram utilizing Voiceflow can become very involved very quickly. However, even if the visual model can become fairly complex, it is very simple to build.

After the Alexa Skill-Building Workshop, many students left with a greater understanding of the Alexa service and Alexa skills. “I didn’t realize how simple it was to make skills for your Alexa,” said Calvin Mahlstedt (MIS ’19) in reference to the Voiceflow interface (shown on the left). As for Joanne Cheong (MIS ’20), she was amazed by the many uses Alexa skills can have. “They can be used for various things like controlling smart home devices, providing quick information from the web, and challenging users with puzzles or games,” she said. Robert McClardy was impressed with the security of Amazon Alexa products: “They’re not as huge a vulnerability in comparison to the number of other means that data can be compromised.” 

For those of you interested in learning more about Voiceflow and Alexa skill building, OPIM Innovate has tech kits available for you to explore, including a tutorial on how to make the voice-enabled fortune teller game featured in the workshop. For those who want a more code-oriented skill-building experience, consider downloading the free Alexa Skills Kit which includes tools, documentation, and code samples for exploration.

Thank you to all of those who attended the Alexa Skill-Building Workshop! We hope to see you in future workshops!

 

 

 

 

 

A Reflection: OPIM Student & Alumni Networking Dinner

On Thursday, March 7th, the UConn Operations & Information Management (OPIM) Department held its third annual OPIM Alumni & Student Networking Dinner. The event, held at the UConn Graduate Business Learning Center, was attended by 12 alumni, 8 faculty, and 22 students, all with a background in management information systems (MIS), business data analytics (BDA), and/or business technology (BT). During the dinner, students table-hopped after each course of the meal (three in total) and networked with professionals from a variety of fields. The event was meant to promote professional development by placing students in an environment where they could network with UConn alums, receive advice, and develop valuable professional relationships.

As a senior MIS student, myself, attending the networking dinner gave me insight as to how altruistic UConn MIS, BDA, and BT alumni are. Many of the students who attended the dinner were underclassmen, but their initial anxieties and insecurities regarding networking were assuaged by the encouragement of the professionals around them. Many UConn alumni who have graduated with an OPIM background now have full-time positions at companies like Travelers and Cigna, yet they spoke to students as if they were reliving their own undergraduate experiences. Alumni like giving back because they have been in our shoes, before, a theme that was recurrent throughout the event. “I like informing students of the different opportunities available at the company I work for and informing students of the different career paths they can take as an MIS major,” said Anuj Desai, a Performance Data Engineering Scrum Master at Cigna. “As an MIS student, I didn’t really know what the corporate organization looked like, so it’s always good to have events like these.”

As for the perspective of current students, many MIS majors who attended the dinner left with a greater understanding of the information technology industry, the skills desired by certain companies, and interview advice. “The event really helped with my networking skills,” said Andrew Taylor (MIS ’21), a statement that resonated with many of the other students I spoke with. “They gave me a lot of insightful information on what companies are looking for in someone who has an MIS background,” added Andrew Eastman (MIS ’20). “A lot of the people I talked to were like, ‘Yes, this is the super hot thing! This is the skill to know right now!'”

During the networking dinner, Jonathan Moore, the MIS Program Director of the OPIM Department, thanked attending alumni for their continued contribution to the MIS major. As adjunct professors, mentors, and points of contact for current MIS students, we appreciate you! Thank you for coming to the dinner! We hope to see you again, next year!