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Philip Valencia
My life as a scientist
These days, I mainly work on making 'Smart Spaces'. In this work, I
help develop smarter spaceships that could detect if they are damaged
and then repair themselves. I also do some work on human interaction
with computers. I help make programs that allow you to play with
virtual
instruments and play with virtual objects. This work has applications
in computer games and computer interfaces. Imagine not having to
use
a mouse or a keyboard - but simply wave your hands in the air to use
your computer.
The best thing about my job is thinking up crazy ideas. I love seeing the expression
on peoples' faces when I show them what I do or tell them about my crazy
ideas. I hate it when people think that you need to wear a white lab coat to
do science.
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"The future will be filled with 'smart
things' that can use the machine learning and artificial intelligence
research I'm doing now." |
How I got here
I've always had an interest in machine learning and computer interaction.
About the time I was in Grade 5, I used to write little programs for our Commodore
64 - a computer that is about as smart as today's mobile phones!
Around the same time, I remember picking up a high school science text book
and found these pictures of the solar system. I was fascinated and that hooked
me onto science forever.
I studied Information Technology and Electronic Engineering at university.
I got a scholarship at CSIRO over the summer break during my second-last year
and had great fun working on real-time computer interactive entertainment.
After that, I really wanted to work for CSIRO when I finished my study, and
not long after I completed university, I ended up returning to work for CSIRO
with the SQIS (System for Quick Image Search) Facial Recognition team.
Fave music: None
in particular, I like all kinds
Fave food: Pizza
Fave movie: The Matrix
Fave book: When Things Start to Think |
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What I think of science as a career
I love my job. It's really interesting and I hope that the work that
I'm doing will help many people in the future. The future will be filled
with 'smart things' that can use the machine learning and artificial
intelligence research I'm doing now.
Knowing science is essential in my line of business. I'm always learning
about all types of new science happening around the world and I do this through
the internet. I find it really interesting and it helps me think up more crazy
ideas.
Sometimes the science you get taught at school may seem boring, but it's
usually important information to know. If you find other areas of science that
really interest, you'll find that learning science can be fun and everything
becomes more interesting. Who knows - you may teach your teacher something!
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