Shalini Agarwal

Why did you decide to volunteer with the MITCNC?

MIT has always had a special place in my heart and has been a great source of inspiration and community. Every time I meet a fellow MIT alum (old friend or new) or hear about interesting things happening at MIT or with MIT alumni, I’m inspired. I’ve always wanted to give back and get more involved but never knew how. Volunteering with MITCNC is the perfect blend of building and fostering the MIT community, and getting to hang out with fellow MIT alumni.

Tell us a bit about your role with the MITCNC. What are your responsibilities in this position?

As the Tech Track Co-Chair I’m officially responsible for organizing events around interesting tech topics and interesting trends (can AI solve everything? maybe, but prob not..), as well as the annual conference (for which we have some fresh ideas!). Unofficially, I really want to build connections between alums in the bay area (and maybe with MIT researchers/professors) around common tech interests. Let me know if you have any ideas you’d like to see become a reality!

What exciting things can we expect to see from your area of focus in the coming months? (e.g., social events, speakers, etc.)

We are working on organizing events with an intriguing question/perspective on a relevant tech topic, events that will encourage participants to think differently and engage. It would also be great to get more folks to talk about emerging research that could have a large impact on the tech world over the next several years. We are still looking for volunteers to help!

Describe one of your most memorable MIT moments.

Spending the month of IAP working on a robot to collect ping pong balls for 6.270, Autonomous Robot Design Competition – countless hours, sleepless nights, enforcing a >=1 shower a day rule for my teammates, and frustrating but fun work. Only to make a fatal mistake of not putting our robot over the starting light on the day of the competition and watching it sit there for a painful 60 seconds not doing anything. Disappointing, of course, yet I still look upon it fondly 🙂

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