Wei Hu

Computer Science and Mathematics, University of Ottawa to UW, 2019–2020 Killam Fellow

About

I am a third-year student pursuing a double major in computer science and mathematics at the University of Ottawa, in Ontario, Canada. I am particularly interested in artificial intelligence, due to its potential—within the span of my career—to make life better for a meaningful number of people. I hope, one day, to contribute originally to my field through research.

Recently, I spent three months interning in the United States, which allowed me to get a taste of American culture. Through conferences and “hackathons,” I got to experience the passion and collaborative spirit that makes for a great learning environment. I yearned for more time to be able to learn more and get a better appreciation of American culture.

Through the Killam Fellowships Program, I will get that opportunity while studying at the University of Washington. The computer science department at the UW is world renowned, and I look forward to being mentored by leading experts and widening my network of peers and collaborators. By being in Seattle, an established tech hub, I will get to participate in a myriad of academic, networking and cultural events.

I look forward to my Killam adventure—to the friendships that I will form and to the new understandings and skills that I will acquire.

The Killam Fellowship Program allows undergraduate students from Canada and the United States to participate in a program of binational residential exchange. This program, administered by Fulbright Canada, is supported by an endowment from the American Killam Trusts, Global Affairs Canada, and the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America (Fulbright Canada). It is an integral part of the Foundation’s multidimensional strategy to foster mutual understanding between Canada and the United States of America. The Canadian Studies Center is a partner institution with the Killam Foundation enabling up to two full academic year fellowships annually for UW students.