Iris Galicia Avila

Computer Science Student | Software Engineering & Data Science Enthusiast

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About Me

Iris Galicia

Hello! I’m a Computer Science student interested in software engineering, data science, and human-centered technology. I enjoy solving problems, building practical tools, and learning how technology can be used to improve real-world systems.

Through my academic and research experiences, I have developed skills in programming, data analysis, VR development, and usability-focused research. I am especially interested in projects that combine technical problem-solving with creativity and real-world impact.

Outside of academics, I enjoy reading, writing stories, and editing videos that let me explore creativity while continuing to learn new skills!

Education

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – Edinburg, TX

B.S. in Computer Science

Minor in Cybersecurity and Applied Mathematics

Graduating: December 2026 GPA: 3.71

Relevant Courses

  • Algorithms & Data Structures
  • Software Engineering I
  • Database Design & Implementation
  • Data Mining
  • Networks Security

Skills

Programming Languages

C++ Python HTML CSS Javascript MySQL MATLAB C C# Ruby Assembly Language

Software

GitHub Visual Studio Visual Studio Code Linux Figma Davinci Resolve Jupyter Notebook PyTorch Rails React Wireshark Oracle VM Virtual Box Cisco Packet Tracer Argos Microsoft Adobe Adobe

Languages

English Spanish

Work Experience

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

VR & Human Factors Research Intern

Edinburg, TX August 2025 – current

Developing a standalone C++ tool to automate vascular modeling by extracting subroutines from the SimVascular source code to convert .ctgr segmentations into lofted .vtp surfaces.

Co-authored a paper accepted to the IISE Annual Conference 2026 and currently designing a secondary research survey using Qualtrics and JavaScript for data collection.

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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Teacher Assistant

Edinburg, TX August 2024 – May 2025

Graded and provided detailed feedback on 70 students’ Digital Image Processing and C++ assignments by reviewing code, debugging, and offering personalized support.

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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Student Academic Tutor

Brownsville and Edinburg, TX February 2023 – December 2024

Assisted over 50 students per course in questions and assignments for Computer Science 2, C#, Assembly Language, Pre-Calculus, and College Algebra in English and Spanish.

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Projects

Guitar Chord Learning Tool

Summer 2025

Used Mediapipe and OpenCV to track hand and finger positions for guitar chords in video, solving the problem of manual chord identification for beginners by providing real-time visual feedback.

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Skin Care App

Summer 2025

Built a Python app that uses GPT-4o to turn user descriptions into specific product recommendations, ensuring the input matched the required format for the model.

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Machine Learning in Parking Lot System

Spring 2025

Developed a system using YOLOv11 and OpenAPR to automatically count cars and read license plates, improving the speed and accuracy of monitoring a parking lot compared to manual tracking.

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School Course Management System

Fall 2024

Modified a Ruby on Rails website to manage a school courses database for authorized users, using Agile and Scrum methodologies.

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Pi-Hole Network

Summer 2024

Configured a Raspberry Pi 4 via Linux terminal and SSH to host a DNS filter, solving the problem of intrusive network ads by rerouting home traffic.

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Music Industry Database

Spring 2024

Optimized data storage and retrieval for 44 musicians, each of their albums, and instrument records by developing a database using SQLite.

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Hydroponic System – NASA MINDS (Telemetry Member)

Fall 2022 – Spring 2023

Part of a team that designed and built an automated hydroponic system.

Created the pseudocode and programmed the motors for robotic hand movement that plants and waters the plants.

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Arduino Shield-Bot

Summer 2021

Assembled and programmed a functional robot capable of movement and obstacle avoidance using servo motors, ultrasonic sensor, and LEDs through the Arduino programming.

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