Contrary to popular belief, STEM majors like to have fun just like everyone else–and Ava Flanigan is proof of that. A sophomore completing a dual degree in computer science and engineering at Spelman College—a historically Black liberal arts women’s college in Atlanta—Flanigan has learned the importance of maintaining her identity and authenticity in her field.
“I feel like people think that anyone in STEM, specifically computer science and engineering, is kind of boring and introverted,” Flanigan tells Glamour. “But I would describe myself as a more extroverted person. I love to have fun. I love to dance and sing and just do a lot of creative things. You don’t have to put yourself in a box just because people expect you to be in a box.”
Flanigan’s ability to unapologetically express herself has been nurtured by her school and classmates at Spelman College. She tells Glamour, “As a Black woman, if I were in a space that was predominantly people who did not look like me, they might not be looking for me. But when you go to a place like Spelman or Howard or Tuskegee, they’re looking for you. So being in a STEM discipline, not only are they looking for me, but they’re looking for me in STEM. It makes me feel like I actually matter. What I’m doing matters, who I am matters, and I feel seen.”
And her work and interests are as unique as she is. In her freshman year she won third place in a college competition for a smart dog collar she created with a friend—allowing dogs to attribute a specific scent to their homes (which is still in development). She recently completed a three-month internship at tech giant Nvidia. And she is deeply passionate about bringing her own perspective as a Black woman to tech; for example, “sensors on automatic soap dispensers do not always recognize that my hand is under them,“ she says, “and I question what data sets were being used when these sensors were in development. Were people with darker skin complexions in the room while testing was being conducted?” Ava Flanigan argues, “It’s essential for diverse perspectives such as mine to contribute toward developing new and unimaginable technologies.”
Glamour: What’s an invention or innovation that you hope to see in the future that you think could transform the STEM field?
Ava Flanigan: With the existence of AI and machine learning, it would be great if we had some type of internal bias detection in AI. So if we had some type of internal way to analyze this bias without having to use humans, that system would be of great assistance because AI is probably not going to go away anytime soon. And so when we see it more and more in showing up in different technologies, it’ll be very important to ensure that there’s not a lot of bias in the technology.
So basically, you want to create an AI to check AI?
