Tomasz Malisiewicz, Graduate Student at CMU

Tomasz Malisiewicz, a recipient of the 2006 GRFP, is currently pursuing his Masters at Carnegie Mellon University. Malisiewicz’s research is in the area of Computer Vision, which he describes as, “to build intelligent software systems that can automatically recognize objects to visually understand the content of the typical image.” Malisiewicz goes on to explain that Computer Vision research is important because it may be applied to many different scientific fields, such as Robotics, Human-Computer Interaction, as well as Content-Based Image Search.

Malisiewicz first came into the world of Physics at a very young age because he wanted to understand how the world worked: “During High School I was introduced to Physics, Calculus, and Computer Science at roughly the same time and fell in love with these three fields. I soon began writing computer programs as a tool for solving difficult Physics problems, so I decided to study both Computer Science and Physics as an undergraduate."

Amidst all the research, Malisiewicz still makes sure to keep a balance between graduate research and fun. “When I have the time I enjoy snowboarding, biking, traveling, and SCUBA diving. On a more regular basis I enjoy playing my electric guitar and listening to music.”

            When asked if to give advice for potential GRFP applicants, Malisiewicz replied, “I think the essays can be difficult if one doesn’t have a clear direction for future research.  Discussing one’s interests and potential research directions with some professors and peers helps ground one’s future plans. I received an Honorable Mention when I first applied for the GRFP, but when I came to CMU I had the opportunity to discuss my interests with many like-minded individuals and thus writing the essays the second time around became much easier.”

*Related Links: Tomasz Malisiewicz's About Page