Wesley Junkins
Objective
Wesley Junkins is a graduate student at The University of Alabama, pursuing a master’s degree in computer science. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics from the same institution in 2024.
As an undergraduate, Wesley conducted research in the Human-Technology Interaction Lab (HTIL) under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Crawford. His work spanned multiple areas of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), including brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), robotics, extended reality (XR), and low-level microcontroller and network communications. Wesley co-authored several research papers and is contributing to ongoing projects in the field. He also assisted in research studies, gained hands-on experience with the IRB process, and collaborated closely with graduate researchers.
Wesley has been recognized for his academic excellence and leadership through induction into several prestigious honor societies, including Phi Theta Kappa, Psi Beta, Tau Beta Pi, Tau Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. He has received numerous awards and honors that underscore his commitment to academic and professional growth.
As he pursues his master’s and future doctoral studies, Wesley aims to deepen his expertise in HCI, BCIs, and XR. His ultimate goal is to become a professional researcher in academia or industry, driven by a passion for leveraging innovative technologies to address complex technical and societal challenges.
Education
- High School Diploma | Gordo High School
August, 2016 - May, 2020
Graduating with a GPA of above 4.0, I ranked 5th in my graduating class. I was also a member of the Beta Club honor society and the Mu Alpha Theta national honor society for mathematics.
- Dual-Enrollment Transfer Credits | Bevill State Community College
August, 2018 - May, 2020
I took dual-enrollment credit hours at Bevill State Community College while in high school. I completed 17 hours and maintained a 4.0 GPA.
- Associate of Science in General Studies | Shelton State Community College
August, 2020 - May, 2022
During my time at Shelton, I maintained a 4.0 GPA and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa and Psi Beta honor societies. In addition, I received the Thomas E. Umphrey outstanding freshman award, the excellence in calculus 1 award, the Norman C. Cephus special achievement award, the Leo Sumner outstanding sophomore award, and the Macmillan Learning emerging researcher award. I was also a Coca-Cola academic team bronze scholar in Phi Theta Kappa (Top 170 community college students in the U.S.), and All-Alabama academic team scholar in 2022.
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science | The University of Alabama
August, 2022 - December, 2024
I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics. During my time at UA, I have kept a 4.0 GPA, and consistently made the President's list. I am a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) University of Alabama chapter. I also joined Tau Beta Pi, Tau Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon honor societies, and performed the Pledge of the Computing Professional.
Work Experience
- IT | Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Gordo, AL
October, 2020 - Present
In my role as IT Director, I oversee the management and maintenance of the church’s digital presence, including the website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel, ensuring content is up-to-date and aligned with organizational goals. I collaborate with staff members to identify and resolve technical issues, providing timely support and implementing solutions to enhance the church’s technological capabilities and overall efficiency.
- Undergraduate Research Assistant | The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
May, 2023 - January, 2025
As a research assistant in the Human-Technology Interaction Lab, I contributed to multiple research projects focused on advancing the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). My responsibilities included developing and implementing new projects, collaborating with team members during weekly progress and group meetings, and supporting ongoing research initiatives. Through this role, I gained hands-on experience in experimental design, project development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Graduate Research Assistant | The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
January, 2025 - Present
My responsibilities as a graduate research assistant are similar to those as an undergraduate research assistant, but I also assist with the IRB process and mentor undergraduate research assistants.
Skills and Strengths
- I have experience in research across multiple fields.
- I work well with a team, but I can be productive and resourceful when working alone.
- I have completed research training from Phi Theta Kappa and CITI.
- I enjoy working through challenges and issues that are foreign to me.
Honors and Awards
- President's List | Shelton State Community College and The University of Alabama
Date(s) Received: December, 2020 - Present
I was named to the President's list each semester at Shelton State and The University of Alabama. The President's list awards students who have maintained a 4.0 GPA.
- Thomas E. Umphrey Outstanding Freshman Award | Shelton State Community College
May, 2021
The outstanding Freshman Award is named for Dr. Thomas E. Umphrey, President of Shelton State Community College from 1988-2000. The recipient of the Thomas E. Umphrey Outstanding Freshman Award is selected based on outstanding academic achievement and involvement in campus activities.
- Excellence in Calculus 1 Award | Shelton State Community College
May, 2021
The Excellence in Calculus award was awarded to me because I achieved an overall grade of 99 in Calculus 1.
- Distinguished Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Officer Award | Phi Theta Kappa International Honor
Society
March, 2022
At the Phi Theta Kappa regional convention, I received a distinguished chapter officer award.
- Coca-Cola Bronze Academic Team | Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society
March, 2022
The Coca-Cola Academic Team recognizes high-achieving college students who demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual rigor combined with leadership and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. Students named to the team are considered the top 170 community college students in the United States.
- Community College Presidential Scholarship | The University of Alabama
April, 2022
The Community College Presidential Scholarship is one of the top scholarships offered by universities to community college students. This scholarship covers tuition for four semesters.
- All-Alabama Academic Team | Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society
April, 2022
I was named to the All-Alabama Academic Team. This team recognizes the top community college students in the state of Alabama.
- Norman C. Cephus Special Achievement Award | Shelton State Community College
May, 2022
The Special Achievement Award is named for Mr. Norman C. Cephus, President of Fredd State Technical College from 1982-1990. The recipient of the Norman C. Cephus Special Achievement Award is selected based on academic achievement, involvement in campus and community activities, academic or technical recognition, and job-related activities.
- Leo Sumner Outstanding Sophomore Award | Shelton State Community College
May, 2022
The Outstanding Sophomore Student Award is named for Dr. Leo Sumner, President of Shelton State Community College from 1976-1988. The recipient of the Leo Sumner Outstanding Sophomore Student Award is selected based on outstanding academic performance, school involvement, and community service. It is the highest honor a student can earn at Shelton State Community College.
- Emerging Researcher Award | Psi Beta International Honor Society in Psychology
July, 2022
- Accelerated Master's Student | The University of Alabama
January, 2024
The Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) at The University of Alabama recognizes outstanding students who wish to pursue a graduate degree. This program allowed me to take graduate-level coursework while an undergraduate. 12 of those credit hours could be double-counted as undergraduate credit.
- Upsilon Pi Epsilon Outstanding Undergraduate Award | The University of Alabama
April, 2024
The Upsilon Pi Epsilon Outstanding Undergraduate Award is awarded to undergraduate students who show excellence in academics, research, and community involvement. My mentor, Dr. Chris Crawford presented me this award at the 2024 University of Alabama Computer Science Honors Day program.
Societies and Organizations
- Phi Theta Kappa
Became Member: February, 2021
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is an honor society for two-year institutions. After joining this organization at Shelton State Community College, I was inducted as an officer. Specifically, I was the vice president of Honors in Action. This was a research-centered role (and some of my first exposure to academic research). I was tasked with leading the other officers and chapter members in a research project.
- Psi Beta
October, 2021
Psi Beta is a community college national honor society in psychology. In this organization, I worked with the chapter advisor at Shelton State Community College to present some of our research from Phi Theta Kappa at the Troy University Psychology Conference. I was also guided through my first literature review in research.
- GearUP Alumni Group
January, 2022
During high school, my school ran a program, called GearUP Alabama, which helped students from rural areas afford community college. While at Shelton State Community College, I helped to establish a GearUP Alumni group which sought to allow all former GearUP members to congregate. We hosted self-improvement seminars and test-prep sessions for alumni.
- The National Society for Leadership and Success (NSLS)
December, 2022
The NSLS is an organization for university students that aims to help students develop leadership skills and successful characteristics.
- Tau Beta Pi
April, 2023
Tau Beta Pi is a national honor society in engineering and the nation's second oldest collegiate honor society.
- Tau Sigma
June, 2023
Tau Sigma is a national honor society for students who transfer to a four-year institution from a community college.
- Phi Kappa Phi
March, 2024
I accepted an invitation to join the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, which is the oldest honor society in the US to target multiple disciplines. The prestigious society's mission is "to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engage the community of scholars in service to others."
- Upsilon Pi Epsilon
April, 2024
Upsilon Pi Epsilon is an honor society for students and professionals in the computing and information technology disciplines. The mission of UPE is to recognize academic excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Computing and Information Disciplines.
- Pledge of the Computing Professional
December, 2024
The Pledge of the Computing Professional entails a rite-of-passage ceremony for graduates from computing programs. The symbol of The Pledge of the Computer Professional is a matrix with the word “Honor” encoded in ASCII. The background of the matrix is black, the digits are in gold. The purpose of the symbol is to remind the inductee to always honor their profession through their actions.
Research, Projects, and Publications
Papers
Projects
Relevant Coursework
- Calculus I
Grade: 99, A
Date Taken: Spring 2021
Topics include the limit of a function; the derivative of algebraic, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions; and the definite integral and its basic applications to area problems. Applications of the derivative are covered in detail, including approximations of error using differentials, maximum and minimum problems, and curve sketching using calculus.
- Calculus II
Grade: 106, A
Date Taken: Spring 2022
Topics include applications of integration, techniques of integration, infinite series, polar coordinates and parametric equations, lines and planes in space, and vectors in the plane and in space.
- Calculus III
Grade: A (Unweighted)
Date Taken: Summer 2023
Topics include vector functions, functions of two or more variables, partial derivatives (including applications), quadric surfaces, multiple integration, and vector calculus (including Green’s Theorem, curl and divergence, surface integrals, and Stokes’ Theorem).
- Principles of Microeconomics
Grade: A (Unweighted)
Date Taken: Fall 2021
This course is an introduction of the microeconomic theory, analysis, and applications. Topics include scarcity, the theories of consumer behavior, production and cost, various market structures, output and resource pricing, and other aspects of microeconomics.
- Fundamentals of Oral Communication (Public Speaking)
Grade: A (Unweighted)
Date Taken: Fall 2021
This is a performance course that includes the principles of human communication: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and public. The course surveys current communication theory and provides practical application for workforce readiness.
- Discrete Mathematics
Grade: A+
Date Taken: Fall 2022
An introduction to mathematical logic and proof within the context of discrete structures. Topics include basic mathematical logic, elementary number theory, basic set theory, functions, and relations.
- Software Design and Engineering
Grade: A
Date Taken: Spring 2023
Introduction to software engineering: the software crisis, program life cycle, software systems analysis techniques, software modeling, theory and practice of design, program testing methodologies, programmer team organization, and program verification and synthesis.
- Data Structures and Algorithms
Grade: 96.1, A
Date Taken: Spring 2023
Data structures including balanced search trees, heaps, hash tables, and graphs. Algorithm design techniques including divide-and-conquer, greedy method, and dynamic programming. Emphasis on problem solving, design, analysis, and reasoning about data structures and algorithms.
- Microcomputers
Grade: A
Date Taken: Spring 2023
Microprocessors, microcontrollers, assembly-language programming, interrupts, polling and hardware interfaces.
- Theory of Probability
Grade: A-
Date Taken: Fall 2023
The foundations of the theory of probability, laws governing random phenomena and their practical applications in other fields. Topics include: probability spaces; properties of probability set functions; conditional probability; and an introduction to combinatorics, discrete random variables, expectation of discrete random variables, Chebyshev's Inequality, continuous variables and their distribution functions, and special densities.
- Linear Algebra
Grade: A+
Date Taken: Fall 2023
Fundamentals of linear algebra and matrix theory are covered. Topics include vectors in Euclidean spaces, solving systems of linear equations, matrix algebra, inverses, determinants, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. Also vector spaces and the basic notions of span, subspace, linear independence, basis, dimension, linear transformation, kernel and range are considered.
- Operating Systems
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2023
Study of basic operating system concepts with an emphasis on memory, processor, device, and information management.
- Database Management Systems
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2023
Constituent parts of database management (design, creation, and manipulation of databases), including the conceptual and relational data models, SQL, normalization and security. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course.
- Emerging Scholars Program (Parts 1 and 2)
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Introduction to research in creative activities in a major research university. The course will provide special opportunities to freshman students admitted to the Emerging Scholars Program.
- Computer Algorithms
Grade: A
Date Taken: Spring 2024
This course studies the construction of efficient algorithms for computer implementation. It involves projects aimed at researching efficient algorithms used to solve well-known problems, as well as developing original algorithms to solve those problems.
- Programming Languages
Grade: A
Date Taken: Spring 2024
Formal study of programming language specification, analysis, implementation, and run-time support structures; organization of programming languages with emphasis on language constructs and mechanisms; and study of non-procedural programming paradigms.
- Network Security
Grade: A
Date Taken: Spring 2024
Study of the principles of network security, including cryptography, authentication, access control, secure protocols, and network security applications. Emphasis on the design and implementation of secure networked systems.
- Networks
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2024
Study of the principles of computer networks, including network architectures, protocols, and network programming. Emphasis on the design and implementation of networked systems.
- High Performance Computing
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2024
Study of the principles of high-performance computing, including parallel and distributed computing, performance evaluation, and high-performance computing applications. Emphasis on the design and implementation of high-performance computing systems. Uses tools like MPI, OpenMP, and CUDA.
- Computer Graphics
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2024
Study of the principles of computer graphics, including graphics hardware, graphics software, graphics algorithms, and graphics applications. Emphasis on the design and implementation of computer graphics systems. Used tools like WebGL.
- Capstone Computing
Grade: A
Date Taken: Fall 2024
Capstone course in computer science. Students worked in teams to design, implement, and test a significant software system. Emphasis on the software development process, including requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, and documentation.
Wesley Junkins
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