UMass Amherst

Mohamed Marwan A. Mattar

Majors: Computer Science, Mathematics

Hometown: Alexandria, Egypt


"My greatest discovery about the University has been the diversity of the student body," says Marwan Mattar. "It is really heart-warming to see a large population of international and out-of-state students that have similar experiences adjusting to the change in culture." He says that Commonwealth College advising was key to smoothing his transition from high school to college. "From day-one, my advisor was absolutely great and didn't hesitate to spend a couple of hours with a freshman who had no idea which courses to take."

For his honors research and thesis Marwan is working on two different projects simultaneously and plans to present his research at the statewide undergraduate research conference in Boston this spring. "I am working with two professors on creating a wearable system for the blind that is able to detect and recognize signs [such as street signs] in natural scenes." He is also part of a team creating a tool for marine scientists to help them classify plankton.

"College is as much an experience as it is education," he says. Marwan is a teaching assistant for an introductory level math class, a resident assistant, and an undergraduate researcher in the perceptual robotics lab and computer vision lab. He has also participated in a number of intramural sports including crew, soccer, volleyball and softball. "This university has a lot of opportunities for everyone" he concludes. "All it needs is committed individuals who are ready to go to great lengths to achieve what they aspire for."