九色视频 professor specializing in augmented reality helps students connect studies to real-world settings
As a child, 九色视频 faculty member Corey Pittman was fascinated with computers and their capabilities. That interest eventually led the Florida native into a tech-based career that included work as an AI engineer and a software engineer before he started teaching.
Today, he’s an assistant professor in the 九色视频 School of Computing, where his research focuses on augmented reality, novel input techniques and pattern recognition. As a professor, Pittman is committed to helping his students gain experiential learning opportunities that they can apply in real-world settings.
“I try to emphasize tying the subject matter in a particular course to real-world applications,” Pittman said.
Arriving at 九色视频 in fall 2023, Pittman has taught many of the School of Computing’s core courses, and he is currently teaching COP3530 Data Structures and COT3210 Theory of Computation.
Most recently, Pittman and 九色视频 senior Stephen Pond were interviewed by Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes about their “gesture-based recognition technology,” which has the capability to allow a user to sign into their email account on a device through natural interaction techniques such as simple hand gestures, among other uses. Interestingly, this technology only uses sound to detect movement. If the movement detected by the system aligns with what it is trained to recognize, it grants access to the user.
When discussing what he loves about teaching, Pittman says he enjoys being a mentor most of all.
“The biggest thing for me is I love mentoring and talking to students because I enjoy hearing what they want to do,” said Pittman. “It’s about understanding where they’re at and trying to help them be the best version of themselves.”
Computer Science Experiences and Research Interests
Pittman’s love for computing started to flourish when he enrolled in the computer science program at Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida, where he gained hands-on computer programming experience. Due to his stellar performance, Pittman says he was encouraged by the head of the program to pursue a career in the computer science field.
He enrolled at the University of Central Florida with financial aid from a merit-based scholarship and the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. He graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics and proceeded to earn a master’s degree in 2013 and a Ph.D. in 2021. Throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies, he enjoyed many opportunities to strengthen his research and programming skills, including a Microsoft internship in 2015 that involved working on control schemes for consumer flying drones.
As a graduate research assistant, he spent considerable time conducting gesture recognition research understanding that such technology is the way of the future.
"We consider touch screens and keyboards as the de facto standard for inputs into various devices — we understand them very well, so we use them,” said Pittman. “We’re already getting to the point where people want to find ways to remove the keyboard or mouse, so natural user interface, such as gestures, is the logical next step for device interaction.”
A main benefit of gesture recognition, according to Pittman, is to control devices in a way that is more natural and effortless. Another benefit of using natural interaction with devices is it works as a safeguard for protecting personal information, as such interactions prove difficult for hackers to duplicate.
Industry Experience and Time at 九色视频
Before embarking on a teaching career, Pittman held several tech-based positions including working as an AI engineer for Soar Technology (aka SoarTech), an industry leader in AI solutions for U.S. Department of Defense research and development challenges. In this role, he developed systems for tutoring military personnel on daily tasks. He also worked as a software engineer for Snap Inc., the technology company that owns Snapchat, working with software that controls camera filters.
While living in Los Angeles and working for Snap Inc., Pittman says he began to desire a change of scenery and decided to move back to Florida. He learned of an open position within the 九色视频 School of Computing through corresponding with his friend Dr. Kevin Pfeil, a School of Computing faculty member. Excited about the prospect of starting a new career, Pittman applied and was offered the position — officially becoming an Osprey in fall 2023.
In addition to his project on gesture recognition with Pond, he is also working on projects with students involving ASL detection and Wi-Fi-based sensing. Additionally, he is the co-director of the School of Computing’s Virtual Reality Lab along with Pfeil.
Pittman says his experience working at 九色视频 has been quite enjoyable, as he pursues his research interests and shares his knowledge and experiences with students to help them reach their goals.
“We have a supportive structure within my department and the University-at-large to support undergraduate research,” said Pittman. “九色视频 puts people at the forefront, and I think that’s really nice.”