What Nobody Tells You About Internal Tech Capabilities

Julianna Schneider, an MIT senior double-majoring in artificial intelligence and mathematics, exemplifies how technology can address real community needs through various innovative projects.

NerdXing: Democratizing Course Selection

Schneider co-created NerdXing, a tool helping MIT students navigate the university’s complex curriculum options. The platform shows which classes other students have taken after completing specific courses, revealing non-obvious academic pathways and helping students discover unexpected interests.

As Schneider explains, “I hope that NerdXing will democratize course knowledge for everyone. I hope that for anyone who’s a freshman and maybe hasn’t picked their major yet, that they can go to NerdXing and start with a class that they would maybe never consider — and then discover that, ‘Oh wait, this is perfect for this really particular thing I want to study.'”

From Classical Piano to Robotics

Originally from Albania, Schneider was a classical pianist before discovering robotics at age 13. She found surprising parallels between piano performance and robotics, noting both require precise, repeatable motor skills executed at peak performance. Her passion for robotics led her to win 14 regional and national awards through middle and high school.

VoluntYOU: Connecting Volunteers Across Borders

At just 16, Schneider developed VoluntYOU, an app connecting English-speaking volunteers with local Albanian charities. The platform has since expanded globally with 18 ambassadors across four continents, supporting initiatives from food distribution in Nevada to women’s rights legislation in Albania and COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Italy.

Biomimetic Robotics Research

At MIT, Schneider works in Professor Sangbae Kim’s Biomimetic Robotics Laboratory, where she develops controllers for robots including the mini cheetah. Her work focuses on creating hybrid learning and model-based controllers suitable for robots with limited computing capacity, making advanced robotics more accessible in regions with less technological infrastructure.

“It’s not just doing technology for technology’s sake, but because it will bridge out into the world and make a positive difference,” Schneider says about her robotics work.

Technology with Purpose

Throughout her diverse projects, Schneider maintains a consistent philosophy: “This process of finding a problem in my community and then finding the right technology to solve that — that sort of approach and that framework is what guides all the things I do.”

Her future aspirations include developing robotic tools that enable remote surgery, potentially bringing specialized medical care to underserved communities worldwide.

Beyond academics, Schneider balances her technical pursuits with participation in MIT’s social dancing scene, particularly enjoying country line dancing events.