Mike Lee

Mike Lee, a junior majoring in Computer Engineering and minoring in Mathematics, is in his first semester with the ATLAS program. He initially discovered the program through the career fair and website while seeking hands-on opportunities to apply his curriculum. ATLAS provided the perfect intersection for his interests in artificial intelligence, spatial computing, and virtual reality. Currently working as a VR developer intern, Mike collaborates with ATLAS internal projects and the Physics Outreach at Illinois through New Technologies (POINT) research team. His responsibilities span a wide variety of cutting-edge tasks, including debugging logic for the Einstein’s Spacetime VR application. Most notably, he is developing XR_AI_Assistant, a multi-modal AI tool for Quest headsets that uses the Gemini API to identify UIUC campus buildings. He is currently integrating this assistant directly into the ATLAS VR Quad game to serve as a dynamic, real-time NPC guide. Through his time at ATLAS, Mike has discovered how effective and rewarding it is to work within a four-person agile team. To prevent merge conflicts during concurrent development, he mastered collaborative workflows like "isolated scene branching." He also gained a critical understanding of the need to pivot strategically when operating with experimental technology. When initial AI models failed to support multimodal vision, Mike successfully restructured the team's entire approach to utilize the Gemini API. He notes that in XR development, being rigidly attached to one tool is a liability; success requires constant evolution. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in Spring 2027, Mike plans to pursue a Master of Science (MS) in Electrical and Computer Engineering to deepen his expertise in spatial computing and digital logic design. Outside of the lab, he absolutely loves to cook and specializes in making Korean food from scratch—a hobby made much easier by the recent opening of H Mart near campus!