Giovanni Argueta began his academic journey at the University of Miami, where he majored in computer engineering. Despite his love for the sunny weather and the perks of living near the water, Giovanni returned to his home state of Maryland and continued his engineering studies at Montgomery College (MC). At MC, Giovanni attended an “informational tabling session” and learned about UMD’s Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering (CPSE) program, offered at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG).
Giovanni is a university ClarkLEADER and recent graduate of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD). In May 2025, a paper corresponding to his capstone project, Survey and Analysis of Collision Detection Algorithms in Blender, was accepted for presentation in the IEEE SmartNets 2025 Conference!
The video demonstration of Giovanni’s animation correction script in Blender can be found on his portfolio. The full Blender correction directory, with source code and explanations, can be accessed on Giovanni Argueta’s Github page.
Giovanni’s journey has been remarkable. He chose to pursue the UMD CPSE program after speaking with Brian Schoem, the CPSE Program Coordinator. Mr. Schoem highlighted the curriculum’s focus on providing students with hands-on work experience, especially in software development. This appealed to Giovanni, who appreciated the balanced split between hardware and software.
“At CPSE, the smaller class sizes and the dedicated professors equip students with the knowledge and tools that are critical to problem solving and challenging the status quo,” Giovanni remarked.
Capstone Project
Giovanni’s initial capstone idea was to use Bailando, a music-to-dance Machine Learning model, to generate aesthetically pleasing dance moves. Bailando is a 3D dance generator with a choreographic memory designed to create dances based on the rhythm of the music it receives. Giovanni quickly realized that some of Bailando’s outputs were prone to producing motion anomalies (movements that violate the laws of physics).
Fortunately, Dr. Tiglao, a CPSE Professor and Giovanni’s capstone project adviser, discovered that Digital Infuzion was looking for researchers, skilled in Blender, to help generate synthetic human motion using the program. Dr. Tiglao recommended that Giovanni focus on learning Blender and then, for his capstone project, address the problem of detecting and correcting motion anomalies.
Notably, Blender, a free and open-source animation software, was used to create the film, “Flow,” which won an Academy-Award for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Oscars. Blender’s ability to render animations, while simultaneously reducing motion anomalies, was crucial to Giovanni’s capstone project. For a detailed explanation about how the program detects collisions between joints/bones, visit Giovanni Argueta’s Github.
After his paper was accepted for presentation at the IEEE SmartNets 2025 Conference, some reviewers suggested including more analysis of the proposed techniques. The limited analysis was due to the lack of research currently available on the topic. Thus, Giovanni’s goal was to conduct a preliminary survey to better understand the current landscape and, from there, devise solutions.
A major highlight of this capstone project was that it led to Giovanni’s internship at Digital Infuzion. This opportunity provided Giovanni with valuable industry experience, contributing to his professional development.
Internship at Digital Infuzion
Giovanni first learned about Digital Infuzion, a Maryland-based IT, software, and biomedical company, at a university job fair. Later, Dr. Tiglao informed him about Digital Infuzion’s research on Blender animation and advised Giovanni to focus on developing the necessary skills in Blender programming. He then connected Giovanni with a contact at Digital Infuzion, leading to an internship.
At Digital Infuzion, Giovanni worked with a team researching mobility-related diseases. Their goal was to generate simulated data representing the restricted motion caused by these illnesses. This data was then used to train an AI model designed to classify and predict symptoms. Giovanni’s internship was a harmonious blend of learning and impact, allowing him to work with Blender—a program related to one of his capstone projects—while contributing to research aimed at helping individuals suffering from rare genetic disorders.
Experience at CPSE
Dr. Gomez, CPSE Program Director, and Dr. Tiglao, CPSE Professor, emphasize the importance of expanding beyond conventional academic structures, especially in rapidly evolving fields like software development. For instance, Dr. Tiglao invited industry professionals to his class, giving his students an opportunity to practice pitching their ideas. These exercises not only teach technical skills, but also prepare students for the types of presentations they might deliver in the professional world.
Tailoring your skills to target a specific industry, field, or company will likely enhance your job prospects after graduation. Most importantly, find your niche and make sure that you love what you do. — Giovanni Argueta’s insights for aspiring engineers
Dr. Tiglao’s support and guidance were instrumental throughout Giovanni’s academic career, highlighting the level of care and effort that CPSE professors dedicate to developing their students. He mentors his students to conduct high-quality research and encourages them to publish their findings in reputable conferences and journals. He believes that publishing their work will provide them with a significant edge in the highly competitive job market.
The CPSE program’s focus on providing students with real-world industry experience was crucial to Giovanni’s growth as an engineer. He appreciated how the professors encouraged students to explore their true interests and then created structured, yet flexible, curricula that could adapt to rapidly changing environments.
As he steps into the next chapter of his life and career, Giovanni is well equipped to make significant contributions in the engineering field. His curiosity, dedication, and passion for solving complex problems will certainly take him to new heights. Giovanni’s journey serves as a testament to the power of hard work, resilience, and pushing boundaries to create lasting change and build a better world.
Students, academic partners, or industry organizations interested in getting involved or learning more about the Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering (CPSE) program offered at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Rockville campus:
Please email them at [email protected] or visit their website: https://shadygrove.ece.umd.edu/
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