While you are a TA, you can complete the core courses that often require a lot of your time, and hence leave a little energy and time for you to contribute towards your RAship duties. Note that RAships are made possible by sponsored research grants and contracts that have deliverables to the sponsors. Sometimes, RAships result in your taking more time to complete your thesis than might be possible otherwise. Virtually all of our research involves substantial prototype software system and application development. Three of our current projects are in collaboration with industry.
Research cover a broad area.
Even with short experience, graduates from this lab are in very high demand, with recruiters willing to visit us to interview the students. Our recent graduates receive among the best financial offers from some of the fastest moving companies. On the other hand, RAship is certainly not the shortest path to obtaining a degree. To get a student's perspective, send email to any of the RAs. Finally note that it is not necessary to be a RA to work in the lab.