Prajwal S Venkateshmurthy
Distributed Computation for Light Propagation Modeling
"Participating in RES-MATCH and working with leading researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and professor Dr. Nik Sultana was an invaluable learning experience. The research project provided hands-on software engineering practice including background on distributed science systems, data-intensive computation environments, large-scale storage systems, I/O workloads, & photonics modeling...The flexible structure and coordinator support fostered an excellent research experience for me."
Diana Csercse
"This summer allowed me to not only build my laboratory skills but learn to work with and along a research team. I was able to become skilled in tissue staining, sectioning, and organization of physical and digital work. Gaining hands-on experience in a research lab allowed me to tap into my brain and solve problems on my own and with my colleagues. I am grateful to have been a part of this program as it brought me new skills and wonderful connections. Dr. Wang and her research team made me feel welcome, capable, and responsible daily for my tasks. It goes without saying that RES-MATCH is for everyone who wants to evolve and challenge themselves."
Salih Hodzic
"My RES-MATCH experience working in the lab of Dr. Rong Wang was very rewarding in that it directly bridged the gap between research focused didactic learning and clinical practice in a dental setting. As someone who intends to enter dental school in the near future, being able to contribute to technological advancements in the field of dentistry through knowledge I have gained in class or in the lab was a very eye opening experience. Working in the lab led to a much greater appreciation and holistic understanding of the work that is being done in laboratories so that clinicians can later present it to their patients. Throughout my work in the lab I have grown proficient in operating a Raman microscope, microplate reader, and fluorometer while also learning more about molecular beacons used as a potential method of detection for specific oral pathogens. Being that I also have clinical experience in the dental field, it is very clear to me how the work in this lab can have a direct and immediate impact on patient care in a positive way. With that being said, it is truly an honor to have worked on this project with Dr. Rong Wang and the rest of her lab team."
Anish Ranjan
"Overall, this RES-MATCH research project has provided me with some of the most enlightening times of my academic career in terms of the real-world experience I've obtained from Dr. Khounsary. Additionally, I've learned the fundamental procedures utilized in a research lab and developed my proficiency with a variety of technologies. I think I am better equipped for my forthcoming academic goals and potential career position thanks to the knowledge I have acquired."
Elijah Roberts
"The research work I did through RES-MATCH was a fantastic opportunity. The lab experience I got in additive manufacturing allowed me to learn a lot about the material science field in a hands-on practical project. RES-MATCH led me to continue pursuing research in the material science field and has given me insight into the type of jobs I want to pursue in my professional career."
Thy Tran
"My RES-MATCH experience has been likened to climbing a mountain, which is both difficult and rewarding. I learned a lot from each synthesis failure and acquired valuable knowledge that I couldn’t get in class. Dr. Mao and my mentor, Forough Jahanbazi, did not only teach me how to use the machines along with interpreting data such as luminescence spectra and X-ray diffraction, but they also taught me the theory behind my research and the fundamentals of inorganic chemistry, in which I have very little expertise. Additionally, RES-MATCH helped me overcome my fear of public speaking and increased my self-assurance when conducting research as an undergraduate student. I appreciate being a part of RES-MATCH."
Hieu Trinh
"My project with Dr. Abhinav Bhushan aimed to use data science tools to translate transcriptional data into therapeutic targets for insulin resistance. I have never worked with the programs we used for this project before. However, Dr. Bhushan provided just the right amount of guidance, encouragement, and freedom for me to figure things out on my own. My overall experience was positive, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in research."
Willa Vigneault
"This project gave me first-hand experience working in a research setting and provided me the opportunity to explore more aspects of my major than what I would learn in a traditional academic setting. Everyone involved in the program was very encouraging and attentive, and overall it was an enjoyable experience!"
Umar Zahiruddin
"Participating in RES-MATCH 2022 re-invigorated my love for all the little parts of mechanical engineering, from designing to prototyping to data analysis. The various necessities of working independently in the lab connected me to so many other interesting organizations and really widened my horizons. The program even allowed me to meet so many wonderful and helpful individuals to whom I am very grateful. The experience I have gained here in the program will be indispensable for my career in the future."
Deborah Adesina
"This RES-MATCH project gave me an opportunity to practice what I have learnt in my tissue engineering classes and apply it to the real world. With COVID happening last year, I lost the opportunity to go into the labs physically and being able to do that now made my experience great. This also gave an insight on what research and development departments in biopharma companies do.”
Rediet Adugna
"The purpose of this project is to stimulate primary fibroblast cells that produce increased levels of collagen, which is critical in tissue repair. The goal is to potentially use collagen inducing fibers to aid in tissue regeneration for Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) patients. This project gave me an opportunity to enhance my data analysis and research skills. It also gave me a chance to learn how to perform various experiments including Immunostaining, Fibroblast cell seeding, Silk protein extraction and purification. I am grateful for Dr. Rong Wang and the Chemistry Department at Illinois Tech to have held a program that helps students gain more experience in researching fields. I had the opportunity to work with great people and learn from them, and I also contributed towards a better cause which gives me the most meaning out of this researching opportunity. I hope that this program will continue to thrive in the future.”
Gabriel Beutel
“This Res-Match opportunity has been amazing this semester. It has provided me with a chance to get into research during my first year at IIT. I also l earned a lot from this research, from how to find things online to project tracking systems/benefits. This opportunity I also feel has helped me get experience i n what I want to do after college, product development and design.”
Stephanie Brink
“Overall, this was an incredible experience to get more involved with computer science, applied mathematics, and biomedical engineering topics and see an application of how these fields intersect. This is definitely an area that I am interested in pursuing long term and I am grateful for the opportunity to see for myself whether I like machine learning in practice or not.”
Aaron Gregory
“Overall, the hands-on experience I have gained through this RES-MATCH research project has been some of the most educational time that I have spent in my academic career. It has taught me much about the research process and how it is not always clear-cut or simple. I have also become exposed to the basic operations of a research lab and gained experience using a variety of instrumentation. With the knowledge I have obtained, I believe I am better prepared for my future academic and eventual professional career.”
Sadie Meunier
“This was an overall very enjoyable experience! It really gave me a force to get out of the house and actively back to work since the pandemic began. Also, it’s taught me a ton of lab etiquette. I found myself beating myself up when an experiment did not work; but sometimes that’s science and you must go back to try again. A huge thank you for this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing this project thru to completion.”
Muhammad Taha Navaid
“Overall, my experience with the RES-MATCH (Biomedical Science and Engineering) was fruitful and I learned a lot during this semester long research project. It was a means by which I can apply my classroom knowledge to a practical application and try to use the theoretical concepts that I know to improve on an existing idea. This was my very first time conducting proper research and experimentation, on my own, and that my instructor/professor (Dr. Wang) was very helpful during the process in guiding me through this research. I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in pursuing a side project and want to do something challenging yet rewarding outside of class.”
Khiem Nguyen
“RES-MATCH has been an eye-opening experience for me. Coming in as a Computer Science student and residing halfway around the world, I had many concerns, but Dr. Kawaji and other Lab members from the Magnetic Resonance Technology Discovery Lab (MRTD) helped me push through this whole experience. I feel like this is just the beginning in my journey whether I choose to follow the academic path or go on into the industry.”
Kunj Patel
"All in all, this RESMATCH was about more than just research. It taught me about professionalism in doing lab work and I certainly learned how to use instruments such as the X-ray diffraction machine and how to interpret UV-vis spectra. It relieved my preconceived fear of public speaking and made me more confident in doing research as an undergraduate student. Furthermore, I learned about the mechanisms behind photoluminescence and got to learn about d orbitals. Most importantly, I learned about how the research process works. I used my student independence (along with Dr. Mao’s guidance) to pick literature papers I found interesting and relevant to my research and use the information I learned to propose modifications to my experimental process.”
Kristen Raffanti
“This project pushed me past my comfort zone. Throughout this project I gained a lot of confidence in asking questions and clarifying myself. Because of this, I began taking initiative and felt comfortable making mistakes. I also gained technical experience during this project, I was able to do some 3d modelling and utilize the idea shop for 3d printing. Overall, this project gave me a lot of confidence in myself and excited to do more research work in the future.”
Shelby Kroeger
“I learned a great deal through this project, and I am glad to have been provided with this opportunity.”
Colin Harris
“The RES-MATCH 2021 Spring 2021 program gave me the unique experience to actively contribute to revolutionary research. I worked with Dr. Vaicik on her heart rheology project. The project was fantastic. It allowed me to get a sneak peak into what I want to be doing when I graduate and join the professional world. The project certainly faced its fair share of challenges, but we prevailed as a team and the goals of the project were attained. My specific role in the project was to determine the differences between two processing methods and determine whether or not we could use the faster of the two processing methods and make the project more efficient as a whole. This type of research is crucial for a few reasons. Dr. Vaicik and her team that now includes myself analyze heart tissue in a way that is has never been done before, revolutionizing everything I knew about heart tissue and healthcare as a whole. I feel excited to be doing such research, and contributing to the general knowledge of science and health, because this is the type of feeling that convinced me that I want to become a biomedical engineer.”
Marissa Redington
“I learned a lot from Dr. Kawaji and the MRTD lab graduate students throughout this experience. My fellow undergraduate lab members and I took more of a collaborative approach to our research projects because there was a fair amount of overlap, especially on general research processes. It was astonishing to see how well the knowledge and skills from our different majors merged to work towards a common goal like improving image filtering and data analysis. I learned quickly that debugging code over Zoom is very difficult and time consuming, but this made me appreciate the research process more. I am very grateful that I got to be a part of RES-MATCH, and I can’t wait to continue working with Dr. Kawaji and the rest of the MRTD lab.”
Alex Negron
"I credit my research during the RES-MATCH program for initiating my deep interest in mathematical biology. Since RES-MATCH, I have started a fellowship in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Chicago funded by the Simons Foundation.”