Volume 54 | April 4, 2024

Supporting Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity

A NOTE FROM UROP

From Cassandra Riquelme, Student Assistant to the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program:

I’m Cassandra. I work in UROP as a website management assistant. Currently, I'm a 2nd-year Computer Science student in between threads. I’m looking at SysArch-Devices and SysArch-Intell. If we’re talking about what I find most interesting, I’m considering the latter. Note: if you do SysArch-Devices, you’re up against cut-throat computer engineers in the job field. It’s a lot of factors to consider.

We’re in the final stretch of the semester and as the academic year comes to a close, I’m reminded of the beginning of my work here at UROP in October. From then to now, I’ve worked alongside Dr. Williams to enhance the UROP website, keeping our undergraduate students in mind when making improvements to our site.

That said, it was definitely a learning curve. My journey began with simple creative design freedom, the analysis of other websites, and learning to collaborate with my peers in accomplishing our goals. At times, it became tedious, even nitpicky, but I strived to put my best foot forward. Thankfully, UROP was entirely welcoming, and my team has been incredibly supportive in my efforts. Now, I have Dr. Williams to thank for this newfound confidence in myself and the value of my ideas.

I’ll leave you with the sound advice of try new things, apply to that job or internship, and cut yourself some slack. In the words of Dr. Hoffman: hydrate, get quality sleep, exercise, but remember to take breaks. Let the grind begin!

PROFILE: Grace Kim,

Aerospace Engineering

Grace Kim is a 2nd-year Computer Science major studying human-centered AI with Dr. Betsy DiSalvo and Dr. Polo Chau. Read Grace's full profile here.

"Participating in undergraduate research enabled me to see firsthand how Georgia Tech is impacting its local Atlanta community and the world! Through the DataWorks Lab, I’ve had opportunities to attend local events and engage with industry/academia researchers, practitioners, nonprofit founders, and policymakers who address responsible AI from different angles, entering the world of responsible AI. In Dr. Polo Chau’s lab, my team is aiming to make the best transformer explainer in the world, and I hope this tool becomes an essential resource for students and NLP enthusiasts, in addition to practitioners who want to understand the inner workings of their machine learning models. I’m excited about the potential of this project to meet an essential need and generate widespread excitement!"

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT?

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

SPRING SYMPOSIUM

The 18th Annual Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium is next Tuesday, April 16 from 10 am - 4 pm in the Exhibition Hall. All are welcome. Are you an undergraduate student looking for a research experience? This is a great opportunity to learn about your fellow students' projects! Are you a campus community member curious about our students' amazing work? Pop in for a few minutes or longer to support our undergraduate researchers!

In the morning from 10 - 11:30 am, we'll have ~40 student talks on the following topics: Computer Science, Energy & Space, Finance & Policy, Materials & Devices, Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology, and Teaching & Learning.

In the afternoon from 1:15 - 3:30 pm, we'll have ~100 student poster presentations. All attendees can vote on-site for their favorite poster presentations, and we will recognize the top vote-getters right after the poster sessions conclude.

Click here for more information about the Symposium.

Are you an undergraduate researcher and want to be on the big screen at the Symposium? Email urop@gatech.edu with a photo of yourself working on your project. Use the subject heading "Student Researcher for Symposium Slidedeck" to help us spot your submission in our inbox. We welcome photos from all undergraduate student researchers, regardless of whether you're presenting at the Symposium. We'll incorporate your photo into our Symposium slideshow!

If you're interested in advertising open summer or fall positions for undergraduate researchers in your lab or group, please email a PowerPoint slide to urop@gatech.edu with the subject heading "Advertisement for Symposium Slidedeck". We'll incorporate your advertisement into our Symposium slideshow! (Undergraduate students, please be sure to confirm with your faculty mentor before advertising open positions.)

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AMBASSADORS

HOW TO PRESENT YOUR RESEARCH

Come hone your research presentation skills at URA’s How to Present Your Research event on Thursday, April 11 from 11 AM - 12 PM in CULC 423! Whether you’re preparing to present at an upcoming event (like the Undergraduate Research Symposium) or just want to learn more about how to better present your research, this event is for you! This is a great opportunity to see some of the amazing research posters our ambassadors have created. Click here to RSVP.

URA OFFICE HOURS

URA Office Hours are open! If you need help finding research opportunities, or if you would like some advice on reaching out to a lab, group, or faculty member, feel free to connect with one of our ambassadors who would love to help you. You can see the full roster of ambassadors here. We have ambassadors representing various majors and disciplines. To sign up for office hours with a specific ambassador, click on the link underneath that ambassador's profile on the roster page.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

UNPAID NON-PROFIT AND SERVICE INTERNSHIP STIPEND

The Experiential Education Stipend, funded by the Ethelyn and Albert Daniel Endowment, provides a limited number of stipends for undergraduate students who seek to gain knowledge about career opportunities in their major through unpaid internships with non-profit and community service organizations. Apply by April 12 for Summer 2024. Applicants will receive notifications by April 26. Click here for more information.

Coming Up

Undergraduate Research Spring Symposium

Tuesday, April 16

Exhibition Hall

Click here for the full schedule

How to Get the Most out of Attending a Professional Conference

Tuesday, April 23

11 am - 12 pm

CULC 262

This is a regularly occurring workshop. Click here to register for a workshop date.

UROP Drop-in Hours

with Dr. Laura Williams

Tuesdays

1:30 - 2:30 pm

CULC 205J

Stop by to ask your questions about undergraduate research

Want to learn more about UROP and what we offer?

Click here to visit our website

Pets, Plants, and Pastimes

Submitted by

Sara Beth Kramlich,

Academic Support Program and Operations Manager for Tutoring and Learning Assistance

I love to bake and cook in my free time! I always like to try new recipes and new challenges when it comes to baking (I am definitely still a novice). One of my favorite things is seeing others try my bakes and love them. This picture is one of my favorites, chocolate dipped cream puffs! A lot of my baking inspiration comes from all the Food Network baking shows that I watch. I'm always open to any baking suggestions!

Send us your photos!

Want to contribute to "Pets, Plants, and Pastimes"? Send UROP a photo and short description at urop@gatech.edu using the subject heading "Pets, Plants, and Pastimes". We would love to include your photos in our newsletters!