Tracy �鶹��Ƶ

Getting to Know College of Science Dean Cody W. Edwards

Colleen Rich — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:10:13 +0000

Getting to Know College of Science Dean Cody W. Edwards Colleen Rich Mon, 09/15/2025 - 16:10

Before his appointment as the dean of the College of Science, Cody W. Edwards served as interim dean for the college since July 2024. During his time at �鶹��Ƶ, Edwards has held numerous leadership positions, including executive director of the Smithsonian-�鶹��Ƶ School of Conservation and senior associate dean of academic and faculty affairs in the College of Science. Edwards also serves as associate provost for George �鶹��Ƶ’s Institute for Sustainable Earth and is a faculty member in the Department of Biology.

Cody Edwards. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Tell us about yourself and what brought you to George �鶹��Ƶ?

I’m a first-generation college student who grew up in a rural part of West Texas. My path to science wasn’t linear, but it was fueled by curiosity and encouragement from key mentors. Eventually, I earned my PhD, became a professor, and later joined �鶹��Ƶ in 2004 as a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy. I’ve worked in various administrative roles for both the College of Science and across the university in the Provost’s Office, including leading the unique learning opportunities at the Smithsonian-�鶹��Ƶ School of Conservation for the past eight years. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best minds in science here, and now, as dean, I’m focused on creating opportunities for students including those with similar nontraditional paths.

What are your top priorities for the College of Science over the next few years?

Science is more vital now than ever. One priority is aligning our programs with emerging fields like artificial and geo intelligence, machine learning, quantum and data sciences while continuing to offer well-established pathways in pre-medical and foundational sciences. Another priority is enhancing student outcomes with innovative approaches to learning and research—ensuring our graduates are not just academically prepared but also ready to solve real-world challenges. We are doubling down on access and educational excellence, welcoming students from all backgrounds and ensuring every student has the tools and support to succeed.

How does the college stand out in terms of research and innovation?

We have nationally and internationally recognized research in areas like space exploration, biohealth and biotechnology, mathematics, and climate resilience. Our students and faculty are involved in everything from satellite missions to Mars to drug development and climate modeling with community impact. We’re also leading in digital twin technology and forensic science—our programs offer unmatched hands-on learning environments.

What role does mentorship and student engagement play in your vision?

It’s everything. My scientific trajectory was shaped by mentors who believed in me, and I want our students to have that same experience. Our faculty are deeply committed to student success—both in the lab and in the classrooms, through experiential learning and meaningful undergraduate and graduate research opportunities. Our mentorship can start as early as elementary and middle school for mathematics, quantum science, space exploration, and STEM exploration, and high school in programs like our dual enrollment partnerships and signature Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program. Meaningful mentorship is also received within and offered by those in our master’s and doctoral programs and postdoc experiences.

What do you want students to know about the College of Science?

We don’t pride ourselves on how many students we reject; we pride ourselves on how many we lift up. This college is a family—diverse, driven, and passionate about using science to shape a better world. And we’re here to help every student thrive. If this resonates with you, you belong here.

Topics

Campus News

College of Science

Faculty and Staff News

New lab school brings work-based learning to Shenandoah Valley students

Colleen Rich — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 17:21:54 +0000

New lab school brings work-based learning to Shenandoah Valley students Colleen Rich Thu, 09/04/2025 - 13:21

Commonwealth, public school and higher education leaders joined community members, parents and students Wednesday for the opening of the Shenandoah Valley Rural Regional College Partnership Laboratory School for Data Science, Computing, and Applications (DSCA Lab School).

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears helped kick off the academic year for the new Shenandoah Valley Rural Regional College Partnership Laboratory School. Photo by Liz Roll Photography

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Virginia Commissioner of Virginia Works Nicole Overley and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears joined George �鶹��Ƶ College of Science Dean Cody W. Edwards and school leadership at the Dowell J. Howard Center in Winchester, Virginia, to kick off the school year.

The DSCA Lab School is collaborative partnership between �鶹��Ƶ and Frederick County Public Schools, as well as six rural and rural-fringe school districts in the Shenandoah Valley including Clarke County, Fauquier County, Page County, Shenandoah County, Warren County, and Winchester Public Schools, along with Mountain Vista Governor’s School and Laurel Ridge Community College. The Governing Board of the DSCA Lab School is co-chaired by Edwards and George Hummer, superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools and includes College of Science Chief Business Officer Meghan St. George.

One of 16 Virginia lab schools created by Youngkin and the second for George �鶹��Ƶ, this DSCA Lab School will support 10th- through 12th-grade students through academic programming that fosters data literacy and showcases the latest innovations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Academic pathways will focus on data science and computing through research opportunities, apprenticeships and internships, experiential and project-based learning, certifications and microcredentials in data analytics, offering opportunities to earn an associate’s degree and college credits, as well as work-based learning.

The George �鶹��Ƶ team with DSCA students. Photo by Liz Roll Photography

In the era of expanding demand for skilled data science professionals, Edwards explained in his remarks that the DSCA Lab School’s innovative data science curriculum offers a real-world, problem-based learning environment with focused educational experiences shaped directly by workforce needs and student interests.

Students will work on specific, student-led research projects with peers, faculty, and other researchers. Mentorship is offered to students throughout the program by Big Data business and industry partners through a choice of work-based experiences to equal a minimum of one high school credit per year. Global and multicultural experiences are integral to the program as well, and students will interact with peers from U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, and developing countries.

The lab schools are part of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Grand Challenge Initiative, showcasing how the university is advancing 21st century education for all, as well as the university’s commitment to workforce readiness.

“With the launch of today’s lab school, even more Virginia high school students in the Shenandoah Valley will be able to seize and benefit from a great educational opportunity catered to their interests.” said Youngkin. “By creating personalized pathways where students can pursue their interests and chase their dreams, we are empowering the next generation with the data-literacy skills they need to succeed in an increasingly data-driven workforce.”

“Data science is the fastest-growing industry in Virginia, projected to grow 18.2% in the next five years,” said Secretary Guidera, noting that the lab school will provide critical “exposure, experience and expertise” to Virginia students.

“This school’s distinctive learning approach connecting learning to real-world challenges can drastically enhance students’ educational trajectories,“ Edwards said. “Instead of beginning with theories, students are using data to find answers.” For instance, to determine the safest places in the Shenandoah River for swimming, students could collect and test water samples, analyze the results and interpret their findings.

“In addition to developing students’ data literacy, this learning approach also strengthens competencies of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, the very competencies future employees need to successfully lead,” he added.

DSCA Lab School lead Padhu Seshaiyer, a George �鶹��Ƶ professor of mathematical sciences, explained, “Students from rural and rural-fringe school divisions will gain the expertise needed to make informed decisions, contribute to their communities, and thrive in a data-driven world—empowering a data-literate next-generation workforce prepared for the demands of the modern economy and essential for workforce readiness.”

Learn about George �鶹��Ƶ's Grand Challenge Initiative

Topics

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

�鶹��Ƶ scientist orchestrates Moon-based ‘message in a bottle’ for future generations

Katarina Benson — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 18:54:16 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ scientist orchestrates Moon-based ‘message in a bottle’ for future generations Katarina Benson Mon, 03/03/2025 - 13:54

Early Sunday, March 2, the ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record made a successful Moon landing as part of the Ghost Riders in the Sky Lunar mission that launched on January 15 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A message from Anamaria Berea's team that is now on the Moon. Photo provided

This mission, a part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services within the Artemis program, is carrying 10 NASA experiments and the ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record, the work of an interdisciplinary research team, led by �鶹��Ƶ researcher and alumna Anamaria Berea.

This ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record intends to preserve Earth’s cultural and scientific heritage for posterity with this specially designed payload, which includes a digital portion that mirrors the concept of the Voyager Golden Records. The archive will serve as a time capsule for future humans, offering them a glimpse of life on Earth during the early 2020s.

The creation of this lunar archive was a collaborative effort that began in early 2023 when Nick Searra, founder of the Interstellar Foundation, invited Berea to lead the project. Despite having no initial team or funding, Berea quickly gathered a group of scientists, philosophers, and linguists from such prestigious institutions as Barnard College, Columbia University, and the University of Cambridge. The team also received support from notable figures, including astronaut Scott Kelly and Jonathan Jiang from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

With a tight six-month deadline, the team created a message that could fit within the strict digital space limitations of the payload. The biggest challenge was deciding what to include. The team wanted the message to be a “dry-run” for future, more extensive interstellar messages, and ultimately settled on content that would be meaningful to archeologists or future pioneers.

The archive, delivered on special physical mediums designed for space provided by mission partner LifeShip, contains a wealth of wide-ranging content, including videos, scientific materials, global aspirations, historical records, and cultural artifacts. “The payload will reside on the Moon for eternity,” said Berea, who teaches in Department of Computational and Data Sciences of the College of Science.

The ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record includes a 1GB microchip containing videos, images, and texts that highlight humanity’s journey on Earth and the Moon, incorporating materials that reflect Earth’s cultural, scientific, and historical achievements. Among the key items is a 24-minute “Daily Life” video that showcases global snapshots of contemporary life. Each minute represents one hour from various parts of the Earth, from morning to night, and includes scenes of families cooking, children in school, workers in offices and fields, and people participating in cultural events. This “visual quilt” stitches together snapshots from world cultures, including indigenous communities, showcasing daily routines from all corners of the planet.

The archive also includes an “Aspirations” video, where individuals from around the world share their hopes for the future in their native languages. In addition, the payload houses images and content from UNESCO and Getty archives, including a representation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other materials include the constitutions of 192 countries on Earth, the Apollo 11 launch codes, historical works, art, music, and scientific texts, such as works by Newton, Curie, and Asimov.

Berea even included a personal touch with an engraving of her name and affiliation with �鶹��Ƶ, symbolizing her contribution to this historic effort.

“The goal of the project was not to tell the story of famous individuals or events but to encapsulate a broader representation of human life,” Berea explains.

According to Berea, the project team chose a video format, blending video, subtitles, and code, as they believed it would be more easily understood by future beings, whether human or otherwise.

In addition to the digital content, the team took precautions to ensure the message could survive for millennia. In case digital technology becomes obsolete, parts of the message were engraved in analog nano-fiche and synthetic DNA on a 1MB capsule. This forward-thinking approach ensures that future civilizations, regardless of technological advancement, can access the message.

One of the most significant aspects of the ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record is the ethical responsibility of leaving a message for future generations. The team grappled with questions such as who the “receiver” of the message would be and what content would best represent humanity. “Who speaks for Earth?” they asked, recognizing the great responsibility of crafting a message that would stand the test of time.

“I have been honored and fascinated to collaborate with this interdisciplinary team of the most amazing scientists, humanists, artists and people from all walks of life,” said Berea. “I am forever grateful to my team and our collaborators for their trust, their dedication, their passion and their support to this project that will give us a tiny place in our interstellar future history.”

Listen to the episode

Interested in more from Anamaria Berea? Listen to her discuss the chances of intelligent life beyond Earth on the Access to Excellence podcast.

Topics

George �鶹��Ƶ scientist Anamaria Berea leads team to design lunar cultural archive for the ‘Pioneers of Tomorrow’

Colleen Rich — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:02:59 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ scientist Anamaria Berea leads team to design lunar cultural archive for the ‘Pioneers of Tomorrow’ Colleen Rich Thu, 01/16/2025 - 16:02

The ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record launched early on January 15 as part of the Ghost Riders in the Sky Lunar mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a goal of establishing a new theoretical framework for planetary-scale archival communication.

Note from team on ASPIRE ONE. Photo provided

Anamaria Berea, an associate professor of computational sciences at �鶹��Ƶ, led an interdisciplinary team that designed a part of the LifeShip payload—an archive to preserve our Earth’s cultural and scientific heritage. It will be placed on the Moon through Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lander.

Firefly missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative in the Artemis program.

The digital portion of the LifeShip payload, similar to the Voyager Golden Records, contains diverse content including videos, global aspirations, scientific materials, historical records, and cultural artifacts intended for future humans to access. Highlights include Daily Life video capturing global snapshots of contemporary life, an Aspirations video featuring individuals sharing hopes for the future in their native languages, and collections of images from UNESCO and World Heritage archives. A Getty images documentation of the recent COVID-19 pandemic is also included.

Firefly Blue Ghost will deliver the lunar record to the Moon's surface. Photo courtesy of NASA

“We basically created an archive that is housed on a 1GB microchip encoded with diverse content,” said Berea, who also has a PhD is computational social sciences from George �鶹��Ƶ. “It is also engraved with NanoFiche, including Berea’s name and affiliation with �鶹��Ƶ.

If it lands successfully, the payload will be placed on the Moon after 45 days [early March] and live there for posterity.

“This portion of the payload includes the Apollo 11 launch code, various works of art and music, information about the Moon, Earth Constitutions, and more,” Berea shared. “Not only my face, voice, name, and work will be on the Moon for future generations, but �鶹��Ƶ’s legacy too.”

Learn more about Anamaria Berea’s work on George �鶹��Ƶ’s Access to Excellence podcast.

Topics

George �鶹��Ƶ agricultural tool is another step closer to helping U.S. farmers, thanks to NSF support

Colleen Rich — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:08:57 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ agricultural tool is another step closer to helping U.S. farmers, thanks to NSF support Colleen Rich Tue, 08/13/2024 - 15:08

The CropSmart Digital Twin (CSDT) decision tool, a research project led by �鶹��Ƶ research professor Liping Di, is one of seven multidisciplinary projects nationwide recently selected to advance to Phase 2 of the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator, which could provide the researchers with up to $5 million in funding.

Liping Di. Photo provided

The user-inspired CropSmart Digital Twin provides on-demand, decision-ready solutions to take the guesswork out of crop management decisions. The services will be easily accessible to users through both web portals and smartphone apps. The optimal solutions are derived from near-real-time remote observations of cropping systems with artificial intelligence or machine learning-based modeling and simulations.

The United States accounts for more than 25% of the total grain traded globally. Successful crop production involves smart management decisions. With the Accelerator, the NSF is investing in new technologies that address the complex challenges in tackling food and nutrition insecurity from population growth, increasing diet-related diseases, and disparities and climate resilience.

In Phase 1 of the Convergence Accelerator, Di and his team received $750,000 from NSF to design CropSmart. With Phase 2, the team will focus on an operational release of the tool. “So it can be tested and evaluated in a real operational environment and provide services to users,” said Di, who is the director of the Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems in George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Science.

Farmers often depend on their own experience when making decisions, but some will make large investments in commercial instrumentation to measure and collect data on their crops. Yet, after making that investment, they must also collect the data and possess the scientific knowledge to apply it effectively. Di’s team will do this using remote sensing and modeling, covering larger areas at no or very low cost to the farmers, agribusiness operators, and governmental agriculture decision makers.

Di said they were working with more than 20 end-user partners to test CropSmart and anticipates increasing that number to 2,000 over the course of 2024. These users represent different agricultural sectors ranging from individual farmers to farm credit bureaus and ag-related businesses, and include the USDA.

The team is focused on commodity crops, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice. Co-principal investigators on the project include Cenlin He at University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Jenny Du at Mississippi State University, Haishun Yang at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Juan P. Sesmero at Purdue University.

Sesmero said the first part of the release—CropSmart 1.0—focuses on certain decision points: when to apply irrigation and how much; crop condition and yield prediction for supporting farm loan and crop insurance decision making; and in-season crop mapping and statistics.

Over time, the teams plans to add additional decision points, such as when to plant and harvest and when to apply nitrogen fertilizer and how much. They will conduct comprehensive field testing to ensure a fully tested and operational solution by the time they release CropSmart 2.0.

“We use the results of our testing to refine the technology,” said Sesmero. “We collect data, process it, and deliver that information through the app.”

The CropSmart Digital Twin will provide three types of products to users: decision-ready information, a “what if” service, and direct management recommendations. The decision-ready information will be delivered to end users for free.

The CropSmart team is focused on commodity crops, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice. Photo by Andrew Draper on Unsplash

“The users will get a good amount of aggregated information at whatever the format they want for free,” explained Sesmero.

The CropSmart "what if” and direct recommendation services are provided with a subscription fee, intended to help fund additional product development and sustain the operation of CropSmart Digital Twin.

In a “what if” service, the CropSmart Digital Twin will give a prediction of outcomes. Users can experiment with different decision scenarios and management paths, see their effects, and compare potential outcomes, by posing such questions as “Should we plant today or wait for another week?”

Also, a third service is available where the tool provides a direct management recommendation. For example, the CropSmart suggests planting within the next four days. This recommendation, optimized for the user’s specific decision goal, is automatically generated by CropSmart.

Topics

Research

College of Science

National Science Foundation

Tech Transfer

New �鶹��Ƶ summer program shows high school students the value of a STEM degree

Colleen Rich — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 17:32:18 +0000

New �鶹��Ƶ summer program shows high school students the value of a STEM degree Colleen Rich Tue, 08/15/2023 - 13:32

In This Story

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm

�鶹��Ƶ’s College of Science partnered with the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN) to offer the VALHEN Hispanic STEM Academy (VHSA) at its Fairfax Campus in the last week of July 2023.

Students engaged in a series of interactive and hands-on sessions across a range of STEM disciplines. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Designed for rising Virginia high school sophomores and juniors from Hispanic/Latine and other underserved communities, the program provided the opportunity for 48 participants to engage in a series of interactive and hands-on sessions across a range of STEM disciplines. During the three-day, two-night residential program, these potential future scientists toured �鶹��Ƶ’s cutting-edge laboratories and facilities and learned from faculty and students about the forward-thinking research currently underway.

“We are thrilled to partner with VALHEN to show high school students from diverse backgrounds the potential of a STEM degree,” said College of Science Dean Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm. “This program provided participants access to the fastest growing STEM careers and academic pathways to get them there.”

This year, the academy focused on the topic of global sustainability. Participants worked with VHSA Guides, �鶹��Ƶ undergraduate student mentors, and fellow high school students on group research projects addressing real-world scientific problems such as hunger, access to clean water, pollution, and climate solutions.

Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon welcomes students to the academy. Photo by Tracy �鶹��Ƶ/College of Science

The “�鶹��Ƶ VHSA Big Ideas Challenge” encouraged students to work collaboratively to tackle today’s most critical global sustainability challenges.

“The students presented some truly innovative solutions to very complex issues,” said Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, director of educational and career pathways in the College of Science. “Hopefully this experience fuels their passion for STEM, while also helping them understand that their diversity of ideas, perspectives, and experiences are desperately needed in our global STEM community.”

Other sessions guided students through the college process to better know what to expect as a future student. Presentations also fostered connections to a wide range of resources, scholarships, and both academic and professional networks.

“Research shows that those from communities or identities underrepresented in STEM fields are less likely to pursue STEM majors in college, and those who do declare a STEM major when entering college are more likely to leave STEM than the general student population,” Hilker-Balkissoon said.

Topics

Students

College of Science

VALHEN Hispanic STEM Academy

Strategic Direction

�鶹��Ƶ-led Immersion Program presents quantum pathways to high school students

Colleen Rich — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:00:27 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ-led Immersion Program presents quantum pathways to high school students Colleen Rich Wed, 08/09/2023 - 15:00

Quantum is the study of the universe at the smallest scales. The strange behaviors that occur at the scale of atoms are key to the technologies that power our computers and many other modern devices. Recent advances that allow for greater manipulation of these strange behaviors have propelled quantum into a new era and holds promise for technological advances in computing, sensing, and communications. These new technologies may be the landscape of the workplace for today’s high school students.

Photo Provided by the College of Science

To excite high school students about the promise of quantum technologies and to prepare them for this future, �鶹��Ƶ and Connected DMV held the Pathways to Quantum Immersion Program during July. This program brought together high school students from 21 schools around the metropolitan Washington, D.C., region to explore quantum-focused education, research, and career opportunities.

The transdisciplinary program was coordinated by Jessica Rosenberg, �鶹��Ƶ associate professor of physics and director of education at �鶹��Ƶ’s Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC), and Nancy Holincheck, �鶹��Ƶ College of Education and Human Development Assistant Professor, Associate Director, Center for Social Equity Through Science Education, and co-Academic Program Coordinator of the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning program.

Participants began with a two-week virtual program in which they learned about key quantum concepts, engaged with quantum phenomena using polarizers and simulations of experiments including the double slit experiment, learned about applications of quantum technologies, and were introduced to quantum careers.

Following the virtual program, the students spent a week in residence on �鶹��Ƶ’s Fairfax Campus for a packed agenda of in-person programming that included lectures, discussions, and visits to sites working on quantum at �鶹��Ƶ and around the region.

Participants visited several of the labs engaged in quantum research including Yun Yu’s quantum chemistry lab that is studying two-dimensional materials, Rob Cressman’s biophysics lab that is using quantum sensors to study the brain, Karen Sauer’s physics lab that is developing quantum sensors to detect magnetic fields, and QSEC Director Patrick Vora’s lab to learn about quantum materials research.

Photo Provided by the College of Science

“I learned about interdisciplinary, collaborative, and connected research across a variety of quantum topics—some I had already heard about and some emerging fields were new to me,” said Shivani Nadella, a rising senior at Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia. “The professors were very knowledgeable and excited to share their expertise or resources you need to discover and pursue your passion.”

Nadella was originally planning to pursue a computer science degree when she got to college, but said, as a result of this experience, she is considering a dual major in physics.

Beyond �鶹��Ƶ, program participants got to see quantum work that is being done at NASA, University of Maryland, MITRE, and George Washington University. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the students learned about the role of quantum in communications and got to see quantum labs as well as other facilities like the high bay where the Nancy Grace Roman telescope is being assembled.

At University of Maryland, they got to see lots of quantum labs including a cyclotron and a quantum computer. The MITRE tour included a career panel, as well as visits to the company’s nano-bio and vision-sensing labs. The nano-fabrication facility at George Washington University showed them work being done with scanning and transmitting electron microscopes.

The students’ final visit was to the White House Eisenhower Executive Office for presentations by members of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Quantum coordination office and a tour of the building.

Holincheck said this experience was important for access to opportunities and career information. “The students met diverse scientists working in quantum technologies and quantum policy and heard from them about current and future quantum applications and careers,” she said. “This program is one way that we can provide equitable access to STEM knowledge and opportunities for students from across our region.”

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said work-based learning experiences like the Quantum Immersion Program help prepare students for careers of the future—careers that don’t yet exist. Nine FCPS students participated in this summer program.

“Our deepest gratitude to our academic, government, and business partners who recognize the value of giving our students hands-on experiences to guide and shape their futures,” she added.

On the final day of the program, participants delivered presentations about what they had learned over the week and their quantum learning continues.

“Some of the students will continue with an extended internship program following this experience,” said Rosenberg. “All of the students also have the opportunity to present a poster on their vision for future quantum technologies the Quantum World Congress occurring in September.”

Rosenberg added, “A student told me that after this experience, they can truly realize how quantum can be applied to many fields—it is the future. They learn whatever career path they choose, whether medical or computational, quantum will be there.”

The Pathways to Quantum Immersion program is part of QSEC’s K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project, which was funded by an appropriation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, and aims to inspire the next generation of students to pursue the field while simultaneously preparing a diverse quantum workforce in Northern Virginia.

“A student told me that after this experience, they can truly realize how quantum can be applied to many fields—it is the future. They learn whatever career path they choose, whether medical or computational, quantum will be there.”

Jessica Rosenberg

Learn more about the Quantum Immersion Program

Topics

Students

College of Science

Quantum Science and Engineering Center

K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project

Students apply mathematical modeling to drug addiction and recovery in summer research program

Colleen Rich — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:17:34 +0000

Students apply mathematical modeling to drug addiction and recovery in summer research program Colleen Rich Thu, 08/03/2023 - 10:17

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) chose five sites across the United States for its inaugural summer SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Research Program in applied mathematics and computational science. �鶹��Ƶ, and specifically the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Science, was one of those sites.

�鶹��Ƶ professor Padhu Seshaiyer (second from left) and �鶹��Ƶ PhD student Alonso Ogueda-Oliva (far right) work with SIAM-Simons program participants Diego Gonzalez and Adan Baca. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

�鶹��Ƶ Science mathematics professor Padmanabhan (Padhu) Seshaiyer served as program mentor with support from �鶹��Ƶ mathematical PhD student Alonso Ogueda-Oliva. The two selected undergraduate students were Adan Baca from the University of Arizona and Diego Gonzalez of the University of La Verne in Fontana, California, who tackled how computational science might inform the road to recovery from drug addiction.

For their six weeks at �鶹��Ƶ, Baca and Gonzalez worked with their mentors to learned how to conduct scientific research and effectively communicate mathematics and computational science principles. The goal was for the students to gain an improved understanding of how their ongoing education can translate into a career in applied mathematics and computational science.

Working at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fairfax Campus, the team researched drug addiction and built computational simulations to better understand pathways for recovery and patient detox journeys. Students also engaged with �鶹��Ƶ College of Public Health Associate Professor Holly Matto, who shared important insights into addiction behavior that helped enhance the mathematical models, further demonstrating the importance of interdisciplinary research.

Undergraduates Adan Baca and Diego Gonzalez traveled to �鶹��Ƶ for the SIAM-Simons research opportunity. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Baca was excited about the research opportunity the program provided. “For me, it was the internal motivation to do something with my major beyond just turning in my homework,” he said. “I could research something that interests me to create real and useful results to benefit someone beyond the grade on my transcript.”

Gonzalez started the program concerned about his ability to keep up. “But the very opposite to what I expected happened,” said Gonzalez. “This opportunity convinced me of the value of graduate school and that a welcoming, supportive mentor could definitely encourage me to succeed, which is very important in this environment.”

“This supported opportunity for the �鶹��Ƶ MASTER (Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation for the grand challenges through innovative Training Education and Research) program created a special summer for me,” Seshaiyer said. “The two undergraduate students clearly blossomed over the six weeks—from not having done any research at all to really producing something that was quite substantial, involving modeling, analysis, and simulation that is publishable, meaningful, and impactful.”

Seshaiyer recently received the 2023 Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) Mathematical, Computing and Statistical Sciences Advanced Career Mentor Award, an annual award which honors one faculty mentor nationwide for their success in mentoring undergraduate students in mathematics and computer science research.

The summer program ended with a research presentation to �鶹��Ƶ faculty, students, SIAM representatives, and parents.

“These students gained experience both in the abstract space as a foundation while also learning how to apply it to something that matters today—in this case right on the edge of pushing the boundaries of what we know and understand about addiction and recovery,” said Karen Bliss, SIAM senior manager of education and outreach. “To be at a place where they understand the model and make predictions is amazing.”

“This program demonstrated the value of strong mentorship to create the right foundation for success and that students who are curious about big societal problems can in fact learn how to apply mathematical principles and hone their research and modeling skills to solve them,” said College of Science dean Fernando Miralles Wilhelm. “We are very thankful to be selected in this impactful inaugural program from SIAM and The Simons Foundation and look forward to additional opportunities to participate.”

Other mentor sites selected this year were the Moffitt Cancer Center, Rice University, Youngstown State University, and Arizona State University. The applications for the next cycle of SIAM member mentors are open now. Application review will begin August 30, 2023, and the student participant application for summer 2024 will open in December 2023.