Meet student researchers addressing sustainability and social challenges

What made you want to get involved in FURI and why did you choose the project you’re working on?

I was first introduced to the FURI program in my freshman year and it always stuck in the back of my head. When my mentor, Dr. Deng, offered the class I was taking the opportunity to do the FURI program with his research group, I jumped on the opportunity.

I choose to do my project on the interaction of microplastic and pesticides in soil because of my interest in sustainable polymers, also known as plastics. Microplastics are a big issue in the world of sustainability and understanding the effects that they have in interacting with the environment will only further innovation in developing polymers that are better in the long run.

How will your research project impact the world?

With the increasing concern about microplastics in soil, there is a need for more in-depth research to fully understand the relationship between pollutants and microplastics in a terrestrial environment. The results that come from this research will only further our understanding of the interactions between microplastics and soil contamination.

Have there been any surprises in your research?

The biggest surprise in my research was the shift from my original experimental plan to my current one. I shifted to doing hydrothermal liquefaction of soil, pesticide and microplastics instead of measuring the amount of pesticide that the soil adsorbed over a period of time.

How do you see this experience helping with your career or advanced degree goals?

One of my career goals is to run a lab researching more sustainable, highly accessible polymers. The experience of working in a lab setting allows me to learn the intricacies of being in a lab and how it can run so smoothly with many different working parts.

Why should other students get involved in this program?

FURI is an amazing program that allows undergraduates to experience doing research on a topic that they are interested in, under the guidance of a mentor. It helps you build a rapport with a faculty member and graduate students working in the lab, which is vital for those letters of recommendation. Additionally, it’s rare to be responsible for flushing out a research idea with the safety blanket of graduate students and faculty mentors to fall back on.

Learn more about Kelly Nguyen’s Spring 2023 FURI project.

What made you want to get involved in GCSP and the project you’re working on?

I wanted to get involved in the Grand Challenges Scholars Program because of the appeal behind being involved in macroscopic issues outside of the classroom. I have always been interested in using my skills to develop projects that would end up being useful to a certain industry or society in some way, and GCSP offered an opportunity for me to do just that with service learning and learning about globalized efforts for innovation to solve large-scale problems. Even further, there is an emphasis on diversifying the academic experience at ASU, and by working in groups with different majors to develop a project, I am able to be a much more well-rounded student and work more efficiently in groups.

I chose this project because it allows me to develop skills for both my computer science major and economics minor, as it works with the supply chains of global industries through maritime data analysis.

What has been the most memorable experience as a student researcher?

My most memorable experience was the process of developing and completing the code necessary for one of the lab’s earlier tasks. My responsibility was to develop code with Python that would gather as much information as possible from a REST API by using EC2, a cloud computing service from Amazon. I did not have any experience using EC2, but after taking the time to learn and reach out for help, I learned so much about the overall scope of how raw data can be turned into visualizations that can indicate truly meaningful patterns and results.

Have there been any surprises in your research?

The main surprise in my research has been discovering the immense amount of data that exists for maritime activity. Different data vendors gather shipping and location data of vessels from different sources and countries, and then compile what they receive into their personal database. With the number of vessels, ports, companies and countries, as well as the frequency at which location is tracked as a record, the data reaches terabytes of storage, a far larger scope than I had imagined before.

How do you see this experience helping with your career or advanced degree goals?

This experience will help both my career and advanced degree goals as it allows me to input knowledge I’ve learned from past classes and use it in a real-world context. In the classroom, it is quite difficult to learn how to apply the knowledge we learn outside of homework assignments. This is oftentimes because it is also difficult to retain information due to the numerous classes and concepts being instructed at once. This research experience allowed me to apply my computer science knowledge by practicing with databases, visualizations and cloud computing. Through the personal development required for the project, I was also able to further my skills using tools such as Python and REST APIs, which overall drastically improved my strengths in data engineering, a field that I plan on pursuing.

Why should other students get involved in GCSP?

It is a unique opportunity to work on a project that applies skills relevant to your major outside of classes while also under the supervision of a professor. Oftentimes, it is difficult for students to get real-world experience for various reasons, making it harder to stand out in competitive markets. This program offers a unique way of standing out, as not only do you actively apply the skills you learn in classes, but you also have the opportunity of working with a professor who has intense academic or industry experience, and they can advise you along the way and even after the project.

Learn more about Rohan Nair’s Spring 2023 GCSP project.