Undergraduate Research at Fordham

I’ve been lucky enough to participate in undergraduate research since my second week on campus of my freshman year (I am currently a second semester senior).  I am a member of the Wireless Sensor Data Mining (WISDM) Lab that is run by Dr. Gary Weiss from the Department of Computer and Information Science.  Our main projects utilize data mining techniques with sensor data from smartphones and smartwatches to perform activity recognition and biometric identification tasks.  Fordham is a strong proponent of undergraduate research, so being able to participate work in a lab with one of my professors an undergrad has afforded me many opportunities that I may not have had at another school. 

WISDM members and Dr. Weiss working in the lab

I have been awarded multiple Fordham Undergraduate Research Grants during my time here that have funded my work during the academic year.  I have also received grants through Fordham and the Clare Boothe Luce Foundation so that I could continue my research on campus during the summer where my housing was paid for and I received a stipend.  One highly anticipated event every spring is Fordham’s Undergraduate Research Symposium held in April.  Over 300 students participated last year giving talks or presenting posters about their work.  I have participated in this event each year and look forward to once again sharing my research with faculty and my peers.  I have also had a chance to present my work at the Bronx Science Consortium Poster Symposium held at the Bronx Zoo.  Fordham University is part of the consortium alongside the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Hospital, the New York Botanical Gardens, and the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo.

WISDM poster at the Undergraduate Research Symposium

In collaboration with Dr. Weiss and some other members of the WISDM lab, I submitted a paper to a conference describing our most recent work with smartwatch-based activity recognition.  We recently found out that the paper was accepted, and I am especially excited because I have the opportunity to attend the BHI-2016 International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics in Las Vegas.  Fordham awarded me an undergraduate travel grant so that I can present this paper at the conference at the end of February. 

Working on my research in the WISDM Lab

My involvement with undergraduate research has afforded me many opportunities to learn about and gain relevant experience in the computer science field.  I would not be pursuing the career path I am now if I had not been exposed to the field of data mining through my involvement with the WISDM Lab.  As I reflect on my time at Fordham, I am especially grateful for the support my school and faculty have offered me in my pursuit of my research.  I would not be where I am today without this incredible experience.  

You can read more about student research at Fordham here and here.  If you want to learn more about Fordham College at Rose Hill undergraduate research, research grants, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium, you can read about it here. 

Undergrads Doing Research!

Before it gets too crowded, presenters check out other students' work. 

Last Wednesday, the weather was beautiful at Fordham. Eddie’s Parade looked like a beach with the number of people lounging and sunbathing. On Wednesdays, a lot of students don't have classes, so it was the perfect day to just kick back and relax. It was glorious. I, however, staying inside most of the day doing something else fantastic: the 8^th Annual Fordham Undergraduate Research Symposium. Now before you think I am being sarcastic, hear me out.

One of my favorite posters is a thesis that will
take the form of a stand-up comedy routine. 

Some of the tote bags being handed out, with copies of the
Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal in the background. 

There were 322 undergraduate students presenting research at the symposium. Some did independent research using grants, and others submitted research papers they had done for a class or their theses. Students gave oral presentations as well as poster presentations to peers, alumni, professors, deans, and anyone else who cared to drop by the McGinley ballroom where it was held. Even the people who arrived for the free sandwiches and fruit (and cafeteria cookies!) stayed to learn more about research in all manner of disciplines. Students talked about HGH in diabetic patient treatments, raising Deaf children, nanoscale drug delivery systems, and how early New Amsterdam/New York became a melting pot among a multitude of other things. Watching classmates present on their work is a lot of fun because, oftentimes, you forget how brilliant the people surrounding you are.

Participants and their research mentors received fair trade tote bags as this year’s gift. Fordham has a working relationship with the Amani Project, and the bags helped pay for school fees for Tibetan children who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend. All in all, it was a great way to spend the day, and there was still time after to enjoy the great weather. 

On a personal note, this is my final blog entry. I have written for I Am a Fordham Ram since the very beginning of my sophomore year (September 24, 2012, to be exact). It's been a pleasure to talk about some of my favorite things at Fordham and to talk to students who reached out after finding my email on the profile pages. Most readers are probably in the midst of making their college decisions, which is really, really hard. Everyone writing for this blog remembers that and may be going through the same process with grad school and jobs, so please look at our profiles and send us emails if you have questions that haven't yet been answered. We would be glad to talk with you-- that's really why we are here. So long, good luck, and I hope to see you at an alumni event in 4-10 years. 

Undergraduate Research in Computer Science

Since September, I have worked in the WISDM lab within the Computer Science department. WISDM stands for Wireless Sensor Data Mining, which means we attempt to derive meaningful information from the data from wireless sensors, like the accelerometer and gyroscope in your phone. Right now, the work I do is focused in activity recognition, meaning try to create algorithms to predict what activity the user is doing (sitting, standing, running, walking, etc.) based off of data from his or her smartphone and, more recently, his or her smartwatch. This research has implications for mobile health and fitness. With any luck, I'll get my research published in a ubiquitous computing journal or conference.

One of the great things that Fordham does to support its research community is to offer funding for students who apply for it. Through Fordham College at Rose Hill, students can receive a stipend of up to $1000 plus an additional $500 for materials. I received one of these grants this semester, and it has been great to be able to focus on my research while also getting paid for it! They also offer stipends for summer work, allowing students to be compensated for staying on campus and working on their research. In a couple weeks, I will present my work at the Fordham Undergraduate Research Symposium, which is a really cool event that allows us to share and showcase what we've been working on with our peers.

If you want to participate in research as an undergraduate, it's super easy to get involved. All you need to do is talk to professors about what research they do and, once you've found something you're interested in, ask how you can help out. Professors are always looking for more help! It's a great opportunity to learn and develop in your field of interest as well as an awesome thing to put on your resumé!

Guest Blogger: Ola Makara

As we begin our spring semester at Fordham, the weather has reminded us that spring is still a ways away. Let's flashback to Summer 2014 with an interview with Fordham College at Rose Hill junior Biological Sciences major Ola Makara about her internship at MD Anderson in Texas!


How did you hear about the program?

I heard about the program via email. There are internship and research emails sent out to all the biology majors at Fordham and one was regarding the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) program at MD Anderson. I went on their website, read more about the research experience that they offered, and applied. The president of MD Anderson, Ronald DePinho, also came to Fordham to speak about cancer prevention research and statistics at the University Club in Manhattan. Although I was not able to directly attend this event, I did watch a video of his presentation, and his wise words greatly encouraged me to apply to MD Anderson’s cancer research program.

Did you know that the president of MD Anderson is a Fordham alum before you went?

I did know that Ronald DePinho was a Fordham alum before my summer experience because during my freshman year, he spoke about cancer prevention research and statistics at the University Club in Manhattan. Although I was not able to directly attend this event, I did watch a video of his presentation, and his wise words greatly encouraged me to apply to MD Anderson’s cancer research program.

Did you interact with him at all?

I actually got to meet Dr. DePinho toward the end of my summer! Connecting with such a successful individual who once walked through the same halls of Keating and took the same science courses as I did was a really amazing feeling. He wished me luck in all my future endeavors and reminded me that with self-determination and good communication, my generation had the capability to make extraordinary contributions- not only to science, but also to the world. 

Ola and Dr. DePinho

What kind of work did you do/describe a typical day?

The admissions committee works very thoroughly to match accepted summer students with an appropriate Principal Investigator. However, during the application process, students have the opportunity to select a Principal Investigator that they would like to work with and submit a justification as to why. I was lucky enough to get paired with my top choice- Dr. Russell Broaddus, M.D/Ph.D. The Broaddus lab primarily studies the molecular pathogenesis of endometrial cancer, the number most common cancer diagnosed in women. 

This summer, my particular project focused on adenosine signaling as a potential therapeutic target for metastatic endometrial cancer. This is an extremely important step in endometrial cancer research, because as of right now, late-stage endometrial carcinomas are essentially incurable.

One thing that I realized about being a scientist is that it is not a 9 to 5 job. You cater your hours based on the particular experiments you are running and the time points you are collecting. My days could begin as early as 6 am and end as late as 1 am. One experiment could take up to two hours to complete; another could take up to two days. I would lie if I said that research wasn’t tedious- oftentimes, it can be. However, when you love what you’re doing, you can’t wait to hop out of bed in the mornings and whip on your lab coat. You don’t perceive your work as a “job”, but rather as a hobby.

Would you do it again?

I was fortunate enough to be invited to continue my research for the summer of 2015 and I am super excited to be returning to the Texas Medical Center to spend another fantastic 10 weeks with my PI, my post doc, and the most memorable summer students that you meet along the way! Ideally, I will be rerunning my experiments in mouse models in order to see if adenosine signaling could potentially work in humans. 

Checking out some slides

 
What kinds of things did you learn that you could apply to other aspects of your life?

I gained a lot of knowledge this summer, whether it was from the lab or from prominent scientists during Grand Rounds. However, my most memorable learning experience stemmed from my lunch breaks at MD Anderson’s cafeteria, where cancer patients came to eat and spend time with their visiting families. Seeing and interacting with patients of all ages made me realize what exactly it is that I’m fighting for. They ignited my passion and my sense of purpose. For this, I cannot be grateful enough.   

What other schools were represented?

CPRIT stands for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Each year, with the help and funding of CPRIT, MD Anderson Cancer center selects fifty undergraduate students from all over the United States and the world. I was the first and only Fordham student accepted into the program. There were students who hailed from many different institutions, ranging from in-state schools like The University of Texas, all the way to Oxford University out in the UK. However, the most represented schools included The University of Notre Dame, Harvard University, and Rice University, to name a few. 

Has it opened other options to you?

Absolutely! I was strictly adhering to a pre-med track, but now I’m definitely considering graduate school and getting a PhD!

Ola at her research presentation

The Fordham network is HUGE! You can find alumni in California, Texas, Florida, London, Australia, and everywhere in between. These connections can lead to internships, references, and sometimes even jobs!