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. 

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!

Summer in the City

I am originally from outside of Cleveland, Ohio, but I enjoy being at Fordham so much that I spend at least part of every month on campus, which adds up to about 10 months out of the year!  Attending Fordham has provided me with so many opportunities to further my education beyond the traditional classroom setting.  My first semester as a freshman I began attending meetings for the Wireless Sensor Data Mining (WISDM) Lab, a part of the computer science department, and now I am a paid research assistant for WISDM.  Dr. Weiss, the professor in charge of the lab, has mentored me and guided me through the process of conducting my own research and applying for research grants.  Fordham College at Rose Hill offers undergraduate research grants for the academic year as well for the summer.  I have spent my past two summers working in the WISDM lab and living at the Rose Hill campus due to the generous financial support from Fordham and the Clare Boothe Luce Foundation, which is a program that promotes the involvement of women in science.

Undergraduate as well as graduate students contribute to the endeavors of the WISDM lab.  This summer we focused on improving our activity recognition application, Actitracker, that is a free fitness app for Android (we are in the process of creating an iOS version) smartphones that monitors your level of activity throughout the day.  We also began integrating smartwatches into the Actitracker system.  My work focused on building and testing models for the computer algorithms to identify the activities users perform based on readings from the devices’ accelerometers and gyroscopes.  I also began a separate project with my professor on cost ratios and their effect on data mining algorithms, but I don’t want to bore you with all of the technical details.  Here are links to our websites if you are interested in learning more about the WISDM lab and Actitracker.    

Although I was working full-time in the WISDM lab, I still found some time to take advantage of Fordham’s location in New York City.  Just to name a few of my adventures: I went to Coney Island, Central Park, SoHo, Shake Shack, Magnolia Bakery, and I even took a cruise on the Hudson and around lower Manhattan.

  

Central Park when my friend and I had a picnic with Shake Shack

The beach at Coney Island

         

Views from the cruise around Manhattan

I was not the only one taking advantage of Fordham's proximity to the city.  While I was working on campus two television series, Madam Secretary and Forever, were filming scenes on the beautiful Rose Hill campus.  I'm excited to watch these series to see how they incorporate my home into their plots.

    

Production crews setting up to film around Eddie's 

One of the many reason that I love attending Fordham is that I have the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research, something that not all of my friends from home can boast about, and I can enjoy a break from my academics by exploring the great city that is New York.