小猪视频官网College Science Scholars
小猪视频官网Science Scholars explore their scientific areas of interest, from biological sciences to chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology, and even engineering sciences. Three students鈥擩effery Lee, Kevin Rattin, Adrian Zzimbe鈥攈ave recently benefited from the program.
鈥淭he Science Scholars program greatly enhanced my professionalism,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淭hrough research opportunities, mentorship, and the friendships I formed, I became more mature and communicative. It encouraged me to actively pursue the opportunities I desire and work with others to form my personal network.鈥�
Lee conducted research for the Robotics Engineering Team at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which focuses on designing autonomous platforms to assist soldiers with reconnaissance and construction during missions.
鈥淢y primary responsibility was to develop a mesh network utilizing military radios to facilitate data transmission across these autonomous platforms while ensuring strong radio signals,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淪ince these platforms are moving across different terrain, I developed a method to be able to calculate the signal strength of the radios dynamically. I also wrote a program to lessen traffic congestion among our workstations, addressing an issue where our computers were unnecessarily transmitting large volumes of data to one another.鈥�
While he was able to implement some functionality, Lee says the program was only partially successful. Though research isn't too common for those like Lee in the information technology field, Lee admits his hesitation before beginning the research.
鈥淚 was exposed to a lot of new applications and subjects, which expanded my skillset,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淓ven though I did not know if my contributions were meaningful, I was able to do something without any assistance and from scratch. Also, this opportunity helped me gain visibility to employers and indirectly helped me get my current job.鈥�
Lee currently works as a network administrator for General Dynamics in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, managing the entire Army's network in the U.S. and Europe.听
In summer 2023, Rattin shadowed two graduate students part-time in Dr. Sarah Hind鈥檚 lab. 鈥淭his research opportunity has helped me in more ways than I can even think,鈥� Rattin says. 鈥淚 have gained invaluable laboratory experience in my field, which also is the field I will pursue a professional career in. I would be a very different person had I not had this experience, and I have grown in a way I am proud of.鈥�
Rattin says the Science Scholars program helped him develop professionally, academically, and personally for the better.
鈥淲hen I was a freshman at Parkland, I was struggling with a lot of things. Had it not been for the Science Scholars, I most likely would鈥檝e failed out of college/lost my financial aid due to dropping/failing classes,鈥� Rattin says. 鈥淭he support network with mentors and fellow science scholars helped me stay on track during hard times. Science Scholars has greatly changed my life for the better. I don鈥檛 know what I would've done without it and all the amazing people that make it possible.鈥�
听He has since worked in Dr. Hind鈥檚 lab and now has his own project involving hairy root and stable transformation of tomato plants.
Last summer, Adrian Zzimbe鈥檚 research in one of the U of I鈥檚 botany labs aimed at better crop growing in urban areas in the summer season, looking specifically at how to improve plant water retention to combat the summer heat and reduce the pest pressure. Zzimbe used vermicompost as a median and zucchinis as the primary crop during the research.
鈥淭his introduced me to group coordination and working together, which I have always considered a great skill to have,鈥� Zzimbe says. 鈥淲e did fieldwork, too, so that was a great adjustment to my skills, as we had to be precise and quick with some measurements.鈥�
Zzimbe says he was also introduced to online data-taking tools, which he hadn't used before but were听crucial for research. 鈥淚t was great to have that,鈥� Zzimbe says. 鈥淲e also read a lot of papers, and that improved my reading skills.听Before, I hadn't read that much, but after, I felt comfortable with reading and even understood the material matter that I read.鈥�
Zzimbe added: 鈥淪cience Scholars have been a great, if not the best, boost I have had in college. It听opened my mind to a broader view of science and stem majors. It introduced me to a lot of opportunities I would have never known were available and that has improved my knowledge and connections as a STEM student.鈥�
To learn more about Science Scholars, visit .
听