KGSP Summer Enrichment Highlight: University of Texas, Austin

The KGSP summer enrichment program provides KGSP students with the opportunity to gain valuable experiences with laboratory research, professional development, presentation skills, and project management.  For KGSP students, participation in research serve as a cornerstone of their academic and research careers.

In 2019, 11 KGSP students participated in summer research with faculty and graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA), engaging in a supportive and immersive educational experience catered to individual academic interests.  The program included a “Building Your Leadership Brand” skills workshop skills and industry site visits to the Samsung Research and Development Center (SARC), Texas Advanced Computing Center’s Visualization Lab, IBM, and the Austin Community College Bioscience Incubator.

Hussain Almattar, a rising sophomore at the University of Rochester majoring in Mathematics, was delighted to have been able to enhance his coding stills at UTA.  Having taken introductory courses in computer science and programming as a freshman, his summer project allowed him to delve deeper into coding through practical experience.  This was also his first time learning how to formally present research.  At the conclusion of the program, Hussain presented his project entitled, “Distributed vs. Federated Learning: Exploring the Trade-Offs in Collaborative Learning Schemes”.

     
Abdulwahab Alqaffas, also a rising sophomore attending Northwestern University and majoring in Environmental Science, studied bacteria to produce his research project, “Inactivation of L. pneumophila Using Microwaves and Nanosilver.”  Abdulwahab enjoyed working with UTA faculty as mentors while completing his research, and plans to incorporate it into his studies back at Northwestern.  A desire for ongoing research and collaboration is shared by many in the program. 

The specialized KGSP enrichment programming enables students to explore and widen their expertise in their fields of study under the guidance of expert university faculty and industry professionals. These experiences lay the groundwork for deeper learning as they continue their academic journey.