Data Analysis and Biofuels
What's great about computing is that almost every field needs a programmer. With technology becoming more useful, available, and prevalent, we are able to utilize it based on different needs. This summer I was given the opportunity to work at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin through the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Integrative Computational Education and Research Traineeship. My mentor is Dr. Lydia Contreras in the Chemical Engineering department. Although I haven't taken a chemistry class in five years, I am able to help the research team with their computational needs. Simply put, the research team I'm working with is interested in creating biofuels (using bacterium and other microorganisms to create a number of different byproducts). My research group needs to be able to analyze and interpret a large data set, and that's where I come in. I am using R to write programs to easily sort through and find trends in the data. It is a rewarding experience to be able to work with a research group in a field that is so different from anything that I normally study. It gives me the opportunity to learn about something completely new, while simultaneously obtaining new skills in computing.