My name is Robyn R. Evans, and I am currently a sophomore majoring in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU).

As an undergraduate student at ECSU, I have taken courses to learn how to use tools to better assist me in my studies and career. I am currently learning how to use an interactive system called Matrix Laboratory, or MATLab. MATLab is a high-level technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development, data visualization, data analysis, and numeric computation. The tool is used to solve technical computing problems faster than traditional programming languages, such as C++. I also plan on sharpening my skills by participating in undergraduate research opportunities, internships, attending conferences, and taking challenging courses.

Prior to attending ECSU, I was accepted into the Center of Excellence for Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) scholarship program. The program is under the leadership of Dr. Linda B. Hayden and provides students with undergraduate research experience, educational support, and assistance with obtaining internships. Through CERSER, I have had the opportunity to attend conferences, develop professionally, and gain scientific research experience.

During the 2008 – 2009 academic school year, I was a member of the Multimedia Team. We worked on a project titled, “Evaluation and Implementation of Web 2.0 Technologies in Support of CReSIS and Cyberinfrastructure Research Projects at Elizabeth City State University.” We examined four popular open source Content Management Systems (CMS): Joomla, WordPress, MediaWiki, and Drupal. We installed each CMS on a test Windows Apache MySQL Php (WAMP) platform and evaluated them based on their ease of use. As a team, we wanted to analyze these different CMSs and pick what we felt was the best so the CERSER program could use the tool as a resource; students could access a team’s notes and ideas from previous years for references while conducting research. I was able to present this research at a conference I attended.

I have attended multiple conferences, the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference, the Association of Computer/Information Science and Engineering Departments at Minority Institutes (ADMI), the TeraGrid 2009 conference, and Super Computing 2009. Both BEYA and ADMI were held in Baltimore, Maryland. At BEYA, I had the opportunity to interact with professionals in the science, engineering and technology fields by attending a career fair and sitting in on seminars and workshops.

At the ADMI conference, I attended workshops and seminars where some of the key speakers were Juan Gilbert—creator of the first Electronic Voting System, Prime III, Lieutenant Commander Warren Judge of the Coast Guard , and Gerry Dozier—Professor & Chair of the Computer Science Department at North Carolina A&T State University. At the conference, I participated in the student poster session and had the chance to present the research I conducted during the academic year. By participating in the ADMI poster session, I took away one key thing that some people forget—do not get so caught up in your research that you forget the basics of science, the scientific method.

For the summer of 2009, I interned with the Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science (UREOMPS) at Elizabeth City State University. The objective of the program is to promote the professional development of minority undergraduate students through their participation in ocean and marine science research. Through my participation in the UREOMP program, I gained valuable training in global positioning system/geographic information system, water quality testing, and earned certifications in boating safety, CPR, and first aid.

During the program I was a member of the Polar Grid Team. The title of our research is, “A Comparative Analysis of Dependent MATLab Code Verses Independent Mex Binaries in the Charting of CReSIS Flight Path Data.” The objective of our research was to take MATLab dependent code and convert it into a MATLab independent code, so our partners through CReSIS may use it to analyze their data.

As a member of the Polar Grid Team, I had the opportunity to attend the TeraGrid 2009 conference. The conference was held in downtown Arlington, Virginia and lasted a total of five days. The conference showcased the “capabilities, achievements, and the impact of the TeraGrid in research and education” and provided attendees with “hands-on training to enable users of TeraGrid resources to achieve maximum impact.” TeraGrid integrates high-performance computers, data resources and tools, and high-end experimental facilities around the country by using high-performance network connections. With a combination of resources, the TeraGrid is the world's largest, most comprehensive distributed cyberinfrastructure for open scientific research. The conference provided me with a clearer understanding of TeraGrid.

For the 2009 - 2010 academic school year, I was a member of the Polar Grid team. The team's objective was to ensure that ECSUs central manager system was prepared for grid computing. To do this, the team utilized the Condor 7.4.0 client, and tested the time it took for a job—a compiled Sieve of Eratosthenes—to run over x nodes. The group also created a server, Kitoto—Swahili for baby—for our partner CRISM team.

In November 2009, I had the opportunity to attend Super Computing 2009, were I provided my services as a student volunteer. The conference held it's 21st conference in Portland, Oregon and brought together scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, programmers, system administrators, application developers, program managers, and students from all around the globe. Attendees had the opportunity to attend "an exceptional program of technical papers, tutorials, and timely research posters with an impressive lineup of invited speakers and panel participants."

Ultimately, it is my goal to use the skills I have gained over my collegiate career to solve real-world problems that will help my community. After graduation, I would like to attend graduate school as well as conduct environmental research. After receiving my master’s, I would like to work towards earning my Ph.D. in Statistics; as well as start a career as bioinformatics specialists—a career that will allow me to combine my mathematical and computer science skills with my desire to protect the environment.