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PROFESSIONAL STATEMENT

As a child, I would have never imagined that I would be pursuing two undergraduate degrees in mathematics and engineering. However, my determination and eagerness to study, learn, and comprehend math has made me develop an appreciation and love for the subject. In high school I took advanced placement calculus classes and was able to earn college credit. It only made sense that I would continue with mathematics as I entered college. Upon entering college, I developed a curiosity for engineering. I loved the idea of being able to apply my critical thinking and problem solving skills to the field of engineering while using math. During my fist year at Spelman College, I took interesting and exciting courses that reinforced my intense interest in each subject.

Currently, I am conducting research at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) in the Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) Program under the direction of Dr. Linda Hayden. This internship has given me the opportunity to network with distinguished individuals in the fields of computer science, oceanography, mathematics, and marine biology while learning various research tools and information. Upon my arrival to this internship, I was taught how to use computer programs and languages like Adobe Photoshop, Ubuntu Linux, Adobe Dreamweaver, and ArcMap Geographical Information System. I attended boating safety classes and earned certification. These classes prepared me for research that was to be conducted. I have worked closely with three other undergraduate students and a mentor to conduct research in the area of oceanography and marine biology. As a part of our research, we went out on a boat to collect and test water samples from the Pasquotank River. The title of our research is “Temporal and Spatial Variations of Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll a in Coastal Waters of North Carolina.” The scope of our research consists of using online satellite and remote sensing imagery like Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) data and Aqua-MODIS data to study chlorophyll a concentrations and sea surface temperature in the North Carolina coastal and Chesapeake Bay regions. Using remote sensing data, I applied mathematics and computer science to my research project.

During my time at ECSU in May of 2008, I learned new computer programs like Java, Matlab, and Mathematica and was able to incorporate them into my research to look at and build math models for the team project. It was an intensive two-week program that helped me build research skills and network with other computer science and math majors as well as doctors teaching at various universities and colleges across the nation. Our research, “An Investigation of Energy Consumption of 25 Universities in Measuring a Carbon Footprint Based on Carnegie Level Classification,” dealt with an investigation of Carnegie level classified universities' carbon footprint and the amounts of greenhouse gases they emitted into the atmosphere. Much of the data collected was found online and entered into an Excel spreadsheet to create graphs and tables of each university’s carbon footprint. I worked closely with two mentors, Dr. Andrea Lawrence and Dr. Constance Bland, and an interdisciplinary research team to complete a research project on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. This particular research experience gave me insight on the tools and resources available to conduct research.

My undergraduate research experiences have tremendously added to my research and work experience. I am building the professionalism and gaining valuable tools necessary to bridge the gap between school and the career world. I find research to be challenging, interesting, and exciting. These undergraduate research programs offer me the professional development experiences necessary to be successful in my mathematics and engineering career. With the knowledge and experiences that I will gain in the next three to four years, I plan to continue to build and expand my knowledge and research experiences through various undergraduate research internships. After I receive my undergraduate degree in mathematics from Spelman College and my undergraduate degree in engineering from Georgia Tech, I intend to pursue higher-level education by obtaining my master’s and doctorate degree in a field that I do not know at this time.