Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Public Policy 590: Global Health Practicum
For the global health practicum class with Professor Clements, I leveraged networks at Duke Medicine and the World Economic Forum in conjunction with the Duke Global Health Institute to research and propose a holistic transformation of healthcare and medical education systems to the Indian government. The goal of this course is for students to engage with international entrepreneurs to learn about and support the design, development, validation, assessment, and scaling up of innovative, sustainable approaches to addressing critical health, social, and environmental problems. With my team, I applied our research report to a chain of small maternal hospitals with R data models to optimize low-cost management, improving nighttime shift quality of care and patient satisfaction. Functioning as a consulting analyst for LifeSpring Hospitals Private Ltd., I learned how to remain flexible with resource constraints in new demographics that pose different cultural and social challenges when designing solutions. Furthermore, I learned that successfully engineering tools may not always lead to project success if those who you are building solutions for do not have the proper resources to implement your engineering.
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Status: Completed
Dates: January 2022-April 2022
Supervisor: Dennis Clements
Hours: 180
Economics 256: Practical Financial Markets
In Professor Caccavale and Rasiel's Economics 256, I learned the tools and knowledge for careers in financial markets. A core component of this course was participating in rigorous competitions throughout the semester such as the Wells Fargo Corporate Valuation, BlackRock Asset Allocation, and Goldman Sachs Stock Pitch competitions. As an extension of this course, I participated in Investment Club and Professor Caccavale's markets discussion group meetings weekly. In order to design practical implementations of frontier tech, it is imperative to understand markets and how to bring solutions to market as well as understand different raising structures such as grants, debt, and equity. Engineers and scientists who understand how financial markets operate can make informed decisions about funding sources, investment strategies, and risk management, which can help them to secure the resources they need to pursue their projects successfully. Additionally, understanding financial markets can also help engineers and scientists to develop and market their innovations effectively, as they can anticipate the needs and preferences of investors and customers, and tailor their offerings accordingly. Therefore, by incorporating knowledge of financial markets into their skillset, engineers and scientists can enhance their ability to bring new ideas to fruition and drive scientific progress.
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Status: Completed
Dates: August 2021-December 2021
Supervisor: John Caccavale, Emma Rasiel
Hours: 200
Writing 101: Coming of Age & Happiness &
Ethics 189S: Purpose & Well-Being
For Professor Welte's unique Writing 101 class, I used the field of educational psychology to explore my personal and academic identity development, in particular close relation to my happiness. By reflecting on emerging adulthood and student developmental theories, I understood how various factors--such as gender, socioeconomic, race, ethnicity, religion, politics, & culture--share the development of 'self.' As an extension to this course, I also participated in the seminar taught by Professor Ferney "What Now," which facilitated large shared experiences and meaningful interactions between the Class of 2024 and faculty. In the context of Covid, this class had a lasting impact on my Duke career by giving me a deeper engagement to handle questions of life experience and a robust sense of intellectual life as a basis for and facilitator of community. At its minimum, Writing 101 made me a better writer, an important skill for any scientist. Conjointly, these courses showed me how I could learn from those around me to further my personal development while building "learning communities." I realized that discovery is only possible with purpose, and the communities, extracurriculars, and curriculum I choose to put time towards should further supplement this discovery. Understanding one's own purpose, values, and motivations can help to guide the direction of one's research or engineering projects, leading to more impactful and meaningful contributions to the field. Additionally, the process of coming of age and developing my self-awareness will help me recognize and overcome my own biases, which is critical in scientific research and engineering to ensure that findings and innovations are accurate and useful. Therefore, by reflecting on my journey and discovering a sense of purpose, I will be better equipped to develop the tools and technologies that drive scientific progress forward.
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Status: Completed
Dates: January 2021-April 2021
Supervisor: Sheryl Welte Emch, Christian Ferney
Hours: 200
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Biology 208: Computing on the Genome
In "Bio 208FS: Computing on the Genome," taught by Paul Magwene, I delved into the fascinating world of genome biology, focusing on its structure, function, variation, and evolution. As the first course I took at Duke, it was particularly relevant as we worked with real-time COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic sequencing data, integrating genome technology like high throughput sequencing and genome bioinformatics. This included learning about genome assembly, gene calling, sequence alignment, and phylogenetic trees. A key component was learning computer programming for big data handling, starting with installing the Anaconda Python Data Science Toolkit. This educational journey, blending biology and technology, provided me with a comprehensive understanding of genomic sciences in the modern era.
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Status: Completed
Dates: August 2020-December 2020
Supervisor: Paul Magwene
Hours: 200
Computer Science 201: Data Structure and Algorithms
My experience in CS 201 involved a deep dive into Java programming, where I honed my skills in various programming strategies, particularly in recursion. I engaged in a detailed examination of algorithm efficiency, assessing both their theoretical and practical aspects. This extensive exploration allowed me to adeptly address complex problems, leveraging Java's diverse libraries and mastering the utilization of data structures like arrays and maps for optimized solutions. The course also covered percolation theory, where I developed algorithms to model phenomena in porous materials. Additionally, I designed Huffman encoding for efficient data compression and simulated NBody systems in astrophysics. Lastly, I explored Markov chains, enhancing my understanding of probability and statistics.
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Status: Completed
Dates: August 2020-December 2020
Supervisor: Owen Astrachan
Hours: 200
