Every summer, the Health Care Engineering Systems Center (HCESC) offers UIUC undergraduates the opportunity to apply for a Jump ARCHES summer internship. Students are paired with a PI who has received funding through Jump ARCHES and assist them with their work. Not only are students introduced to innovative projects in the healthcare engineering space, they also are able to perform hands on research as necessary. Seven interns were picked for this summer, including computer science student Kyler Yu who was paired with Dr. Inki Kim, the Assistant Director of Research in Medical Simulation in HCESC.

What project are you working on, who are you working with, and what is something you have learned so far from said project? 

I am working with Dr. Inki Kim on Project 337: generating synthetic electrophysiological activities in the migraineur brain. Through this project, I have been able to explore numerous machine learning models/structures, from generative adversarial networks to adaptive neuro fuzzy inference systems. In addition, the project allowed me to delve into the neuroscience field as well, a field I did not have significant prior experience in. 

What has been your favorite part of your internship experience so far? 

My favorite part of the internship experience is having the opportunity to apply my computer science knowledge to another field (the medical field). 

Why has the Jump ARCHES Summer Internship been important to you? 

This internship is truly important to me because it gave me the chance to use computer science in the medical field. After some of my family members developed brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, I had always hoped to be able to contribute to this field in the future, and this internship has given me the opportunity to do so. 

How do you hope to use the knowledge that you have gained from this experience in your future endeavors? 

I hope to continue to work in the interdisciplinary field between computer science and healthcare, so the experience and knowledge that this internship has given to me will undoubtedly be extremely valuable for my future career.