Rafael Lopez is one of our Math majors. He is a Learning Assistant in our math classes. He is the treasurer and co-founder of the Campus Child Advocates Student Organization at UIS. In addition, Rafael is also the co-founder of the Chapter of the Secular Student Alliance at UIS. Rafael is a recipient of the UIS Leadership Lived Program, a program that features UIS top performing students.
During this academic year, Rafael attended three Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) conferences:
- 2022 Louis Stokes Midwest Regional Center of Excellence (LSMRCE) Conference, October 28-30, 2022, Schaumburg, IL
- BRING MATH (Bridges for the Next Generation: Mathematical Science Research and Our Future), November 11, 2022, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL
- 2023 Illinois LSAMP Symposium, February 24-25, 2023, Lisle, IL
Big thanks to Dr. Lucía Vázquez, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, who made Rafael’s trips possible by providing necessary funding through her NSF grant.
Below is Rafael’s reflection on these conferences. Rafael, thanks for sharing your experience with all of us!
Btw, information on the 2023 BRING MATH conference is now available! If you are interested, contact us!
(Dr. Hei-Chi Chan, MAT/PHI, April 25, 2023)
Keywords: UIS, Mathematics, UIS Leadership Lived, STEAM conferences
My Experience at Three STEAM Conferences
By Rafael Lopez
After attending the three STEAM conferences, the 2022 LSMRCE Conference from Oct. 28 to Oct. 30 at Schaumburg, IL, the BRING MATH symposium on Nov. 11 at Argonne National Laboratory, and 2023 Illinois LSAMP Symposium from Feb. 24 to Feb. 25 at Lisle, IL, I can say that it has been a deeply enriching and enlightening experience. It was an opportunity to meet and listen to several informative talks from people in the field. I had the opportunity to better appreciate the rise of certain major technological advancements such as the application of random walk and statistical mechanics in machine learning and quantum computing. I also had the opportunity to meet and connect with other peers like myself in STEAM as they present their research and their reports as well as getting to know them as people.
A major theme throughout all three of the conferences is recognizing the power and possibility of certain technical fields such as quantum computing. Quantum computing was a central topic of the keynote speech at the LSAMP Symposium this February as well as a workshop topic at the BRING MATH conference in November. As explained by Dr. Thomas Searles, Associate Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering at UIC and the LSAMP Symposium keynote speaker, the Midwestern city of Chicago is a hotspot for quantum computing. Argonne National Laboratory, with headquarters near Chicago, leads a collaboration called Q-NEXT with researchers from three DOE labs and multiple universities and quantum tech companies. Q-NEXT receives substantial funding from the federal government and partner organizations to conduct cutting-edge research in Quantum Information Science (QIS). It highlights the potential of the field and strongly encourages students in STEAM of the possibility of pursuing a career in QIS.
Another major point of value of these conferences is seeing my fellow peers in STEAM showcasing the research they have done at their prospective institutions and demonstrating their findings. I had the privilege of seeing UIS’s own Nicole Girard and Dr. Noah Reynolds demonstrating their own research about mutation in the genes encoding for certain enzymes in yeast and the implications it has for corresponding human pathologies. I also had the privilege of meeting Jose Savin and his colleague from Chicago State University as he gave his report on the cost-effectiveness of using certain elements for electric vehicles.
A fun fact about these conferences is that they gave us opportunities to showcase our musical talents at karaoke social mixer, which helps to build camaraderie among the students of STEAM as well as being a nice perk. This demonstrates the value and adventure of performing academic research as not just a stepping stone for our academic career but a source of growth and fulfillment. It was truly a humbling and awe-inspiring experience of going to these three STEAM conferences as not just as the STEM ambassador for UIS but as a student in STEM. It helps me appreciate the possibility of certain technological advancements such as quantum computing, witnessing the research of my fellow peers in STEM as well as connecting to them as people has given me a wealth of experience that I will deeply treasure.
