How the CDS Undergraduate Research Program Benefits Students: An Interview with CURP Scholar Kennedy Sleet
We launched the CDS Undergraduate Research Program in Spring 2021 in partnership with the National Society of Black Physicists. CURP’s objective is to provide talented students with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to participate in successful research collaborations. This is accomplished by integrating program scholars with a community of their peers and distinguished faculty mentors who advise, encourage, and support them. We caught up with CURP scholar Kennedy Sleet to hear what she learned from her experience, how the program helped her grow, and some advice she has for the next cohort of CURP students.
Can you talk a bit about your overall experience as a CURP student?
My overall experience as a CURP student was a great learning experience. I got to work with my mentor and team focusing on developing a code that can visually recognize specific elements and molecules. I learned so much regarding computer science and chemistry. As a physics undergrad, this opportunity opened my mind to how/why coding is very important and leads to great observation within almost any field.
How has the program supported your academic and professional growth?
The program supported my academic and professional growth by helping me understand how important teamwork is. After my CURP experience, I went off to do further research with a group at my university. The research focused on simulations used to determine different elements of black holes. I used my experience at CURP to identify the best ways to work as a team and how it can be most effective.
Is there anything you learned during your time at CURP that surprised you?
Yes, in working with my mentor, Wenda Zhou, I learned how important it is to have experiences such as CURP to help develop skills such as communication, teamwork, and above all, hard work.
What was your biggest takeaway from the program?
My biggest takeaway from the program was, in order to be successful in any field, experience is a must. With this opportunity, I was able to get recommendation letters from those I worked with, and with that more opportunities came my way. This year I will be working as a physicist at Purdue University and I have CURP to thank for that. I used this experience to my full advantage for my future career endeavors.
What advice would you give to new CURP students?
The advice I would give to new CURP students is to always ask questions and to take plenty of notes. For one, questions are important because they help you further understand any concept in science. For two, taking notes will help you retain all the information and you can always reference them even after the CURP program. I still reference my notes to help me in a lot of my coding courses!
We’ll be welcoming our third CURP cohort this summer. CURP will take place remotely June 6 through August 12, and offers a fellowship award of $6,000. The current application deadline is April 8, 2022. For more information on CURP, please visit the CURP webpage.
By Ashley C. McDonald
