Name: Deepa Mahesh
Pronouns: she/her
Institution: Smith College
Department: Computer Science & Mathematics
Biography:
Deepa Mahesh is a Smith College junior born and raised in San Jose and Cupertino California. She has had a dedicated passion for technology since her youth and this has followed suit in college as she is pursuing a double major in Mathematics and Computer science. Following a fascination with AI and data, she is currently a breakthrough tech AI scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she has completed a certification in Machine Learning Foundations from Cornell University. She is also working with Novartis on a machine-learning algorithm to improve the rate at which pathologists can diagnose patients. At Smith, she exercises her interest in helping others along with STEM. Outside of being a student, Deepa is an all-campus senator and the Vice President of the Robotics club where she represents her constituents, passes legislation to improve lives at Smith, and connects with her peers while building violent, but safe, battle bots. After college Deepa intends to pursue a PhD in Computational Mathematics or Engineering and aims to do research to advance these STEM fields.
Academic Status: Undergraduate Student
Year in program: 3rd
Research Area/Department: Applied Mathematics; Astronomy/Astrophysics; Computer Science; Data Science; Engineering; Machine Learning/AI; Mathematics
Other, specify:
Major/Specialty: I am a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics.
Degrees Earned or in Progress: I am on track to earn my bachelor’s in arts Computer Science and Mathematics in May 2025.
What courses or academic preparation have you completed to prepare for a summer internship experience?
Intro to programming through Python Discrete Mathematics Data Structures Calculus 2 Microprocessors & Assembly Language Theory of Computation Linear Algebra Algorithms and Visualizations Multivariable Calculus Advanced Topics in Discrete Applied Mathematics of Deep Learning
Have you published any research or worked on research/technical projects? No
Where has your research been published or where have you conducted research/technical projects?
Please describe your research/academic interests:
I aim to do research on topics pertaining to computational science and applied mathematics utilizing tools in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. My academics have led me to have an interest in the mathematics behind Computer/Data Science. I am currently taking a course that delves into the math of deep learning with data and I would love to do research pertaining to that. In regards to doing research with computational science and applied mathematics, I would like to pursue that research by applying it to fields like Quantum Science and engineering.
Computational and Data Science Areas:
Applied Mathematics; Computational Science Applications, i.e., Bioscience, Cosmology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Nanotechnology, Climate, etc.; Computer Science; National Security; Data Analytics and Visualization; High-Performance Computing; Machine Learning and AI; Quantum Computing and Information Science
Research Synergy:
I am interested in the applications of computational science, mathematics, and AI/ML because of how interdisciplinary they are. Working with data to improve different industries is a common theme I recognized while doing research on all the participating laboratories. Especially with quantum science multiple laboratories have done research in which they utilize mathematics to interpret data from a particle collider. With national security as well, laboratories look at security structures that are run on data and utilize machine learning algorithms, derived using mathematics, to improve them. Data visualization and analysis is an area that is needed within AI/ML which bridges my interests in supercomputing as that is used to build these models. DOE labs are able to branch together these high-level topics in computing and apply them to areas of applied science which is why I feel I have related research synergies with a lot of the Computational and Data Science Areas.
Motivation:
Research has been a facet of computer science and mathematics that I wish to explore and I feel I can do that best with the Sustainable Research Pathways program. The program specifically highlights branches of research that use computational mathematics and data science with applied sciences which is what I intend to do because of my major in CS and Math. Especially with the participating labs such as Brookhaven and Lawrence Berkeley, the computational science projects they have worked on with quantum science are incredibly fascinating and could help me explore all the paths research can take me. I learned about this program from a fellow Smith College student and hearing that this program was suited well for students who don’t come from necessarily research-focused colleges was incredible. Because of her experiences with the program, I knew I needed to apply as it would put me in the best environment, not just for research but as a woman of colour liberal arts student. The projects SRP would give me access to participate in have such a high impact nationally as well and being able to have an impact while learning is invaluable. I believe that computer science and mathematics research can revolutionize other categories of science and society and the national labs participating in SRP are doing just that. I wish to be at the forefront of helping this effort and this program can do just that which is why I want to apply.
Lightning Talk Title: Deepa Mahesh, Computational Mathematics student Smith College, interested in ML, Data, Engineering