The research was done under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Zhiling Lan. Work done during the Spring semester of 2023 under CS497 was to understand technologies in Parallel Discrete Event Simulations (PDES) and work with them to learn about High Performance Computing and job scheduling. The two technologies that were primarily investigated and learned from were CODES Discrete Event Simulation Framework and CQSIM一a discrete event driven scheduling simulator. What I really enjoyed with this experience was it made me interested in High Performance Computing research, and I hope to continue in the same field in the near future, and possibly pursue a PhD in the same.
What I wish was different
Since the field was very new to me, I wish that I had had more experience with the same beforehand. Nevertheless, my pre-existing knowledge with C and Python really helped me. Furthermore, my ability to analyze new topics via reading research papers came really in handy!
Advice
Never hesitate to apply for positions regardless of whether you're qualified or not. The hiring decision is in the hands of the employers. It's really important to learn from the experience. Hard work always pays off!
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math research
May - August 2023 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I enjoyed the faculty and staff that I worked with and being able to experience the big city of Chicago.
What I wish was different
I would not change a thing.
Advice
Anyone who has the opportunity to be an intern in research should take the opportunity to do so.
1
One person found this helpful
CDA
September 2022 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Decent job with flexible work schedule. You get to choose when you want to work.
What I wish was different
No cons. everything is perfect from staff to coworkers
Advice
Friendly work environment and the best position to work on-campus
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Resident advisor
August 2022 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I love the people I work with and the responsibilities
What I wish was different
Advice
Make sure you can manage your time well
1
One person found this helpful
Research Assistant
May 2021 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Learning experience
What I wish was different
Frequency of work to be more
Advice
Pay great attention to detail
1
One person found this helpful
Student Researcher
August - December 2021 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Learning through research is hands-on and gives a richer perspective on a topic.
What I wish was different
I would have liked more guidance and structure. It was my first graduate research experience. I was on my own for most of the semester.
Advice
If you will be working on a project alone, choose a topic and scope that is not too broad or advanced. Choose something challenging, but achievable.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - August 2021 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I was able to learn more about the Ph.D. pipeline as well as the tasks of a graduate student that masters in CS in two universities: the University of Chicago and Illinois Tech.
What I wish was different
I wish that it had been in person. The experience was online so it made it harder to reach out for help because it would take time for the graduate students to respond to my problems.
Advice
If you want to know if you want to go into academia, definitely try out an undergraduate research position.
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One person found this helpful
Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - July 2021 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I liked the flexibility in the job because usually, it was just me and the ph.d candidate that I worked with deciding the next steps and deciding our schedule. There was no 9-5 obligation that I had to follow. Along with that, I also got to learn a lot about research and the academic world. I had control over the problems that I want to solve and I could work at my own pace and had personal guidance throughout the whole program.
What I wish was different
When reporting my progress at the end, I felt that it was not effective for my growth since this is a research project and there is still a lot to work on. I wish the program were longer and accounted for the fact that not all students will achieve the results that they were working towards in a short amount of time, so making a presentation and writing an effective paper is a little difficult.
Advice
I would say when picking a research project to work on, make sure you pick a professor and project in which you will get personal guidance. Often that could mean working with someone that don't have that many other undergraduates working on the same project so you are offered more responsibilities resulting in a huge learning curve.
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - August 2021 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I love the 3D printing research I did. The people I worked with were very understanding and very willing to teach if I wanted to learn something.
What I wish was different
Advice
1
One person found this helpful
Undergraduate Research Assistant
June 2021 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
The autonomy, constantly learning new skills, and the ability to do hands on research.
What I wish was different
That there were more people working on the project with me
Advice
Take initiative and try your best to self motivate yourself to get things done quickly and to a high standard.
1
One person found this helpful
SOAR Leader
May 2020 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Interacting with incoming students!
What I wish was different
I wish we had been in person :(
Advice
Come into this role with an open mind!
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Soar Leader
May - August 2020 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I loved working with the incoming students: helping them with IIT stuff, getting to know them and helping them making connections with people at our school.
What I wish was different
I wish it had been a little more organized, but due to Covid there were lots of unexpected problems.
Advice
You have to be flexible with your plans.
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Orientation Leader & Admissions Ambassador
May - August 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
It was fun interacting with both prospective students and students that were coming in for SOAR!
What I wish was different
Advice
If you don't like talking to people, these jobs are not for you :)
1
One person found this helpful
Research assistant
May 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Being able to use different scientific and technical equipment in the lab environment
What I wish was different
More structured
Advice
Try things that you wouldnt necessarily think would be applicable to you
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One person found this helpful
Parts Runner/Office Assistant
June 2018 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Get to know the department. Flexible hours.
What I wish was different
Advice
While it is nice to enjoy summer, it is also nice to make some extra money
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One person found this helpful
Undergraduate Research Assistant
May - July 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Flexible working hours
What I wish was different
Better housing
Advice
Apply yourself to make it more fun for yourself.
1
One person found this helpful
Undergraduate Research Assistant
June - August 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Everything
What I wish was different
Nothing
Advice
Be ready to learn a lot of cool stuff!
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One person found this helpful
SOAR Leader
June 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I loved that I got to meet so many new people and helped them better adjust to the transition from high school to college life.
What I wish was different
I wish that we had more time to interact with the freshman outside of the two days of SOAR.
Advice
The way that a SOAR Leader wishes to portray their energy level and enthusiasm reflects on their SOAR group. Thus it is important to pay attention to details about their own behavior.
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Lab Mentor
June - July 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
Learning about 3D Printers, software, and being able to build projects.
What I wish was different
Being able to work throughout the entire summer, had to stop as I wasn't taking summer classes.
Advice
Everyone is very helpful and nice. Be safe when handling machinery.
1
One person found this helpful
Student Administrative Assistant
March 2019 • Chicago, IL
What I liked
I love to work in collaboration environment and with other officers.
