Tag the Vandal roommate or lifelong friend who would’ve absolutely joined you for a campus lightsaber duel. ⚔️💛🖤 #StarWars #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay (fb)

International student uses machine learning to build models to improve vision Growing up in a middle-class family in Punjab, India, Avneet Virk understood from early childhood that her social status allowed her access to a better education than most students in her country who attended public schools. She quickly decided to use her private-school education to provide opportunities for the less fortunate. While in high school, Virk, who graduates in Spring 2025 with a degree in statistics and a certificate in business analytics, started a nonprofit tutoring group in India that, with the permission of the Indian public-school administrators, provided after-school teaching in STEM subjects, primarily mathematics. “The public schools in India teach very rudimentary topics and many of the students do not get a thorough training in mathematics,” Virk said. “The organization I formed gives after-school math lessons to students who want to learn more or exceed what they were being offered in public schools.” Her organization, called Blessed, quickly grew from a small number of tutors to a cadre of 25, and it’s still growing. Virk pops into classes during breaks at U of I when she flies home to Punjab to visit her family. For Virk, an education equates to opportunity and her drive pushes her to use her opportunities to improve the lives of those around her. Back in Moscow, Virk’s dedication to applying her knowledge has transferred to several internships including one at Moscow’s local hospital, and two in the College of Science. At an internship with Gritman Medical Center, Virk applied her statistical and analytical skills to crunch and organize data to make the human resources department hum more efficiently. In Summer 2024 a paid research scholarship allowed her to work with molecular modeler and professor in the College of Engineering, Jagdish Patel, exploring how mutations in light-sensitive proteins in eyes cause vision anomalies. The research seeks solutions to help visually impaired people see better. Explore more of Virk's story at https://ow.ly/UkKN50VMf51. (fb)