Quotes from Previous Participants

2015 - 2017

This experience was like no other in the way it exposed my to life in academia. The resources it provided and the events it planned were invaluable in my understanding of life and a career in research.

I realized that I really enjoy certain aspects of this field, that I did not previously know about.

It gave me insight into what working as a researcher is like, and paved the path for me to become one- although I am still deciding whether to pursue a career in research or industry, I know that research is a very meaningful path from my experience with the REU program.

It showed me what research was about and increased my passion for perusing a career in research.

The REU program showed me my skills and how my quantitative abilities could be put to use. Even though I want to become a civil rights lawyer, I plan to use the experimental design skills and the quantitative problem solving I gained at the REU in my future endeavors.

2012 - 2014

It got me interested in applied mathematics, especially in the intersection of computational science and theory.

Provided experience in medical imaging and a factor in pursuing radiology as a career specialty.

It exposed me to machine learning which is something I am still interested in and pursue in my career. I published a paper and I'm still proud to have that on my resume.

Training. Experience. KNOWING WHAT IM GETTING INTO :-). So much great help knowing when, how, and why to go on to research.

It helped me understand more about academic research, and artificial intelligence. I decided to pursue a career in industry, with a goal of working in automation and robotics. I haven't quite made it there yet, but I'm working my way in that direction.

2009 - 2011

Only research experience and publications I've had in my educational career. My research on medical imaging was also helpful for my radiology course work in medical school.

It gave me awesome research experience and helped me to learn that I enjoy working on research problems.

The computational project that I worked on during the program helped me identify my future research interests.

The REU program helped me figure out that I was interested in studying computer science, which led to a role in a technology firm. If I had continued studying biology (my major before REU), I would be in a completely different place today.

2006 - 2008

I had never before had the opportunity to have real control of a research project or the freedom to make mistakes and find my own way to fixing them. The MedIx REU gave me the research bug, and renewed my focus in later academic years.

The program has definitely kept me entertained. I enjoy working with the people and getting a chance to become immersed into different problems and areas I haven't been in before. I do enjoy it.

I stayed in the same field for my Ph.D. and career with the work I did at DePaul.

It helped me get published, gain confidence, and try out more research work in college. Eventually I decided against pursuing research as my career, but REU was very impactful in figuring out how to even start thinking about my career choices.

Confirmed that I wanted to pursue a research-related career.

I have learned much about what graduate research is like. I feel much more comfortable with my upcoming thesis work and with a career in academia. I enjoy the conversations I have with Lucia about her experiences in grad school and after. Daniela gave us a lot of information about what one can do with a graduate degree and Jacob gave a talk about getting published and research papers in general. I have also learned a lot about the value of having someone to bounce ideas off of. Lindsay was stuck on an algorithm about wavelets and we spent about 3 and a half hour one afternoon on a white board figuring it out. 

2005

I have learned much about the applications of image compression in terms of image segmentation. I have also learned how to write reports and give presentations since we have done that from the beginning.   

The REU program is fun and very educational. I enjoy the work on the medical images as well as the trips to the museums. 

My partner and I basically are side by side throughout the whole implementation process. It's a variation of Extreme Programming I suppose. It works well for us since we're always bouncing ideas off of each other and we're usually able to catch each other from missing obvious problems

Dr Furst has given us some pretty great insight. My partner and I usually think up a possible answer to a problem and before we implement it we talk to Dr Furst about it and get his take on it. Some of the great advice he has given us is to keep in mind that there is a point in which you want to stop trying routes that are basically leading you blindly and potentially to a dead end.

I have greatly improved my ability to work with a partner, as well as improve my coding abilities (especially Matlab) and formal logic.

I have learned about specific things like the state of the field, how you can apply wavelets to image processing, and how to segment images. The most valuable thing I have learned is just what the research experience can be like.

I have always wanted to attend grad school and I still plan to.  Now I have a better idea of where to look, how to apply, and what to expect.

Our project was quite successful.  We ended up getting pretty great results as well as 2 potential publications.

I was previously uninterested, but I am now considering graduate school or future researching.

I think that after participating in the DePaul REU program I will be seriously considering attending graduate school.

I have learned specifics in the areas of image processing and medical imaging, but also some general information that will help me with my graduate and academic career.  I was very impressed with the amount of education that was provided in terms of what grad school is like, what you need to do to get in, what being a professor is like, the difference between academia and industry, getting published, and the significance of publication.

Before the program, I was far more interested in teaching and continuing my education than actually doing research, but I have grown to enjoy the process.  I am more confident about a career in academia now.

It was a great example of real world computer science application, instead of pointless "Hello, World" programming.

I have been able to see it's practical applications to the world, as well as see it wide basis in research.

I have toned my skills at researching and being able to write technical papers, as well as giving presentations.