Jose Emilio Regio's academic path has had a few curves over the past four years.
"I switched majors three times," said Regio, a fifth-year senior at the University of Connecticut. "My path through college was a bit of ping-ponging to find out what I loved."
When he arrived at Carnegie Mellon University this summer to conduct research in the Mellon College of Science as part of a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, he brought a host of skills in chemistry, mathematics, computer science and linguistics. Working with Gabe Gomes, an assistant professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Regio has been working to solve problems related to scientists using automated laboratories.
"My research this summer has been at an intersection between data science, chemistry and machine learning," said Regio, who worked on turning scientific literature related to experimental methods into machine-readable representations of synthetic procedures.
"When I first arrived, I thought research would be a straight path from A to B. But there's been windy paths and some dead ends. I've learned when to be persistent on frustrating days and when to take a step back," Regio said. "There is a lot of the creative process in research. After this experience I know I want to go to graduate school and be surrounded by people who are at the cutting-edge of their fields."
Gomes said that Regio would fit right in if he decides to pursue graduate school at CMU or somewhere else.
"I proposed to him a problem that was challenging, and he started doing it right away," he said.
As part of the educational process, Gomes said that it was important for undergraduate students to participate in research to understand how the process works.
"Being part of a high-level scientific environment is absolutely critical," said Gomes, who started conducting research as a first-year student and never stopped. "Undergraduates are fearless. They are not biased about what they know. And, when you work with them, you get very interesting new projects."