Adiel Felsen, a junior dual majoring in computer science and mathematics, studies machine learning.

“Machines make mistakes but they make mistakes less often, especially if they’re trained properly,” Felsen says. “And there can be a lot of dangers in that if you start fully relying on only machines, but I really think machine learning is a great way forward for science in general.”

He has always had an interest in doing research, which played a part in his attraction to Binghamton and the Freshman Research Immersion program.

“I was interested before I went into the program, because the program is part of what attracted me to Binghamton,” Felsen says. “But it definitely allowed me to learn about topics that I wouldn’t otherwise learn until maybe senior year of school.”

FRI helped Felsen develop an understanding of data and machine learning. He categorizes data as anything from random images to letters and numbers. As a part of FRI, he worked on computer vision, a field of study where researchers teach computers how to complete simple tasks such as determining whether an image shows a cat or dog.

During his sophomore year, Felsen returned to FRI as a teacher assistant. In that role, Felsen not only assisted other students in understanding the basics of how to conduct research, he also solidified his own love for research.

Now working under Kenneth Chiu, associate professor of computer science; and Frank Lu, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, Felsen conducts research on biomedical imaging. He and his lab colleagues segment nuclei from cancer cells for SRS imaging.

SRS imaging, or stimulated Raman scattering microscopy, provides a detailed view of a cell. The method does not require the cell to be stained or dyed. Although it’s very fast, SRS imaging does not capture good contrast of DNA, and in biomedical imaging researchers need to be able to detect cell nuclei. Through machine learning algorithms, Felsen and his colleagues can improve the images’ contrast and see the nuclei.

One of Felsen’s mentors describes him as dynamic. “He has persistence and is always exploring new ideas,” Chiu says. “Those are the key things for research.”

Felsen will continue to develop his understanding of data and its many uses this summer as an intern at Mars Inc. He’ll work on projects dealing with data science for the chocolate company.

Felsen does not allow himself to be frustrated by minor setbacks because of what he sees as the impact of his work.

“Our research has the potential to help speed up the process of brain surgery, and it likely has a long way to go before it is actually implemented in the operating room,” Felsen says. “However, our research demonstrates that machine learning algorithms can improve the contrast of SRS images to look similar to stained cells. Hopefully, other researchers will see this promise and will be inspired to pursue similar work.”

“What I would do, and I thought it was research, is to Google the terms that I hear on TV,” Soliman says. “And when I did that, the first result that you will get is Wikipedia. So I’d get into Wikipedia, and I got a small notebook. … And I would copy and paste, write down definitions.”

Soliman, a Fulbright scholar and graduate student in biological sciences at Binghamton, has been a researcher ever since. An evolutionary biologist interested in the formation of new and distinct species in Mimulus plants, Soliman studied biotechnology and molecular biology as an undergraduate at Cairo University.

Also known as monkeyflowers because some of its species have flowers resembling a monkey’s face, plants from the genus Mimulus are one of the model organisms used to study evolution.

In trying to answer how different Mimulus plant species are formed, Soliman and her colleagues complete basic plant care such as watering, repotting and fertilizing. Next, they conduct artificial crosses, where they move pollen from one plant to the female parts of another plant. This enables them to explore the reproductive isolation of the two plant species. They also study how much the hybrid seeds produced from those crosses suffer from reduction in fitness compared to their parents. This can help in understanding how separate species are created and maintained over time.

While she’s acclimated now, when Soliman began her master’s program in the fall, her new environment introduced a multitude of obstacles.

“Whenever I thought of my family, I would immediately cry,” she says. “And then I would think, no, I’m not sad. I’m just homesick. But you miss the food, you miss the family. You miss whatever activities you all used to do.”

Soliman eventually found ways to maintain that close connection with her family, making being away from them much easier to manage.

The close relationship Soliman has with her family extends to her education. Due to family influence and cultural norms, she neglected some of the subjects she initially wanted to study.

“In Egypt, astronomy is not a field that will bring you money and food on the table,” Soliman says. “You have to work in the medical field to get money. Because people care about medicine.”

Considering multiple fields chosen through culture and family influence, even researching evolution was risky for Soliman. Still, during her senior year of college, she took an evolutionary genetics course. At that moment, she knew no other topic piqued her interest like this one.

“I started to see in color, like everything before was black and white. Before, I didn’t pay attention, I just did the work to get my A plus,” Soliman says. “But this is when I began bothering and nagging my professor with constant questions.”

As she grew determined to study evolution, Soliman spoke with her professors and learned of the Fulbright scholars program from a chemistry teacher at her school.

This determination to understand more has also translated into Soliman’s work ethic as a researcher at Binghamton. James Sobel, an associate professor of biological sciences and Soliman’s mentor, describes her as unique.

“She is the kind of person who asks questions constantly. She has this drive to know things and a curiosity that is overwhelming,” Sobel says. “That is the only thing I can’t teach a student — or at least I haven’t figured out how to — that intrinsic motivation. It’s one of those things that some students develop, but as a graduate student you either have it or you don’t.”

After completing graduate school in the spring of 2022, Soliman plans to teach at her alma mater. She ultimately wants to continue her research in evolution and obtain a doctorate in the United States.

“Pursue your dreams and do whatever you like even if it’s against the odds,” Soliman says. “Just do the hard work, and everything will come to you.”

“Originally I didn’t think that I would be doing research and was only interested because my professor invited me,” Jonathan Gaughan says. “But throughout the years, [after] presenting at other conferences, I started to really like it more. Research Days was really helpful because it was a low-stress way to see what research was about.”

Gaughan, who’s majoring in integrative neuroscience, studies human sexuality and will be participating in Research Days for the third time this year. Through presenting at Research Days, Gaughan was also awarded opportunities to join other conferences, including the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association.

Taking place April 26-April 30 this year, Research Days showcases the research of Binghamton University students and faculty across all fields of study. Leading up to the student poster sessions on April 30, there will be events sponsored by different departments across the University. Featured programs include talks on smart energy and cancer therapies, presentations by student curators at the Art Museum, a panel discussion about community-engaged research and the second annual 3 Minute Thesis contest.

You can find the full schedule of Research Days online.

“A lot of times when you’re doing research, you’re talking to other people who are familiar with the area you’re studying,” says Valerie Imbruce, director of the Undergraduate Research Center and chair of the Research Days committee. “With Research Days, it’s all students across the entire University, so students gain an understanding of how to communicate specialty knowledge to people who come from different ways of thinking.”

The ability to communicate research effectively goes beyond conferences and can be applied to many different tasks in a student’s life.

Brittany Brems, a senior majoring in biochemistry, will pursue a doctorate in medicinal chemistry at Northeastern University after graduation.

“Research has definitely helped with a lot of classes,” she says. “Most times, I have to write papers or create a presentation, and it has made me more comfortable with what I have to talk about as well as more confident.”

This year’s Research Days will be online for the second year in a row. While traditionally held in person, the Research Days committee has made adjustments to accommodate COVID safety protocols.

Kimberly Jaussi, associate professor of organizational behavior and leadership in the School of Management and collegiate professor, sees research and Research Days as an opportunity for students to grow and adopt research as a part of their identity.

As the collegiate professor of the Dickinson Community, Jaussi established the Dickinson Research Team, or DIRT. DIRT, which is open to students from all majors who live in Dickinson, helps students gain an understanding of how to do research. Students in the group present at the poster session during Research Days every year.

Jaussi advises students who are participating in the poster session to show pride in their work and not be afraid to talk about the details of what they’ve done.

“Connect with the people who are asking about your research and be sure to share what you’re passionate about within your research,” Jaussi says, “and others will feel your passion.”