Chawin, a freshman student majoring in Game Development, despite not considering himself a social butterfly and clad in a shirt boldly proclaiming “seek discomfort”, took the plunge into pursuing undergraduate research opportunities. Before coming to campus, Chawin shared that he was quiet and kept to himself. As he prepped for his first year on campus over the summer, he read many self-help books to develop his growth mindset and decided to be brave and try new things. One new thing he tried was enrolling in TECH101, a predominately female course. He shared he chose to do this because he had been inspired by many female leaders in his life. The course transformed his perspectives and learned about a variety of student organizations that he is now actively involved in; noting that he can often feel overwhelmed with his commitments and uses time management tools like Google Calendar and the Shovel app to meet deadline expectations.
Chawin shared that his bravery has been rewarding after his first semester on campus. He has joined the Minority Technology Association (MTA) and Space & Earth Analogs Research Chapter (SEARCH) and is a part of the Dining Mine Learning Community and Boilerserve Learning Community. Each of these student organizations is an incredibly welcoming community where everyone is ready to support and encourage each other with a chance to develop technologies of the future. The group of students that formed JARVIS for the NASA SUITS challenge, comes from diverse majors including computer science, mathematics, physics, mechanical engineering, and game development. Their interdisciplinary collaboration shows the beauty of teamwork and the strength found in diversity. Purdue’s JARVIS and the other 10 finalist teams designed graphic displays for a simulated mission using augmented reality through Unity and C+. The software developed for the competition should allow crew members to accomplish complex tasks as well as navigate information and assistance. JARVIS also designed a localized mission control center, allowing full access to data as the EVA (extravehicular activity) and IVA (intravehicular activity) crew members work together. Chawin and the JARVIS team will have an opportunity to test their final designs in a Martian analog environment at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.
How did he stumble upon the chance to work on this NASA project? Interestingly, he discovered many opportunities through social media and attended student organization call-outs throughout the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester. When asked to give recommendations to Purdue Polytechnic newcomers, Chawin shared that stepping out of your comfort zone may be daunting, but the rewards are immeasurable. Embrace the unknown, build connections, actively seek opportunities, and remember, that the journey is just as important as the destination. So, don your metaphorical "seek discomfort" shirt and embrace the unknown—there's a universe of possibilities waiting for you!
Students can also look for undergraduate research opportunities through the Office of Undergraduate Research. Research opportunities vary and a great place for Computer Graphics Technology students to start is the Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship Program (DUIRI), Data Mine, and even the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing.
Learn more about the NASA Spacesuit challenge here. Learn more about the JARVIS team here.