Eva Nautiyal Computer Science Research Project

Eva doing her research — Eva Nautiyal '20 enjoys the perks of independent research as she enjoys the beautiful weather and works on her project outside on the IWU quad.

Name: Eva Nautiyal

Class: 2020

Major: Computer Science

Hometown: Indore, India

Name of research project: Measuring Revitalization in West Bloomington using Data Science Tools

Name of faculty research mentor: Bevin Choban

Name of research grant: State Farm Summer Innovation Research Fellowship

Research Summary: My research involves data analysis of surveys conducted by the City of Bloomington to note if and how the West Side of Bloomington has improved over the last decade. This is in collaboration with West Bloomington Revitalization Project - a non-profit in town dedicated to uplifting the west side. I look at data from 2008 up until 2018 to help the WBRP learn which strategies have worked for community development and what areas need more attention. I was approached by Bevin to spend this summer working on the data that WBRP (and the city) had. Being a computer science major, I was glad to get a chance to use programming tools and analyze data that will help the WBRP make informed decisions for the years to come.

How has Illinois Wesleyan prepared you for conducting research?

My experience with research had been null up until now but I believe that Illinois Wesleyan's curriculum and focus on liberal arts had enabled me to really think critically. The general education classes that I have taken have taught me enough to be well-rounded and able to conduct this research independently.

explination of her research — Eva outlines her project in this poster for the West Bloomington Revitalization Project.

What do you hope to gain from this experience as you look forward to your future?

I have been fascinated with Data Science since I started studying Computer Science here but didn't think I'd get a chance to explore it in college. Luckily, with this research fellowship, I get to teach myself new programming languages and data science tools, the results of which are also going to benefit the community.

What’s been your favorite part of conducting research so far?

My favorite part of conducting research so far is learning and building up on everything I learned over the course of the last three years. I appreciate that I get to work independently and take charge of what I'm doing. I started with basic programming and now am working with actual data that is going to impact how the neighborhood is seen and restored in the coming years.

In your opinion, why is it important for undergraduate students to participate in research opportunities?

I think research opportunities teach students to work independently (and with faculty guidance) which I believe is very important to do as an undergrad.