Just in time for Computer Science Education Week, California State University, Stanislaus published the story of a computer science major who someday hopes to use technology for medical research. According to Stan State, Emma Van Hoogmoed finished high school in Madera, enrolled as a theatre major at Fresno City College, and then realized she wanted to do something else.
“My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer,” she told Stan State news. “I wanted to do more than just support my dad. I wanted to support everyone else.”
This spring, Emma transferred to Stan State and became a computer science major.
“I heard a lot about computer science and research technology, particularly how artificial intelligence was diagnosing tumors earlier than expected, I was like, ‘I want to do that, too,’” she said.
Emma showed great academic potential when she presented a paper on digital pathology as a McNair Scholar at the McNair Capstone Conference. But according to Stan State, Emma didn’t know who McNair was when she applied for the program last spring.
Ronald Erwin McNair was a NASA astronaut and physicist. He died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, in which he was serving as one of three mission specialists in a crew of seven. In 1971, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics, magna cum laude, from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduation from MIT (receiving four honorary doctorates, a score of fellowships and commendations), he became a staff physicist at the Hughes Research Lab in Malibu, California.
“Digital pathology can be perplexing at first,” Emma told Stan State news. “The biggest thing I learned is that the reason digital pathology is not being used is because the programs are so complex that a doctor has to know computer science. If I could get into that field and make programs that can be used by doctors, that’s exciting.”
According to Stan State, Professor Dr. Xuejun Liang supervised Emma’s capstone project, and the two are determining the scope of her McNair Scholars research project. She has an eye on UC Davis for her doctoral work.
“I want to go toward the field of oncology and work with doctors to come up with better treatments for patients,” she said. “All of that is rooted in research, lots and lots of studies, and formulating ideas and trying to come up with better ways of doing things.”
The Ronald E.McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement (McNair Scholars) Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, provides experiences that prepare students for graduate education. The program involves first-generation college students or students from underrepresented groups in graduate education in research, mentoring, and other scholarly activities.
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