TCNJ News
For Immediate Release
April 12, 2004
TCNJ Student Selected for Distinguished Research Program
Ewing, NJ…Megan Thurber (Woodbury Heights, NJ), a junior computer science major at The College of New Jersey, has been selected to participate in the highly selective Computing Research Association for Women (CRA-W) Distributed Mentor Program (DMP) this summer. Thurber was chosen as one of 40 students nationwide out of a pool of 235 applicants.
The goal of CRA-W is to encourage undergraduate college women
to study the sciences in graduate school. Thurber found out
about the program online through the National Science Foundation
website and decided to apply. The program will run for ten weeks
from May 23 to July 30.
Thurber will be conducting her research at Colorado State University.
“I will be focusing on scheduling algorithms and testing
their efficiency,” said Thurber. “We will be trying
to determine how they can be beneficial to the Air Force, which
has provided a grant for the study. We will be working with
different algorithms and specific orders with a focus on time
restrictions and trying to determine the proper sequence for
the algorithms so that the procedure can be done in a shorter
amount of time. The ordering is extremely important because
different data uses different algorithms, and sequencing will
make it easier for people to use the programs.”
The application for the position involved submitting basic biographical information, three essays, a background of research experience, interests in science, an official transcript, and two letters of recommendation. CRA-W will be supplying $6000 for Thurber which will cover flight and relocation fees, dormitory style housing, and a meal plan on the campus of Colorado State.
Thurber is a master tutor for TCNJ and conducts tutoring sessions
for computer science students. She also has a double minor in
mathematics and classical studies. “I am trying to determine
if I am going to go to graduate school,” said Thurber.
“I am hoping it will give me more confidence and give
me a better perspective. I love research in general and especially
research in a new field. I love the fact that somehow the research
I do will be able to help people in the future. I’m still
trying to narrow down my field of study in the computer science
field, and hopefully this will give the opportunity to do so.
If I do go to graduate school, I can see myself one day being
a college professor.”
This is the third consecutive year that a member of the computer
science program at TCNJ has been selected for the program. Emily
Gibson, class of 2003, participated in 2002 and Jesse Burger,
class of 2004, participated last summer.
