SoReMo Puts Student Research into Action
The at Illinois Tech invited 11 student fellows to conduct six semester-long research projects during the 2025–26 academic year by using data science to solve real-world problems in public spaces, optimization, and public policy.
SoReMo allows Illinois Tech students to apply their technical knowhow to unlock burdens to exploring their passions by directing their own research projects. Fellows reinforce the initiative’s foundation that higher education should lead to societal benefit.
“We asked students if you had the funds, the opportunity, and the time to solve any problem, what would that problem be?” says Illinois Tech Professor of Applied Mathematics Sonja Petrović. “The students drive this program.”
Although the student researchers drive the direction of the research, they receive guidance from faculty mentors who help them pursue their research. They also receive a $3,000 stipend and have their research published in the .
This year, students sought to improve public spaces by examining safe routes through neighborhoods and tree canopies, optimized food pantry training and dance recital schedules, and promoted social justice by scrutinizing gerrymandered congressional districts and environmental hazards from data centers.
“Her Way,” proposed by Ananya Bhooplam Praveen (M.A.S. DSC 2nd Year), Sanjana Waghray (M.A.S. DSC 2nd Year), and Sharanya Mishra (M.A.S. DSC 2nd Year), built out a digital platform for women and newcomers to Â鶹APP to help them plan a route to their destination by notifying the user about general safety of a neighborhood, street light outages, road construction, and other factors. The platform incorporates data from the Â鶹APP Police Department, city 311 requests, social media, and user feedback.
Public spaces were also explored through biodiversity as Tomas Reballatto (CS/M.A.S. DSC 3rd Year) and Paul Belea (DSC/M.A.S. AI 3rd Year) studied tree canopies and their environmental effects. They estimated that the Alphawood Arboretum on Illinois Tech’s campus removed 1,140 pounds of air pollution and 14.86 tons of carbon annually. The pair believe that they can continue the study to see if tree species can be identified to enhance these benefits.
SoReMo fellows also applied their data science skills to optimizing dance recital schedules and food pantry training. Natalia Bartela (DSC/M.A.S. DSC 4th Year) and Gwendolyn Maddox (DSC/M.S. MATH 3rd Year) worked with Hyde Park School of Dance to spread performer schedules during the recital to give them time for costume and equipment changes, while meeting family needs. About 250 students perform 400 roles in the dance school’s spring recital.
Luis Marciaga (MATH 3rd Year) helped St. James Food Pantry, located just two blocks from Illinois Tech’s campus, train its numerous volunteers in food and equipment handling to better serve the 1,500 households that utilize the pantry each month.
Finally, the last group of SoReMo fellows tackled social and environmental justice. Alicia Guerra (M.A.S. DSC 1st Year) argued that negative racial gerrymandering results in distorted representative maps and an erosion of democracy by stripping minorities of political power through manipulated district boundaries. Taylor Washington (CS/M.A.S. AI) and Laasya Priya Venmuri (M.A.S. DSC 2nd Year) highlighted the environmental, economic, and social impacts of data centers that power artificial intelligence systems in the communities where they are located. These centers use an unusual amount energy and water while generating an unusual amount of heat and emissions. This leads to additional noise and disruptions to nearby residents who have little input in the development of these centers. The data centers also add energy costs to local ratepayers.
A generous gift from Joel Krauss (MATH ’71) supported fellow stipends, while project development and projects were funded by gifts from Michela Coffaro in memory of Josphine Coffaro and Leah Betts to support collaboration with Keeler Gardens, headed by Gina Iliopoulos (BIOL ’91).
