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High School Intern’s Research Lands Him a Spot at Prestigious STEM Symposium

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  • High School Intern’s Research Lands Him a Spot At Prestigious STEM Symposium
A young man poses in front of a presentation poster, highlighting key points and visuals for the audience.

Assistant Professor Yiqun Xie’s research group mentors the next generation of scientists.

While many students spent their summer relaxing, Aayush Pandya immersed himself in research, refining a machine learning model to enhance satellite cloud detection.

Aayush, a student in Poolesville High School’s Science, Math, and Computer Science (SMCS) program, worked in Assistant Professor Yiqun Xie’s research group training a machine learning (ML) model on satellite images from the Arctic region to improve cloud detection in satellite imagery. Through training and evaluation, he found that the ML model enhanced cloud detection compared to the Sentinel-2 satellite.

His hard work didn't go unnoticed. Aayush was selected as one of 10 poster presenters at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) for the Maryland region. The symposium, held on Feb. 22 at St. Mary's College of Maryland, highlights exceptional student research in STEM fields.

“Being chosen as a presenter was a mix of surprise and pride,” Aayush shared. “It felt great to share something I truly believed could make an impact, especially after putting so much effort into the research.”

Aayush developed an early interest in geographical sciences and GIS through coursework that blended Earth and space sciences with programming and technology. This curiosity led him to explore how machine learning could be applied to environmental challenges, ultimately inspiring him to pursue an internship in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland.

“I’ve always been fascinated by planets and natural systems, and I wanted to see how machine learning could be used to analyze Earth’s atmosphere,” Aayush said. “During my internship, I realized the power of ML in environmental research, especially in areas like cloud detection using satellite imagery.”

Aayush plans to continue using machine learning to drive meaningful change. “I see myself working on projects that improve lives and the world around us,” he said.

The department congratulates Aayush on this achievement and looks forward to seeing where his passion for science and technology takes him next!

Image:  High school student Aayush Pandya stands before his presentation poster, ready to discuss the content and share insights with viewers at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) for the Maryland region on Feb. 22 at St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Published on Wed, 03/12/2025 - 09:12

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