Taking Theory to Real-World Impact

A strong balance of theory, research, and hands-on experience attracted Sharanya Mishra (M.A.S. DSC 2nd Year) to Illinois Tech’s Mater of Data Science program, and she learned how it’s fostered by a supportive faculty and project-driven culture after speaking with alumni.

“I was drawn to how application-driven the program is and how encouraging the academic culture feels,” she says. “It’s collaborative, rigorous, and very hands-on. Being in Chicago was a major plus. It’s an incredible hub for tech, analytics, and innovation, and the opportunities here are hard to match.”

Sharanya found an opportunity to use her classroom knowledge through the SoReMo initiative, where she joined a team of student researchers and received mentoring from Illinois Tech Assistant Teaching Professor Jacek Dzikowski.

HerWay, which Sharanya is working on as part of SoReMo, is a safety-focused research project that combines data science and community impact to help people find safe navigation to their destination. Using data from the City of Chicago’s 911 and 311 systems, along with community anecdotes, HerWay can put travel routes into safety context, rather than prediction.

“We’re still in the process of building it, but even at this stage, it’s made me think deeply about how data can support real people and real problems,” she says. “Being part of a small team working toward something meaningful has shown me the kind of impact I want my work to have, and it’s been one of the most grounding experiences.”

Sharanya began working on a C3D gait analysis project for robotics by learning how to interpret human motion through kinematics with Illinois Tech Assistant Professor Nelson Rosa. They met through RES-MATCH, a program offered every semester that matches students with professors to work on a biomedical science or engineering research project.

“My role mainly involved working with the motion-capture data, understanding joint movements, and helping shape the early kinematic interpretation pipeline,” she says. “I was able to apply classroom skills like Python, linear algebra, and modeling concepts, which made it easier to understand how the gait data translates into actual motion.”

That experience sparked Sharanya’s interest in robotics. She continued working with Rosa, and they now are focused on publishing a paper based on their trajectory-optimization research.

Sharanya also found real-world experience while working with a team in a labeling and safety-solutions company though the M.A.S. in Data Science’s practicum. The team was challenged to understand a decline in business, and as project leader she guided the direction of the team’s work and kept it organized.

“It’s been a great experience working directly with a business unit and seeing how real companies approach problems like this,” she says. “That’s what I enjoy most about the practicum.”

Sharanya says that she is surrounded by people who are building things, asking good questions, and trying to grow at Illinois Tech. It’s a community where she’s been able to find new directions and push herself in a healthy, meaningful way.

“Illinois Tech feels different in a way that really works for me,” Sharanya says. “I’ve always been someone who understands things better by doing, and Illinois Tech gives you a lot of space to do exactly that—whether it’s research, practicum projects, or student-led work.”