Ashley Thomas
Senior
Major: Mathematics
Her sophomore year, Ashley Thomas was accepted to the Accelerated B.S./Ph.D. Program within the School of Science, joining an elite field of students who earn both their B.S. and Ph.D. at Rensselaer in only seven years.
These students begin research as undergraduates, and by the time they earn their B.S., they have been performing research for two years.
Thomas chose to work with Dr. Joyce McLaughlin in the Inverse Problems Center in the math department. She said, “My research is in the field of elastography, a non-invasive method of imaging tissue elasticity.”
She finds this work exciting because, “It seeks to improve current methods of diagnosing serious medical conditions like cancer. I am using the things I’ve learned to produce a result that is significant in the real world, and this is very encouraging.”
Thomas enjoys the traveling opportunities research has given her. “I recently gave a poster presentation at the International Elasticity Conference in New Mexico,” she said. “And the conference gave me the opportunity to see what other people around the world are doing. It is amazing how much work is being done even within such a specific topic.”
She also says she’s gaining skills that will serve her in any career that she chooses.
“Research has given me the opportunity to learn how to write scientific material, and to present and explain my work to others,” she said.
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