Relearning Wonder

As I approach thirty, I find myself reflecting on the whimsical books, illustrations, textures, and imaginative worlds that shaped my childhood. Relearning Wonder is a large-scale mixed media abstract painting that explores nostalgia not as a literal reconstruction of memory, but as a sensory and emotional experience. Rather than depicting specific characters or scenes, I translate the feeling of childhood into color, texture, and layered material. The work is built through acrylic paint combined with collage elements such as glitter, lace, recycled plastics, beads, and sheer fabric. These materials reference the tactile experiences of childhood craft making, picture books, and handmade objects. Bright, playful color relationships echo the exaggerated palettes found in children’s illustrations, while layered surfaces mimic the visual richness of storybook imagery. Areas of density are balanced with softer passages, creating a push and pull between memory and the present moment

mystery of the art

My work explores abstraction as a process of discovery. Through a series of abstract paintings, I experiment with color, shape, and line to create compositions that feel layered, complex, and slightly mysterious. I am drawn to abstract painting because it allows forms to shift and interact freely without representing specific objects. The paintings resemble puzzles or fragmented shapes coming together, encouraging viewers to look closely and form their own interpretations. Rather than presenting a clear narrative, I aim to create moments of surprise and curiosity, where unexpected relationships between colors and forms lead to new visual discoveries. Each painting is built around the same five colors (red, green, blue, purple, and yellow) using both light and dark variations. While the color palette remains consistent, the arrangement of shapes and lines changes in every piece, creating unity within the series while allowing each painting to develop its own rhythm and energy. I begin by sketching possible compositions and refining the arrangement of forms before translating them onto canvas. Irregular lines, layered shapes, and contrasting tones generate tension and movement within the space. The repeated color system connects the paintings, while the shifting forms emphasize mystery, visual complexity, and the experience of discovering meaning through careful observation

Life, in Pieces

Coming from a culture where relationships and shared experiences are central to everyday life, I am drawn to observing and portraying human presence. During my time studying abroad in the United States, I began documenting small, intimate scenes that made unfamiliar spaces feel personal and comforting. This project reflects on belonging through quiet moments often overlooked in everyday life. Life, in Pieces takes the form of a handmade photo album, referencing personal memory and the emotional act of preserving lived experiences. Through this work, I explore how images can transform displacement into belonging and how collecting everyday moments constructs a sense of home in places where I do not naturally belong. The project emerges from an ongoing process of observation, photographing daily encounters, and reflecting on how familiarity is built through repetition, routine, and emotional attachment to a place. Handwritten texts accompany the photographs, echoing traditional photo albums where memories are annotated and preserved over time. These written fragments reveal context, emotion, and personal reflection, emphasizing that meaning often exists beyond what is immediately visible. The project is intended for viewers who have experienced transition, migration, or emotional distance from home, inviting them to reflect on their own memories and relationships. This body of work demonstrates my development as a designer who approaches graphic design as a storytelling practice. Ultimately, my goal is to create visual experiences that foster empathy, emotion, and connection

Beauty is Paid: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis on South Korean Skincare Advertorials

Korean skincare is all the rave worldwide. With the continuous globalization of Korean beauty and skincare, especially in the United States, different products are being marketed towards multiple audiences. This project examines the language of Korean skincare to investigate whether advertorials differ from a Korean audience to an American audience. How does the presentation of the product differ from the native Korean audience to an American audience? What type of implications can be inferred about Korean and American society from the presentation of the products? Six advertorials, three English and three Korean, were analyzed from Korean skincare brand Abib through the Olive Young global and Korean website. A multimodal discourse analysis framework (Ledin & Machin 2020) was used to observe the advertorials and factors such as: color, presentation of information, organization of information, pictures of models, along with both the use of English and Korean text. The text was analyzed and translated with Papago, a Korean translator, to see if translation is in agreement or if it is competing with each other. This multimodal analysis shows that Korean and American audiences perpetuate the action of consumerism. For example, one advertorial for the Abib Glutathisome Dark Spot Serum Vita Drop indicated that both audiences should look into the Glutathisome line if they wanted to achieve “flawless skin” said in the Korean advertorial or “flawless glow”, said in the English advertorial. Items from the Glutathisome line differed for different audiences. Korean audiences were suggested to buy a three step routine that included the dark spot serum while American audiences were suggested buy glow infusion toner pads in tandem with the dark spot serum. This language is indicative of a beauty standard that is rooted in whiteness being the end goal through participation in consuming the product (Chong 2023). Where Korean advertorials were more focused on preventative measures that consumers should take to achieve a beauty standard, English advertorials suggest that partaking in consuming Korean skincare products was not to attain a beauty standard but to indulge in the “luxury” that Korean skincare provides

Merging 3D Models of Two Public Domain Prosthetic Hands to Optimize Dexterity and Computer Control

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) enables expedited prototyping and customization of prosthetic devices, making it an ideal platform for functional and personalized assistive technology. For this project, publicly available 3D models were sourced from Thingiverse, including dexterous finger designs and a motor-compatible palm and forearm structure. The models were imported into Tinkercad, where extensive redesign of their geometry was performed to ensure mechanical and structural compatibility. Modifications included proportional scaling of components, joint redesign to improve articulation, integration of internal tendon-routing channels, and custom servo mounting brackets. The final design uses a tendon-driven actuation system in which high-tension strings run through enclosed channels within the digits and palm. One servomotor independently actuates the thumb, while a second servo drives the four remaining fingers simultaneously, balancing mechanical simplicity with functional grasp capability. Fabrication was completed using a Stratasys SE dual-filament 3D printer. The printer’s soluble support material allowed for the creation of complex internal geometries, including enclosed tubing necessary for smooth tendon routing, which was then put through post processing via the dissolvement of the internal support filament, which would not be feasible with single-extrusion systems. The prosthetic will be controlled using an Arduino Nano microcontroller paired with integrated sensors to regulate motion and force output. Programmed control algorithms will coordinate servo movement, enabling repeatable grip patterns and adjustable actuation strength which can accurately mimic the articulation or a real human hand. To quantitatively evaluate dexterity, we plan to measure grip strength and the ability to manipulate standardized objects of varying size and shape. We believe that these metrics will help us to demonstrate the tangible results of our research efforts

Prosocial & Pro-Student: An Evaluation of Act & Adapt in a Chicago Middle School

Research has consistently shown that having friends in middle school has long-lasting positive effects for teen mental health and self-belief, their connection and investment in their community, and their wellbeing into adulthood. For students showing early signs of depression and anxiety, participating meaningfully in their social milieu and accessing the benefits conferred by positive peer relationships can be nearly impossible. Act & Adapt is a Tier 2 group intervention that draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to teach students how to creatively solve their problems, challenge their cognitive distortion, and improve the quality of their relationships. This program evaluation was conducted as part of the author’s MSW practicum at a Chicago public elementary school. This year, the Act & Adapt group intervention is being delivered to 6 fifth- and sixth-grade students at a Chicago Public School, all of whom struggle with building and maintaining strong friendships. This project uses a pre–post program evaluation design to examine changes in student prosocial behavior following participation in Act & Adapt. For the purposes of this evaluation, prosocial behavior is defined as increased initiation with peers, increased cooperation with peers, and decreased incidences of interpersonal conflict with peers. Teachers and school social workers completed brief observational surveys assessing student prosocial behaviors before and after the intervention. Data collection is currently underway. Pre- and post-intervention observations will be compared to examine patterns of change in students’ prosocial behaviors. Results from these comparisons will be presented at the symposium

Stress of Adaptation: A Study of the Experiences of Sub-Saharan African Immigrants in Chicago

Sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States often encounter stress that relates to transcontinental relocation, cultural adjustment, and minority status. We hypothesized that the stress experienced by these immigrants in the Chicago area pertains to their unique pre-immigration experiences in Africa, and the struggle to adapt and acculturate amid new challenges in the US. The following objectives guided the study: to identify recurring stressors experienced by African immigrants in the Chicago area, including social, economic, cultural, and structural challenges; to examine their primary sources of stress; to analyze their coping mechanisms and support systems; and to formulate recommendations for developing appropriate community-based and culturally sensitive social and mental health support. Using a semi-structured instrument, we interviewed 15 adult African migrants to assess their experiences of stress, coping approaches, and access to support systems. Participants reported pre-migration experience of violence, conflicts, trauma, and fear in their home countries as major sources of stress. The mental and physical challenges from the process of migration, adaptation, and acculturation are compounded by unmet expectations in their new environment in Chicago. Participants reported that financial struggles, work-related pressures, minority status, and disconnection from their extended family are compounded by unrealistic expectations of remittances from friends and families back home. The findings suggest the need for a pre-departure orientation that offers migrants a realistic assessment of social, economic, and cultural expectations in the US. Ongoing education in the US should prioritize cultural and social integration by connecting migrants with resources for social, economic, and mental support. The findings provide insights that can guide health practitioners, policymakers, and community organizations to develop and implement culturally appropriate policies and programs that enhance the mental health of African immigrants in the Chicago area

Development of an Autonomous Multilingual Guidance Robot: Integrating Distributed AI with ROS 2 Navigation

Autonomous service robots are increasingly used in public and institutional environments to assist users with navigation and information access. Many existing systems are constrained by the limited computational resources of embedded hardware and often provide minimal multilingual interaction capabilities, reducing accessibility and scalability in environments such as universities, hospitals, and museums. This project investigates how distributed artificial intelligence and robotic navigation frameworks can be integrated to develop an autonomous indoor guidance robot capable of multilingual interaction and reliable navigation. The study aims to determine whether a distributed computing architecture can support real-time speech recognition and translation while maintaining responsive autonomous movement. The system uses the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)–based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping to construct and maintain maps of indoor academic environments. Grid-based path planning algorithms, including A*, enable navigation to predefined destinations across the first floor of a campus building. To address computational limitations of embedded platforms, the architecture offloads computationally intensive speech recognition and translation tasks to a networked host. Spanish is implemented as the initial supported language, with additional languages planned for integration. In addition to navigation and language interaction, the system design considers operational factors such as battery capacity, wireless network reliability, and system connectivity to ensure sustained autonomous operation in indoor environments. Current work focuses on integrating navigation and multilingual interaction subsystems and evaluating system performance in an academic environment. Effectiveness will be assessed through navigation success rates across first-floor destinations and user feedback on interaction quality. This work contributes to a distributed architecture that integrates multilingual speech interaction with ROS 2–based navigation, enabling embedded robots to perform computationally intensive language processing while maintaining real-time mobility. The research aims to demonstrate a scalable approach for multilingual robotic guidance in public-facing environments

Using c. elegans to uncover the link between the cellular unfolded protein response and TDP-43 proteotoxicity

Neurodegenerative diseases are categorized by deterioration of nerve cells and chronic progression of fatal symptoms. A hallmark of these diseases is the aggregation of specific proteins in affected neurons. TAR DNA Binding Protein 43 (TDP-43) is found in aggregates in several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and more. Cells possess an evolutionarily conserved system that normally prevents protein aggregation called proteostasis. However, in these diseases, this system no longer functions properly. To study the link between proteostasis and TDP-43 related toxicity, we are using the small, transparent nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. In the Voisine lab, a transgenic line expressing human TDP-43 expressed in the nervous system has already been generated. Using this transgenic line, I will perform a genetic cross to introduce a deletion of catp-3 (Δcatp-3). This gene encodes for a protein product that is predicted to enable the unfolded protein response (UPR), a proteostatic system that is responsible for maintaining proteostasis within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by responding to accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins. Once this new strain is generated, I will examine the physiological effects of disrupting proteostasis of TDP-43 toxicity. Using a well-established behavioral assay called a thrashing assay, I will measure the movement of the worms in liquid to assess motor neuron function. I hypothesize that removing the catp-3 gene will improve motor neuron function in worms expressing TDP-43. Observing the behavioral effects of Δcatp-3 would provide insight into the role of proteostasis in neurodegenerative pathology

GenAI Chatbot for Restaurants in Southeast Asia

Conducting a series of in-depth discussions with restaurants in Danang, Ahamove has gained valuable insights into the challenge emerging in the food and beverage (F&B) sector. Many restaurants rely on partnerships with dominant but less innovative food-delivery platforms to maintain their order volume and revenue stability. However, this dependence comes at a cost – rising commission rates and shrinking profit margins. To address these issues, we are developing a GenAI-powered chatbot/virtual assistant aimed at disrupting the current cash-burning food delivery model while enhancing operational efficiency. Leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) and GPT-4, the chatbot can be seamlessly integrated into each restaurant’s Facebook Messenger within just one day. Once integrated, the chatbot handles the entire food-ordering process – from recommending dishes and collecting customer delivery details to coordinating driver dispatch. Incoming orders are relayed to merchants through the AhaMerchant web portal, allowing them to prepare meals promptly. Drivers are then dispatched for delivery, ensuring that orders are fulfilled within 15 minutes. This AI solution delivers significant advantages for restaurant owners. Compared to human operators, the virtual assistant provides instant responses and can simultaneously serve multiple customers at any time. Moreover, early adopters of this technology benefit from commission-free service and retain ownership of customer data, including user preferences and order history