I was born with a severe form of cerebral palsy that affects most of my body. Throughout my life, I have had to overcome many obstacles, physical as well as social. In 2002, I came to the US from Latvia. My teachers refused to teach me, reasoning that there would be no way for me to utilize anything I learned. At the time there were few, if any, accessible buildings and social stigma towards those with disabilities was high. However, time changes and today I can walk, though I do use a wheelchair at times, I’m pursuing a Ph.D., and I excel in my academic achievements.
I have always had a passion for knowledge. In 2005, I enrolled at Washington State University (WSU). I decided to pursue a computer science degree because it has such a large variety of applications. During my junior year, I participated in research for the first time through a Research Experience for Undergraduates program. I continued to build my research skills during the next couple of years as I participated in an undergraduate biology and mathematics program.
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2010 and stayed at WSU to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. My Ph.D. research is centered on machine learning methods in high dimensional spaces (10 thousand plus dimensions). I apply it to a variety of fields including bioinformatics, neuroscience, imaging, and speech recognition.
I’ve put a lot of time and energy into my studies and that has really paid me back. My achievements have been recognized at the national level several times. In 2009, I was awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholar Award; in the 2010, I was chosen as a finalist Computing Research Association’s Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Competition; in 2011, I received a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation; and in 2012, I was awarded a grant to go to Norway to conduct research in neuroscience. At the Kavli Institute at the Center for Biology of Memory, I worked with Dr. May-Britt and Edward Moser, who shared this year Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. My goal is to become a scientist and benefit society through my research, teaching, and scientific work.