Excelling in coursework leads to research opportunities

Purdue Computer Science has 11 departmental research areas. The work is completed by faculty, post docs, visiting scholars, and graduate students, though many undergrad students find a way to contribute.

Xinping (Kelvin) Zhang is an undergraduate computer science student pursuing research with Professor Tiark Rompf.

ROMPF: "I invited Kelvin to work with me on research in January, after he completed the graduate compilers class (CS502) as one of the best students. Since then he has made substantial contributions to an active project, namely adding an intermediate language to our system Lantern, a compiler for ML systems, that enables aggressive optimizations on tensor expressions. His results will be part of a publication that is currently in preparation for OSDI. His performance so far is exemplary."

KELVIN: "The first step for getting involved in undergraduate research is being engaged in a high-level during class. Ask questions, go above and beyond in assignments, etc. You gotta excel in course work before doing advanced research. Passion and investment in a class will not only earn you a good grade but also build a deep understanding of course material – or an awesome research experience!"