Ever since the beginning of human civilization, humans have always tried to optimize our work through the use of tools. They created tools that aided them with hunting, building, and farming. As human societies advanced, the tools had to advance as well in order to aid humans in an ever-changing world. Modern technology is the spear-equivalent of the current time. It is a tool that is being used to improve multiple areas of society. The focus of this essay will be on how technology is affecting progress in the healthcare ecosystem. One way technology is continuing to affect progress in healthcare is through the internet. The biggest positive outcome of the internet has been the increased accessibility of information. This is especially impactful in healthcare. Research in health and medicine is an ongoing and well-supported field. These discoveries are vital for advancements in medicine, techniques, and further research. One problem that continues to affect research broadly is how to distribute information about those discoveries to others. Before the internet, information infrastructure such as schools and libraries was the only way to efficiently distribute this information. Areas with talent but no infrastructure to obtain this information were left out. This problem is addressed by online academic databases which are accessible by anyone with a computer and an internet connection. Another positive consequence of the internet has been easier collaboration. Because of the internet, it is extremely easy to not only share important discoveries but also to collaborate with talent no matter their location. This makes multidisciplinary research projects more feasible. This is also beneficial for patients. Patients in one part of the world can have access to talented, specialized doctors in another part of the world via telemedicine without the expensive travel costs. This increases the accessibility of healthcare for people in areas where specialized doctors are rare or absent. Another way technology will affect healthcare is through advancements in artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a field of computer science that aims to simulate human intelligence in computers. Just like humans, artificial intelligence is especially great at recognizing patterns. This makes it a useful tool for disease diagnosis. There are multiple research projects that are taking place where AI is predicted to be able to diagnose disease better than any trained human professional. This has the potential to revolutionize care around the world. The main advantages this has are reductions in the time, money, and resources needed for adequate screening. This can be very beneficial for impoverished areas of the world where resources such as trained doctors are limited. Lastly, technology will allow for better remote monitoring of health. Recent advancements in consumer wearable devices by major tech companies such as smartwatches and smart rings has demonstrated the viability of devices that can be used to monitor health outside of a doctor’s office. For example, the Apple Watch by Apple in recent years has been marketed as a fitness device through its many health related features. From sleep tracking to heart rate monitoring to ECG readings, wearable technology can make it easier for people to keep up with their health outside of regular doctor visits. This makes it easier to be aware of a problem early on before it becomes worse. Early detection is one of the best ways in preventing serious disease. Remote monitoring also allows doctors to better treat their patients as they are not restricted by their patients voluntarily choosing to see a doctor or by limited appointment times. Doctors can just request access to the data stored by these wearable devices whenever. Lastly, the amount of data these devices can store can also allow for more accurate and diverse research surveys. While this essay so far expresses the positive effects of technology on healthcare, it would be a disservice to not describe some possible negative effects. It can be argued that integrating modern technology into healthcare will make it less personal and remove the human factor. This is a valid concern. One common theme in this essay so far has been the emphasis on humans using the technology to aid in their work, not replace them. In each of the points made so far, human doctors were involved somewhere. From telecommunication to more accurate screening and monitoring of patients’ health, technology has only helped them be better doctors. This leaves the human factor to make more specialized and empathetic decisions for patients as not all patients can be treated the same. Another criticism of technology in healthcare is the potential for bias. There have been recent incidents where bias in fields such as artificial intelligence has negatively affected certain communities. For example, recent articles have detailed how police departments across the United States started making use of facial recognition to make it easier to track and apprehend criminals. However, this system was trained on a limited dataset of majority white faces making it very inaccurate with non-white faces. This led to an increase in biased policing against minority communities. These negative effects can be especially harmful when translated to sensitive areas such as the health of people. This is also a valid concern. Moving forward, there should be an emphasis on avoiding bias in technology. If not, this will slow progress in the healthcare ecosystem. In conclusion, technology will affect progress in the healthcare ecosystem in a number of positive ways. The internet allows for better collaboration and accessibility of information, artificial intelligence can assist doctors in disease diagnosis, and wearable devices can help with remote monitoring of patient health. However, there are some criticisms about how technology can negatively affect the healthcare ecosystem. The main one being the removal of the human factor possibly making treatment less personal for different people. Another being the negative effects of technological bias on patients. While these concerns are valid, there are simple measures that can be taken to ensure these problems are mitigated. Involving doctors in the patient-facing side of care ensures the human factor while also allowing technology to take care of the non patient-facing side such as disease diagnosis. Secondly, diversity in the teams designing, testing, and implementing these technologies can reduce bias. Technology can neither be good nor bad, it is just a tool that is used by people with the potential to be good or bad.

I have an extensive background with computers and technology. My technological journey began at the start of high school. That is when I started self-teaching myself programming. I mainly focused on the programming language Python. Currently, as a hobby, I like to learn about new software and hardware technologies. I also like to work with and study robotics. I am currently working on a robot named Quantum. During high school, I was enrolled in multiple computer science and computer engineering classes. Some of those classes include AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science Java, Electronics Systems, and Introduction to Computer Programming. Currently, my undergraduate major is computer science with an emphasis on data-centric computing. I plan to become a software engineer and later, an artificial intelligence researcher. Another field I am very passionate about is Environmental Science. This passion was sparked by my enrollment in AP Environmental Science in high school. I started researching environmental topics outside of class such as renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation technologies. This passion for the environment led me to apply for an internship at the United States Department of Agriculture. During my internship at USDA, I conducted research about precision agriculture, an agriculture technique used to solve some of the issues caused by modern agriculture. My main research goal was to develop computer algorithms that can prescribe variable fertilizer application to maximize crop yield and minimize the environmental impact of fertilizer. This research allowed me to combine my love for programming with my passion for the environment. The code I developed to aid in my research is available on my GitHub linked in this application. In the future, I believe these two fields are very likely to come closer together. The main way these two fields can come together is through advancements in precision agriculture. Precision agriculture relies on advanced computer algorithms and geospatial modeling to help farmers detect disease, pests, and the spatially varied intake of nutrients by the crops. More advanced algorithms can help propel this field further. Companies such as Microsoft and government agencies such as USDA are backing the development of this field increasing the viability of this theory. Technology can help me achieve my passions in environmental science by providing access to the necessary information I need to succeed in the field. Technology can also help by allowing me to make connections with those in the industry in order to learn more about or become involved in opportunities in the field. Lastly, if I continue my work with precision agriculture, technology will be a vital part of my research.

The most recent major setback I faced was during my junior year of high school. I was applying for STEM internships at the time through my school’s Science and Technology Internship Program. Initially, I had my sights on an internship at the National Security Agency. The plans I made for my senior year revolved around me landing this internship. However, the process of applying for this internship was long, intense, and competitive. The process lasted a total of five months. Unfortunately, during the last month of the application process I decided to withdraw my application. I had to withdraw due to personal reasons with my family. This setback affected me deeply. Initially, I felt like all my plans and aspirations were ruined. Furthermore, I learned that someone I knew got the internship I hoped for. This made me feel a lot worse. I told my mom about how I was feeling and she gave me an amazing life lesson that I will never forget. My mom told me to look at a map and imagine my journey through life as if I was driving a car to a desired location. She pointed out how each road eventually connects to one another. This means I can reach my destination no matter the direction I choose to take. She told me that I may not be able to go down the smoothest road but those potholes and detours will make me a better driver in the end. I took this advice and put all my energy into landing an internship for my senior year. After a few months, I was offered an internship at the United States Department of Agriculture. Over the 2021-2022 academic school year, I interned at USDA Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, MD and it was an amazing experience. I learned so much through my research, my mentor, and everyone who has helped me with this opportunity. In retrospect, interning at USDA was the better choice for me and my future goals. The most important lesson I learned from this is that there are many paths that can be taken to reach a desired goal. Being open minded and flexible allows you to be able to adapt to changes that are unexpected and out of your control. Lastly, having multiple backup plans can help you bounce back quicker. I plan to use these crucial lessons I have learned during my undergraduate years hopefully with the help of this scholarship.

In most family movies that have at least one child character, one common sentiment that is expressed by that character is that “math is boring”. Throughout my grade school career, I encountered the same sentiment expressed by my fellow peers and even some of my non-math instructors. I never shared the same sentiment. I have always loved learning math. In this essay, I will explain why math is important. I will also express why I personally love learning math. Math is important because of its diverse applications across different career fields. The field that math is especially important in is STEM. Math is not only important in STEM because of its inclusion as the fourth letter in the acronym, it is also important because of its connection with physics. Physics is an essential topic within engineering, which is the third letter in the STEM acronym. Essentially, physics is focused on mathematical representations of processes in the physical world. Since physics is so crucial to engineering, this makes math crucial to engineering as well. Secondly, math is crucial to the business and financial sector. From logistics to banking and money management, math is fundamental. Calculus is involved in logistics through optimization and probability/statistics is crucial to how banks calculate financial risk. Lastly, in politics, math plays a different but significant role. In politics, statistical analysis is used to analyze people and their behaviors for different purposes. The United States census determines congressional representation and polling gives insight into voting patterns that inform politicians and candidates. The management of tax money for government policies or agencies also uses math. In my opinion, math is fun to learn because of three main reasons. The first reason being the challenge math provides. The most challenging math class I have encountered was AP Calculus AB. Even though this class was challenging, this was the math class I had the most fun in. It forced me to think differently compared to previous math classes I was enrolled in. Successfully completing a difficult problem provided me with a great sense of accomplishment. Secondly, I love to learn math because of how it connects to the real world. This was especially emphasized in calculus when we made constant connections to concepts in physics. Lastly, math is especially important to me because it is the basis of my intended undergraduate major, computer science. I will have to take multiple math classes including linear algebra, calculus, and statistics in order to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in computer science. This makes me more eager to continue learning math.

My pursuit of a career in STEM began as a result of my fascination with sci-fi. I grew up loving movies that included robotics, mathematics, or engineering. I especially loved the movies in which the protagonist or one of the protagonists is not the one with the sharpest sword but the one with the sharpest mind. My love for STEM started expanding when I was accepted into the Science and Technology Program at the high school I currently attend. Initially, I thought I was interested in aerospace engineering. After taking a few courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering foundations, I learned my true passion was in computer science and artificial intelligence. This initial taste of computer science led me to teaching myself programming. The internet was a vital tool in this process thanks to its accessibility. Python was the first programming language I learned. After feeling that sense of accomplishment when I completed my first Python program, I knew this was where my true passion lied. During my junior and senior years of high school, I enrolled in computer science classes where I learned a second programming language, Java, in addition to learning effective and useful programming techniques. My internship at the United States Department of Agriculture solidified my interest in computer science and data science. During my internship, I developed computer algorithms that optimized fertilizer application based on yield maps for corn from previous years. My research was focused on analyzing how effective the application of precision agriculture I developed was. I enjoyed this research a lot as it integrated multiple STEM fields such as plant sciences and computer science. I was able to apply what I learned from my personal studies as well as what I learned in school to assist in my research. This fall, I plan to attend Virginia Tech. I will be pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science with an emphasis on data-centric computing. I will use my degree to uplift my community by being a role model. I would like to show the next generation of color that no space can exclude us. We belong any and everywhere. We can make it in any field. I also want to give back to the community by starting educational programs that can provide access to STEM education to communities historically excluded from such opportunities. Lastly, I will ensure any technology I work on is accessible and fair to historically underrepresented groups. The accessibility of information on the internet that allowed me to explore my interests has shown me how important it is for technology to be accessible.

The most recent major setback I faced was during my junior year of high school. I was applying for STEM internships at the time through my school’s Science and Technology Internship Program. Initially, I had my sights on an internship at the National Security Agency. The plans I made for my senior year revolved around me landing this internship. However, the process of applying for this internship was long, intense, and competitive. The process lasted a total of five months. Unfortunately, during the last month of the application process I decided to withdraw my application. I had to withdraw due to personal reasons with my family. This setback affected me deeply. Initially, I felt like all my plans and aspirations were ruined. Furthermore, I learned that someone I knew got the internship I hoped for. This made me feel a lot worse. I told my mom about how I was feeling and she gave me an amazing life lesson that I will never forget. My mom told me to look at a map and imagine my journey through life as if I was driving a car to a desired location. She pointed out how each road eventually connects to one another. This means I can reach my destination no matter the direction I choose to take. She told me that I may not be able to go down the smoothest road but those potholes and detours will make me a better driver in the end. I took this advice and put all my energy into landing an internship for my senior year. After a few months, I was offered an internship at the United States Department of Agriculture. I have been interning at USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, MD for the past year now and it has been an amazing experience so far. I have learned so much through my research, my mentor, and everyone who has helped me with this opportunity. In retrospect, interning at USDA was the better choice for me and my future goals. The most important lesson I learned from this is that there are many paths that can be taken to reach a desired goal. Being open minded and flexible allows you to be able to adapt to changes that are unexpected and out of your control. Lastly, having multiple backup plans can help you bounce back quicker. I plan to use these crucial lessons I have learned during my undergraduate years hopefully with the help of this scholarship.