Hello! I am Hrishika Roychoudhury, an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am currently double majoring in Computer Science and Neuroscience with a minor in Education. With passions in many various careers and activities, I strive to take an interdisciplinary approach to whatever I commit myself to, and as a result have gained experiences in numerous diverse fields.
I love science and I am always excited to learn new things. As a child, I've always wondered how things work, how birds fly, how plants grow, how people become sick, how the animals communicate and would always ask my parents and teachers all these questions. In school, I've found science to have these answers. This began my interest in science. I started taking part in science fairs and working on science projects. I always love to try out new things and do hands- on projects that involve using readily available materials to use for solving the common problems we all face.
Deeply passionate about STEM education, I am the founder of a non-profit StemmedHelp that works on building STEM awareness and organizing STEM programs. I believe that information is the key to everything. People all over the world are constantly affected by many issues, however advocating against them are practically impossible when people are not properly educated enough on them. Despite being in the era of information, so many unfortunately live in ignorance. However I believe that given the right resources and proper research, we can create a more informed society and in turn are able to better solve problems. After all, the first step to activism is education!
Outside of STEM, I'm extremely passionate about music and theatre! I'm frequently found in my room playing around with my piano or trying to sing to some kareoke. Taking inspiration from everything around me, I love to compose music and write lyrics when I can. Sometimes I can even by found practicing or choreographing dances! Having been trained in classical Indian dances such as Bharatnatyam for over 8 years and learning multiple other dance forms such as hip-hop, my passion for dance is ingrained into my very bones and you can catch me tapping my feet or moving my hands to nearly anything and everything! I've also taken up a deep interest in acting as I participate in Shakespeare or Speech and Debate competitions, and I hope to continue this hobby into the future!
Pursuing science research for over 7 years, I have completed and presented my research on Biotechnology and Nanoparticles at many national and international conferences such as the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF-2019), American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS 2020, 2021), and International BioGENEius Challenge (2020) as a finalist. I am a student entrepreneur and co-founder of SkyeLabs Innovation Inc. pioneering EcoGel, a novel environmentally sustainable and mechanically superior biopolymer aerogel used in high-performance apparel, Aerospace Industry, and Space Exploration. We won the top honor, Pete Conrad Scholar, in the International Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge 2021 and also have also been selected as a Top 10 Finalist across the nation, receiving an Honorable Mention as the youngest and first-ever high school team to have presented our NASA award-winning technology in the 2021 NASA iTech Cycle 1 initiative, an industry-level entrepreneurial competition meant to identify technological advancements that solve problems on Earth with the potential to aid NASA missions. I also worked as one of the Chief Editors of NCSSM's official journal of student STEM research, the Broad Street Scientific, and as a Biology Teaching Assistant.
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