WKU News

Eura Shin, a second-year student at The Gatton Academy, has received a funded summer internship in Germany through a competitive, international scholarship. The German Academic Exchange Service’s Research Internship in Science and Engineering (known as the DAAD RISE) provides North American and British undergraduates the opportunity to complete a summer research internship at top German research institutions.

The DAAD RISE will provide a stipend to cover living expenses such as housing and food, a rail pass, health insurance, and travel to a three-day meeting in Heidelberg. In 2015, the DAAD RISE funded 306 students total, with 196 coming from U.S. universities.

Shin is the daughter of Dr. Geunhwan Shin and Dr. Mee-Ryoung Shon of Morehead. She will be based at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering in southeast Germany for her 12-week internship where she will use computational modeling to assess genetic mutations associated with familial Atrial Fibrillation, the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in humans.

“This internship is a great opportunity for me to gain experience in computer science research and travel—both areas that I plan on keeping up while I pursue a PhD in computational biology,” Shin said.

Dr. Uta Ziegler of the WKU Department of Computer Science is Shin’s research mentor. Shin participated in a full-summer internship in 2015 with Ziegler through the Gatton Research Internship Grant. In a two-person team, Shin worked to develop a computer program to simplify complex knots using global moves.

“Eura excelled in last summer’s research project and shows many traits of an inquisitive student and a successful researcher,” Ziegler said.  “She likes to seek out new challenges, and the DAAD RISE internship will be an invaluable experience for her development as a scholar.”

“Eura is an outstanding student and member of The Gatton Academy’s community,” added Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy. “She is very open to new experiences and is constantly seeking opportunities to learn more. The DAAD RISE program fits her strengths and inquisitive nature.”

Shin has since presented the results from that research project at the WKU Mathematics Symposium, at Posters at the Capitol 2016 in Frankfort and at the 46^th Annual WKU Student Research Conference.

Shin anticipates a robust study abroad experience. “I look forward to biking seven miles to spend a day trip in France, connecting with other international students, learning German, and, of course, conducting computer science and biomedical research abroad,” she added.