In this volume

2022 brought more exciting changes to SoReMo - several of the projects were done in teams!

Volume 3, Issue 1 of the SoReMo reports features the following two projects completed in Spring 2022:

  • Analysis on the Persisting Effects of Redlining to Chicago Neighborhoods, by Joel Meyer and Amirreza Eshraghi;

  • Predictive policing: a case study, by Maya Simkin.

Issue 2 will feature the Fall 2022 reports:

  • An Exploration and Analysis of the Problem of Below Minimum Wage Pay for Immigrant Students at IIT, by Jack Harrison Mohr;
  • Understanding the Motivations of Volunteers Working for Equity in Education, by Mary Morgan and Tomomi Tanigawa;
  • The Forecasting and Case Study Modeling of COVID-19 in Chicago: A Data-driven Approach, by Oluwaseun Ajayi;
  • The Mental Health Care Crisis and its Connections to Other Systems by Mitchell Kunichoff.

The aim of the technical reports is twofold:

  1. Showcase student research and walk them through the real academic publishing process,
  2. Make available their work in enough detail so that it can be continued and built upon in the future.

Breakthroughs

With minimal guidance, the Fellows completed monumental tasks:

  • Proposed a project topic,
  • Redefined the scope so it fits within a semester,
  • Narrowed down data issues from publicly available data,
  • Sifted through historical information to make sense of it all,
  • Presented minor and major refinements of their work throughout the semester, seeking guidance and supporting each other,
  • Persevered through research lows! of which there are many, as such is the nature of research,
  • Each completed their comprehensive report on their projects.

The SoReMo Context

“SoReMo” stands for Socially Responsible Modeling, computation, and design.
The SoReMo initiative was built from the grassroots during the 2020/21 academic year at Illinois Tech. The guiding principle is to empower students to make change they are passionate about. It all begins with a simple question:

“What do you want to do?”

Through this initiative, we seek to pass down this question to students at Illinois Tech. Students from all majors and backgrounds, at any level.
Students are invited to imagine problems and seek solutions broadly.

SoReMo Fellows have the freedom to imagine, create, solve.

Students who are interested in becoming SoReMo Fellows are invited to apply by proposing a project. Those most competitive are then selected by a panel of SoReMo core faculty members, who evaluate all submissions based on the quality of the proposed work, potential for interdisciplinary collaboration, and broader impact.

During the course of the semester, through a paid fellowship, Fellows do the following:

  • Propose a project to work on - independently of any course or assignment;
    • Stay within or step outside their disciplines;
  • Expose their idea to a diverse group of faculty, advisers, subject matter experts;
  • Work with those people who have the tools that can help advance the student’s agenda;
  • Propose creative solutions identifying future work and share them with the main stakeholders.

SoReMo’s place in higher education: our vision

Finally, to close out their projects, Fellows are required to write a technical report. This publication showcases those reports. Each report has been reviewed by a group of peers and faculty, and has been revised at least once.

The process mimics exactly what happens in formal academic publishing. But the authors retain copyright of their technical reports and may choose to submit them or build on them for future projects or publications.

More information

Our homepage has additional information about the initiative, related events, past Fellow projects, and current and upcoming opportunities to get involved.

Acknowledgements

Our team is ever evolving and welcoming new contributors. We gratefully acknowledge everyone who has taken part in the Fall 2021 SoReMo Forum in any form, all the faculty and advisers and external collaborators who have helped the Fellows in a variety of ways in completing their projects.

The anonymous referees—students, faculty, and outside experts—were instrumental in evaluating and improving the technical reports. We as editors are grateful for their time and service.

Fall 2021 projects were financially supported by Illinois Tech Deans of the following: College of Computing, Lewis College of Science and Letters, and College of Architecture.

  1. Contact SP↩︎

  2. Contact GP↩︎