Lael Rayfield
Summer Research Intern at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Major: Mathematics
Briefly describe your research position including your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.
I worked with my mentor in the Information Technology Lab on a project called “Simple Analysis of Biometric Matchers.” Biometric matchers compare images of a person’s features (such as DNA, fingerprints or irises) against images stored in a database to see if the computer can find a match and identify the subject. The matchers I analyzed were used for latent fingerprints and face recognition. I compared two different functions that model the performance of biometric matchers and tried to figure out which matchers worked best and why. Most of my time was spent analyzing data, programming and modeling the results of our experiments. SURF students also attend weekly seminars where scientists from NIST and other institutions present their research.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position and what have you found most challenging?
What I enjoyed most was developing new skills. For instance, I learned a great deal about working with data in Excel and the statistical programming language R. I came into this internship with little knowledge about data analysis or biometrics and my skills have grown significantly over the course of this internship. The most challenging aspect was the beginning. Initially, I found myself staring at dozens of spreadsheets full of data, not having a clue what to do. I did make some mistakes, but over time I got used to working with the data.
What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another summer activity?
This was a valuable experience because it gave me a chance to see what a career in research is like. Also, it was very helpful to be around scientists in my field of interest.
How do you see your summer work as meaningful? Has it given you a chance to work on issues or with communities that matter to you?
This summer has shown me that automated biometric matchers are an important part of Forensic Science and other fields. My work is meaningful because it plays an important role in helping NIST and other institutions to develop better and more efficient matchers.
How has your summer experience shaped the way you think about your power to impact the world?
Anyone—especially researchers!—can impact the world for good. What you do as a student may seem small, but it is part of a bigger picture. I learned that even the mundane parts of my research are important and contribute to the scientific community. I am also grateful to have learned a great deal from my mentor and the other researchers in my lab.
Summer Research Intern at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Major: Mathematics
Briefly describe your research position including your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.
I worked with my mentor in the Information Technology Lab on a project called “Simple Analysis of Biometric Matchers.” Biometric matchers compare images of a person’s features (such as DNA, fingerprints or irises) against images stored in a database to see if the computer can find a match and identify the subject. The matchers I analyzed were used for latent fingerprints and face recognition. I compared two different functions that model the performance of biometric matchers and tried to figure out which matchers worked best and why. Most of my time was spent analyzing data, programming and modeling the results of our experiments. SURF students also attend weekly seminars where scientists from NIST and other institutions present their research.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position and what have you found most challenging?
What I enjoyed most was developing new skills. For instance, I learned a great deal about working with data in Excel and the statistical programming language R. I came into this internship with little knowledge about data analysis or biometrics and my skills have grown significantly over the course of this internship. The most challenging aspect was the beginning. Initially, I found myself staring at dozens of spreadsheets full of data, not having a clue what to do. I did make some mistakes, but over time I got used to working with the data.
What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another summer activity?
This was a valuable experience because it gave me a chance to see what a career in research is like. Also, it was very helpful to be around scientists in my field of interest.
How do you see your summer work as meaningful? Has it given you a chance to work on issues or with communities that matter to you?
This summer has shown me that automated biometric matchers are an important part of Forensic Science and other fields. My work is meaningful because it plays an important role in helping NIST and other institutions to develop better and more efficient matchers.
How has your summer experience shaped the way you think about your power to impact the world?
Anyone—especially researchers!—can impact the world for good. What you do as a student may seem small, but it is part of a bigger picture. I learned that even the mundane parts of my research are important and contribute to the scientific community. I am also grateful to have learned a great deal from my mentor and the other researchers in my lab.
