Hi all! My name is Oliver Allen, but most of my friends call me Mel. I’m from central Indiana and I will be a junior next fall studying Math and Computer Science with a minor in Art History. I’m not sure where you’ll find me in 10 years, but I hope to be somewhere fun applying computer science and math and studying how our current solutions impact people’s lives. I was originally signed up to study Statistics, but during my introductory python course I realized that computer science and programming is where my passion lies. I love the constructive, hands on nature of programming and higher-level math, and I appreciate the versatility that comes with these subjects.
My current research project is about using methods previously applied to search queries, peer to peer networks, and older social networks to analyze retweet networks from Twitter. The guiding principle is that trust follows interactions between users, i.e. if I am untrustworthy and you retweet me, you are also untrustworthy. Then, by mathematically modeling the spread of this trust, we can identify bad actors that may not be revealed by other methods. The goal is to develop a quick way to expand knowledge of bots and untrustworthy news sources on Twitter, since it takes much too long to identify all of these accounts by hand.
I am conducting this research at the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research with PI Filippo Menczer. Overall, working in this lab has been a welcoming and supportive experience, and I’ve learned to view research in math and computer science through a much broader lens. If there’s an interesting phenomenon, there is a way to study it – you just have to get creative. I’ve also learned that it is ok to make mistakes and ask for help. Seeing myself and others make mistakes and recover from them gave me the confidence to accept critique and improve myself and my work. Coming into academic research, I thought that I had to do everything by myself, but I’ve learned that is neither an expectation nor a reality in the lab.
The most important tip I have for prospective researchers is to put yourself out there with a sense of reckless abandon. Just send that email, fill out that application, or talk to that professor, no matter how unqualified you feel. The worst thing that happens is that they say no, and that gets easier to handle each time. Also, it’s helpful to get creative and not limit yourself to labs in your department or specific area of study when you’re looking for positions. I worked in the IU Cognitive Development lab and the IU Critical Food Studies lab as well as CNETS, and all of these experiences helped me develop new skills and flexibility when it comes to conducting research. Personally, I learn the most when I put myself outside of my comfort zone, and it’s surprising the opportunities you can find with the confidence to reach out and make connections.
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