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Kira Buttrey hiking the Salkantay Trek with some rock formations along the path and a snow-capped mountainous region in the background

Kira's Story

Kira Buttrey '23, a biological engineering major and minoring in Spanish and computer science, went to Chile during the summer of 2022. Kira worked with a set of datasets of TARA Ocean data which gave more insight to ocean microbiomes. 

"I worked with a set of datasets of TARA Ocean data. I applied different mathematical data integration techniques to analyze the datasets together. I produced a presentation and overview of my findings to guide a paper proposal and the lab's further study of the data. MIT's emphasis on analytical and computational methods helped me to quickly learn new math concepts. I also felt prepared by MIT to take initiative on a largely independent project. My coworkers were all very friendly and willing to practice Spanish with me over lunch."

  • Kira Buttrey drinking from a cup in Chile's Atacama, a desert brown plants across a plants and a mountainous region in the background
"My project gave me an understanding of the current data integration technique literature. It was also a nice exercise in both working independently and communicating results with others who may not have the same cultural or language background."
KIra Buttrey '23
Major & Class
Bioengineering Major, Spanish and Computer Science Minor '23
MISTI Program
Internship
Location
Santiago, Chile
MISTI Host
University of Chile Center for Mathematical Modeling

Kinan's Story