Vasu Chalasani

Year in School
Senior

Major
Computer Science

Research Interests
Artificial Intelligence Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Security and Privacy Systems and Networking

Research Mentor
Dr. Nancy Amato

Research/Engagement Experience
I was previously a CS STAR. My interest within research comes from my deep curiosity to understand computer science concepts at a lower level and understand them to the extent where I can implement applications of them in a variety of fields. My research under Dr. Nancy Amato and Diane Uwacu has given me the opportunity to accomplish this. Through my investigation of skeletons within motion planning, I have gained a deeper understanding of AI and motion planning algorithms. During my time at Parasol Laboratory, I have developed and implemented an optimized Expansive-Spaces Tree algorithm to solve motion planning problems in tunnel environments. To do this, I utilized Git, Bash and C++. I am currently working on optimizing the Hierarchical Annotated Skeleton Rapidly-Exploring Random Trees motion planning strategy and am working on analyzing results from the test runs of the implementation of our algorithm in various environments. I meet with my laboratory’s computational biology group weekly and am able to share my progress and project work while learning about other members’ experiences and projects as well. I held a research internship at Chan Lab at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine’s Dept. of Physiology and worked as a research data analyst for two years. My research focused on analyzing the synaptic contact within various neuron classes in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain responsible for movement, and exploring its relation to Parkinson’s Disease. I used imaging softwares Fiji and pCLAMP to accomplish this. While I was primarily a data analyst, I had the opportunity to work with wet lab equipment including vibratomes, microscopes, and the polishing of optic fibers. I presented my work from Chan Lab at the 2020 International Student Science Fair where I was awarded Best Oral Research Presentation. Through this conference, I was able to form new friendships with students all over the world and learn from each of their projects. This experience helped me grow as a communicator, learner, and individual. As for my engagement experience, I volunteered during Hour of Code, led IMAGINE Family STEM, participated in Celebrations and Girls Who Code and WCS events as well.

Interests
My engagement interests are mentoring Women in STEM and educating young students about STEM topics in engaging ways. My research interests are AI, Robotics, Computational Biology.

Project Title
Hierarchical Annotated Skeleton-Guided Random Trees

How did I get interested in Computer Science?
My interest in computer science came from my want to stay connected to all fields and apply my knowledge to them and learn more about them. Given how interdisciplinary of a field computer science is as it is applicable in almost every field (natural sciences, education, community health, etc), I wanted to pursue computer science to create solutions of different shapes based on the area of work I am in. I also love the challenging problem space that comes with computer science and the collaborative aspect as it is really great to see how unique everyone's thinking processes are and learn and grow from these discussions.

What social interests matter to me?
Social interests that matter to me are education for all, sustainability, and helping close the gender gap in STEM.

What is my most impactful college experience?
My most impactful college experience has been my involvement in the student organization Hack4Impact where we build powerful software tools for nonprofits. This organization early-on introduced me to the power of computer science and the impact and good that it can have on others if used properly. I was able to work on impactful projects while also learning about many different social issues.

These are a few of my favorite things!
Crocheting, Jewelry, Thai Food, Indian Food, Exercising

Research Description
We present a Motion Planning solution to filter fit-only based methods based on the accessibility of the binding site by the ligand. Recent progress in workspace-guided motion planning algorithms shows the effectiveness of using the workspace as a guide for sampling complex planning environments with narrow passages, a great fit for the protein geometry. We test our Hierarchical Annotated Skeleton-Guided motion planning strategy on a data bank of structures that were experimentally studied and show that our predictions correlate with the experimental results. Our method can screen ligand candidates for a particular protein by eliminating those that either cannot fit in the binding site or access it.

Biography
I am a senior majoring in Computer Science. I grew up in Normal, IL. My passion for research stems from my interest in exploring intersections between computer science and the natural sciences. Currently, I am working in motion planning research under Dr. Amato where I explore and solve path planning problems in biological systems by developing and optimizing motion planning strategies. Research allows me to connect all of my interests within computer science and provides me with a collaborative space to elevate discussion and learn from new perspectives.