Student News
Student Spotlight: Grant Gordon
August 29, 2024
Grant Gordon, a junior studying computer science within the College of Computing at GVSU, has a wide range of interests. Although he is now a computer science major, his initial focus was on pre-med with a biology focus. Now, he's a computer science major with a focus on biotechnology due to his strong interest in health and bioinformatics. The biggest draw for Gordon to attend GVSU "was the small class sizes, where I was able to network with my professors."
This fall, Gordon starts his P. Douglas Kindschi undergraduate research fellowship, where he will be mentored by Dr. Alex Lalejini. He will work on a recent National Science Foundation (NSF) grant with Dr. Lalejini, exploring how various types of symbiotic relationships between species influence their co-evolution. Gordon’s Kindschi fellowship provides a pathway for his passions–computer science and biology–to collide.
In addition to his research, Gordon participated in the Swiss Exchange program with the College of Computing this past July, under the faculty supervision of Professor Ira Woodring. He was excited about this opportunity as it allowed him to study abroad and have credits directly related to computer science. When deciding to join the Swiss Exchange trip, he learned that Professor Woodring would be leading the trip, which made his decision easy, as Professor Woodring is one of his favorite professors in the College of Computing. Gordon stated, “It was such an incredible opportunity to travel to Switzerland this summer. I chose to go on the trip because of my fascination in machine learning and artificial intelligence. I was able to connect and learn with the students from ZHAW in Switzerland, which has allowed me to expand my horizons as I begin my Kindschi fellowship and work with Dr. Alex Laleijini on his NSF grant this fall.” Gordon's participation in the Swiss Exchange program and his Kindschi fellowship work with Dr. Lalejini both reflect his dedication to merging computer science with real-world applications in health and bioinformatics, allowing him to broaden his expertise and contribute to transformative research in both fields.
As he enters the final years of his undergraduate studies, we asked him to share some advice for new students. Gordon said, "Take advantage of the small class sizes and the connections. Also, go to your professors' office hours—they’re more likely to work with you and help get you involved."
Article written by Shelby Harrison.