Diego Rivera, a rising senior and computer science major at Iona College in New Rochelle, is one of 10 undergraduate students from across the country who has been awarded a fellowship of $10,000 from the Last Mile Education Fund.
The goal of the fund is to increase diversity in the fields of engineering and technology by providing financial support for low-income and underrepresented students to carry out research. Announcements of such awards are often made known throughout a college community with poster printing.
The funds will enable Rivera to carry out his research on virtuality this summer. He plans to the use of simulation in education at Hunter College in New York City. Rivera said he selected virtual reality as his topic of research as he finds it both fascinating and fun and wants to learn how to create educational virtual reality applications for children.
He added that this scholarship will go a long way to removing the barriers related to diversity in the field of computer science as more students will be able to pursue their dreams of careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, regardless of their income levels or background. After graduation, he plans to join or start a company that creates educational programs so children can have fun and learn at the same time by using virtual reality.
