October Undergraduate Engineer of the Month heading to Microsoft

Anastasiya Chapko, a double-major in computer engineering and neuroscience with a minor in computer science, earned the Undergraduate Engineer of the Month Award from the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science for October 2019.

She took full advantage of UC’s top-ranked Co-op program, spending semesters working at Fives Machining Systems, Backyard Brains and Microsoft. Additionally, she works in the MIND research lab with professor Rashmi Jha. In that role, Chapko presented posters at conferences and workshops in Cincinnati and Washington, D.C.

In the MIND lab, Chapko works on creating more accurate biological models for defense mechanisms and integrating them into hardware and software. In her co-ops, she gained experience retrofitting old controls and converting databases. She also recorded and sorted two-dimensional jellyfish videos and planned a machine learning phase to identify jellyfish features or behaviors.

Aside from her academic and research achievements, Chapko has used her time on campus to give back in the best way she can. She mentors middle and high school students, helping them explore the possible futures in neuroscience and computerized devices. She also volunteers at the Cincinnati Observatory, sharing the facility’s 175-year-old telescope and exposing the public to STEM and the city’s history.

“I just want to make the world better than I found it, but I also want to empower people as much as I can,” said Chapko. “In the future, I would just like to keep mentoring people and giving them opportunities they wouldn’t always have.”

In other words, Chapko has a wide range of experience and has excelled in all of it. Following graduation next spring, Chapko will work full-time at Microsoft.