Michael Colomb

As a senior studying computer science, Michael Colomb has always had an inclination for STEM and always knew computer science was the field for him.  

By receiving the Harvey H. Jordan award, Michael feels as though he is being given a platform to represent the students of STEM that he has been fortunate enough to meet throughout his college career. Since starting his journey with The Grainger College of Engineering, Michael has always been enamored with the sheer caliber of his fellow engineering students and wants to maintain the same ambition and ingenuity after graduation. This award will help him continue to embody all the attributes of Illinois Engineers that he was enthralled with four years ago. To Michael, the Harvey H. Jordan award is the perfect way to top off his undergraduate experience.  

Michael has had the opportunity to work on a number of research projects with professors on campus. Being a student in The Grainger College of Engineering has allowed him to become immersed in the research process from ideation to completion. To Michael, the skills he has learned through his engineering education are skills that he can translate into his future career. He believes that his experiences have led him to become a more well-rounded thinker and problem-solver, which will help him contribute to the success of wherever he ends up, whether it is industry-related or in academia.  

During his time as an undergraduate, Michael never turned away an opportunity to get involved. He is currently the President of the Promoting Undergraduate Research in Engineering (PURE) Committee and has held different leadership positions with this organization in the past. He also served as Course Assistant for CS 125 – Introduction to Computer Science and CS 446 – Machine Learning. Additionally, he has held numerous internships with different accredited companies and institutions like IBM, Uber, and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. After graduation, Michael will be working as a data scientist in the quantitative finance field. He also has a great interest in continuing his studies as a graduate student in statistical machine learning and would like to continue conducting research for a university or corporate lab.