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NSRI Student Research Journal · Online ISSN 3143-5653

Published by the National Student Research Institution in Alpharetta, Georgia, United States.

© 2026 National Student Research Institution.

NSRI is a student-led research project fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation, d.b.a. Hack Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

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Engineering & Robotics

Data-Efficient Machine Learning Surrogate Modelling for Battery Cooling Channel Design and Thermal Performance Prediction

2 seats open

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Data Science

Higher Order Impacts of Disruptive Technologies on Education

1 seat open

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Engineering & RoboticsRecruiting

Data-Efficient Machine Learning Surrogate Modelling for Battery Cooling Channel Design and Thermal Performance Prediction

This project aims to investigate whether data-efficient machine learning models can accurately predict the thermal performance of electric vehicle battery cooling channels without requiring computationally expensive simulations for every new design. The research will involve developing a range of realistic cooling-channel geometries using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and evaluating their heat transfer, temperature distribution, and pressure drop through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The resulting data will be used to train and compare machine learning surrogate models capable of predicting cooling performance under different geometric configurations and operating conditions. A key focus will be evaluating how effectively these models generalize to previously unseen cooling-channel designs, particularly when trained on limited simulation data. The project will also investigate prediction accuracy, computational efficiency, and the limitations of applying machine learning to thermal engineering problems. Expected outcomes include a structured simulation dataset, a validated machine learning benchmark, reproducible code, and a research manuscript presenting the findings. By combining computational modelling with data-driven analysis, this research aims to contribute to more efficient and accessible thermal management design methods for sustainable electric vehicle technologies.

Lead
Adam Simson
PhD
Mohit Trivedi, PhD
Weekly
Friday · 13:00 Gulf Standard Time (GST)
Team
1/3 · 2 open
View brief
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Data ScienceRecruiting

Higher Order Impacts of Disruptive Technologies on Education

Higher Order Impacts of Disruptive TechnolStudy whether AI tutors actually improve learning or mainly make students more dependent on AI. Compare different levels of AI assistance and analyze effects on problem-solving, critical thinking, and retention. The goal is to understand the longer-term educational consequences of AI-assisted learning.ogies on Education

Lead
TAMANNA GUPTA
PhD
Alexander Flor, PhD
Weekly
Tuesday · 13:10 IST
Team
1/2 · 1 open
View brief
PhD advisors give asynchronous feedback at major submission checkpoints. Student teams run their own weekly meetings and day-to-day work.

Past and ongoing research

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22 groupsThese groups are no longer accepting applications. Browse ongoing, completed, closed, and archived NSRI projects.
Machine Learning / Computer Science (AutoML & ML Systems)Applications Closed

Budget-Aware Hyperparameter Optimization: Selecting HPO Strategies Under Parallelism and a Fixed Compute Budget

Hyperparameter optimization methods are typically benchmarked one trial at a time, but real compute clusters run many trials in parallel — which changes how these methods perform in ways the standard comparisons miss. This project investigates whether the choice of HPO method should depend on the computational setup (number of parallel workers, remaining budget), and whether a system could select an appropriate method automatically rather than committing to one in advance. Early exploratory runs suggest this is worth pursuing, but the data needs further validation before drawing conclusions. The work involves running controlled experiments, analyzing results statistically, and building a lightweight selection system, with the goal of producing a manuscript and a practical guide for practitioners.

Led by MD Ali Ashraf YadView project
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Data ScienceApplications Closed

Self-Contamination in Continuously Updated RAG Systems

This project investigates self-contamination in continuously updated Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems: the phenomenon where a RAG system's own previously generated outputs are re-ingested into its knowledge base over time, progressively degrading retrieval quality and accelerating hallucination. Grounded in production-scale infrastructure (Qdrant vector store, Ollama-served embeddings, and the bge-m3 embedding model), the work formalizes the contamination dynamics with formal math and benchmarks retrieval degradation across successive update cycles. It builds on and extends recent literature on model collapse, data-poisoning attacks on RAG (e.g., PoisonedRAG), information-cascade effects (Spiral of Silence), and hallucination detection, aiming to propose practical mitigation strategies for production RAG deployments.

Led by Moiz SherazView project
Public HealthApplications Closed

Digital Health literacy

This research aims to assess the level of digital health literacy among students and the general population in Pakistan. It will explore how people access, understand, and use online health information and digital health tools. The study will also identify challenges and propose recommendations to improve digital health awareness and responsible use of health technology.

Led by Salman KhanView project
Health and Life SciencesApplications Closed

Intermediate Group (The Scrubs Society Team)

This intermediate research group introduces participants to the foundations of interdisciplinary research through accessible topics in healthcare. Students will explore real-world health questions while learning essential research skills such as developing research questions, reviewing literature, collecting and interpreting data, and communicating findings. As the group progresses, projects will gradually connect healthcare with fields such as psychology, technology, engineering, data science, and design, preparing participants to take on more independent and interdisciplinary research in the future.

Led by Gursharnpreet Kaur HannsView project
Health and Life SciencesApplications Closed

Research Group 1 for Beginners (The Scrubs Society Team)

This beginner research group introduces participants to the foundations of interdisciplinary research through accessible topics in healthcare. Students will explore real-world health questions while learning essential research skills such as developing research questions, reviewing literature, collecting and interpreting data, and communicating findings. As the group progresses, projects will gradually connect healthcare with fields such as psychology, technology, engineering, data science, and design, preparing participants to take on more independent and interdisciplinary research in the future.

Led by Gursharnpreet Kaur HannsView project
Health and Life SciencesApplications Closed

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) in Heart Repair

This project investigates how induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be used to regenerate damaged heart tissue and advance future therapies for heart disease.

Led by Marvarit AbdurakhmanovaView project
Engineering and TechnologyApplications Closed

Mathematics - Root Finding, Detection and Classification of Multiplicities

Building on my previous work on the classification and isolation of real roots in nonlinear equations, I am now exploring the next stage of the problem: root multiplicity classification. The goal is to investigate new mathematical and computational methods for determining and classifying the multiplicity of isolated roots, beyond conventional derivative-based approaches. I am looking to collaborate with researchers and students interested in numerical analysis, computational mathematics, nonlinear equations, and scientific computing. If this area aligns with your research interests, I would be happy to connect and discuss potential collaborations. The main research question is : Can root multiplicity be classified from the local behavior of a function without relying solely on higher-order derivatives?

Led by Himesh NeupaneView project
Engineering and TechnologyApplications Closed

Adaptive Geometric Intelligence & Learning for Embodied Systems (AGILE) Lab

AGILE Lab is an advanced interdisciplinary research group focused on developing adaptive geometric intelligence for autonomous embodied systems. The team investigates how geometry, morphology, and decentralized communication can enable scalable collective intelligence in robotic systems. By integrating swarm robotics, computational geometry, artificial intelligence, bio-inspired engineering, and simulation-based modeling, AGILE Lab develops novel algorithms and robotic architectures that allow autonomous agents to perceive, reason, adapt, and collaborate in complex environments. Current research focuses on geometry-induced collective inference, multi-agent coordination, autonomous reconstruction, and efficient robotic systems inspired by biological collective behaviors.

Led by Alissa MonirView project
Health and Life SciencesFull

Systematic Review of Evidence database of NCCN 2026 Breast Cancer Guidelines

We are conducting a systematic review of the clinical evidence database underpinning the NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines, with the primary objective of mapping critical evidence gaps. ​Objective: To identify the "Resource-Evidence Gap" by evaluating whether the guideline’s preferred standards are globally representative and applicable to low / middle-income countries, or limited strictly to high-income settings with advanced medical infrastructure. ​Having completed the initial screening phase, we are looking for committed team members to assist with data extraction, assessing geographic and representation bias, dual-extraction verification, and drafting/revising the manuscript. Since our ultimate goal is publication, applicants must commit to remaining active throughout the entire process. Please only apply if you are genuinely dedicated to managing this workload.

Led by Javeria AhmedView project
Health and Life SciencesApplications Closed

Diabetic Retinopathy Detection Using Deep Learning

We're building a small research team to study how deep learning can help detect and grade diabetic retinopathy from eye images. The goal is to compare a few existing model architectures, understand what makes them work (or fail), and write this up for publication in the NSRI journal. No prior machine learning experience needed — we'll learn the basics together as a team. Looking for 2 MBBS students (clinical insight, literature review, write-up) and 2 tech students (data work, model training) who are curious and willing to commit weekly.

Led by Asad ChannaView project
Computational BiologyApplications Closed

Hippocampus-to-Neocortex Transfer in a Dual-Region Spiking Neural Network

This project explores how replayed memories are consolidated into long-term knowledge in biologically inspired spiking neural networks. We will develop a hippocampus–neocortex model to investigate systems consolidation, schema formation, and memory transfer using computational neuroscience methods.

Led by Ashwajit WarwatkarView project
Health and Life SciencesFull

Creatine Supplementation in Adolescents and Youth: An Updated Systematic Review

We are conducting a systematic review examining the effects of creatine supplementation in adolescent and youth populations. Despite creatine being one of the most widely used dietary supplements among young people, the evidence base for this age group remains undercharacterized relative to adult literature. This review aims to fill that gap by comprehensively synthesizing available data across multiple outcome domains. We are recruiting motivated individuals to join the review team. Roles may include title/abstract screening, full-text review, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and manuscript writing. Prior experience with systematic reviews and coding is helpful

Led by Vincent YuanView project
Health and Life SciencesApplications Closed

Advanced Wound Healing and Regenerative Materials Research Group

A multidisciplinary research group focused on advanced biomaterials, nanotechnology, medicinal chemistry, and healthcare innovations for wound healing, antimicrobial therapies, drug delivery, and sustainable healthcare solutions.

Led by Shahroz ZafarView project
Biology, Biotechnology & BioinformaticsIn Progress

Genome-wide analysis of evolutionary constraint and RNA structure in Sindbis virus field isolates

Sindbis virus is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes fever, rash and persistent joint pain in humans, with recurrent outbreaks in Northern Europe and southern Africa. There is no vaccine and no specific antiviral, so treatment is limited to symptom relief. This project analyses the Sindbis virus genome to identify regions that resist evolutionary change, and asks whether those regions correspond to structured RNA elements. Such regions are of interest because a site the virus cannot easily mutate is a candidate target for sequence-specific antiviral approaches, and because RNA structure in alphavirus genomes has recently been shown to be functionally important even where it is not broadly conserved. We have assembled 232 complete genomes from NCBI Virus and applied explicit inclusion criteria, excluding 145 sequences annotated with rodent cell-line hosts because culture-passaged virus accumulates adaptations to the cell line rather than to its natural mosquito and bird hosts. The remaining 87 field isolates span 19 countries and seven decades (1963 to 2025) and yield a tree length of approximately 1.0 substitutions per site, which is sufficient evolutionary signal for codon-model analysis. The specific hypothesis is being finalised against the prior literature and will be fixed and dated before any further analysis is run. All code and data-handling decisions are version-controlled and documented.

Led by Smyan ReddyView project
Biology, Biotechnology & BioinformaticsIn Progress

AI in Healthcare and Bioenergy

This project will develop Geometry-Induced Collective Inference (GICI), a decentralized computational framework for integrating heterogeneous biological omics data without sharing raw data. The study will treat each omics modality, such as scRNA-seq, scATAC-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and proteomics, as an independent computational agent. Each agent will independently encode its data into a latent representation, construct a local biological graph, and extract a compressed geometric signature using Graph Laplacian spectral information. I will then formally develop the Geometry-Induced Consensus Operator (GCO), which will allow agents to iteratively align their geometric representations using only compressed signatures rather than raw measurements. The project will mathematically analyze GCO's convergence, communication requirements, robustness, and relationship to existing geometric alignment methods such as Gromov-Wasserstein, Procrustes, and Graph Laplacian alignment. After validating the framework on synthetic data, I will test it using public multimodal biological datasets and evaluate its ability to reconstruct biological interaction and gene regulatory networks. Performance will be compared with established methods such as SCENIC, GENIE3, GRNBoost2, and CellOracle using Precision-Recall, ROC-AUC, network similarity, runtime, memory usage, communication cost, and robustness to noise and missing modalities. The final goal is to determine whether decentralized geometric consensus can integrate heterogeneous biological data while maintaining biological accuracy and substantially reducing the need for raw-data sharing.

Led by Alissa MonirView project
Human–Computer Interaction and Computer-Supported Cooperative WorkIn Progress

Evaluating an Extension-First Multiplayer Browsing System for Collaborative Web Tasks

This project investigates whether an extension-first multiplayer browsing system can improve the efficiency and experience of collaborative web tasks compared with conventional link sharing and screen sharing. The proposed system, called Co-op Web, will provide a browser extension that allows two to four users to join a temporary Portal session through a shareable link. Participants will be able to view each other’s presence, share page context, highlight text, and place collaborative notes on supported webpages. The project will use a design-and-evaluation methodology: first, a functional prototype will be developed using a Chromium extension, TypeScript or JavaScript, a Node.js backend, and WebSocket-based real-time communication; second, a small user study will compare collaborative tasks completed using ordinary link sharing, screen sharing, and the Portal prototype. The study will measure task completion time, context switching, usability, collaboration quality, perceived workload, connection reliability, and willingness to reuse the system. The project will also document privacy, security, browser-permission, and synchronization limitations. Spatial Boards, browsing modes, and trust signals will be treated as future extensions rather than core claims of the initial study.

Led by SirView project
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning & Data ScienceIn Progress

Algebraic and Graph-Based Machine Learning Methods for Classifying Pathogenic Repeat Expansion Sequences in Neurodegenerative Disease

This project classifies pathogenic DNA repeat expansions, the mutations behind diseases like Huntington's, myotonic dystrophy, and C9orf72-related ALS/FTD, using algebraic and graph-based sequence representations (Chaos Game Representation and de Bruijn graphs) instead of the hand-engineered features current tools rely on. The core hypothesis is that encoding the repeat's geometric and structural properties captures signal that standard feature-based models miss, since these repeats are known to fold into unusual DNA structures like G-quadruplexes. Work involves building these representations, training CNNs and GNNs on them, and benchmarking against existing pathogenicity predictors.

Led by Farhana Khan SaraView project
Computer Science, AI, and Data ScienceIn Progress

Prima Domini

Prima Domini is the principal research patronage group of CuteHeart Exosystems Ltd., dedicated to advancing deterministic execution theory, ecological computing, simulation topology, and secure protocol design. The group focuses on reducing the ecological impact of modern technology, improving safety and efficiency in aging and simulation‑based systems, and addressing extreme environmental computing conditions to enhance security and reliability. Research within Prima Domini is conducted on the CuteHeart platform using an online IDE that supports Python, Lua, and visual scripting. Contributors participate in weekly research cycles and work within deterministic and semi‑deterministic execution environments to evaluate system behavior, protocol correctness, ecological telemetry, and execution‑path stability. The group welcomes students and early‑career researchers, offering a structured environment for those interested in systems research, execution theory, and protocol design. Prima Domini maintains several core exploration tracks. These include deterministic execution, latent execution mapping, signal‑process trajectory recovery, electromagnetic hardening for computational workloads, stochastic and systolic execution modeling, protocolization and atomic execution, and manifold topology with tessellation for simulation spaces. Each track is designed to help researchers understand how execution pathways, system topology, and protocol structure influence output, safety, and ecological impact. The group operates as a federated research collective. Work progresses through a structured cycle consisting of preliminary analysis, interlocutory mid‑stage analysis, and thesis‑oriented pre‑ and post‑analysis. This methodology encourages iterative refinement, reproducibility, and clarity as execution models evolve over time.

Led by Akko SinnView project
Biomedical EngineeringIn Progress

Connecting computational neuroscience with mechanistic interpretability

> This study investigates whether the Replay-Gated Cascade Consolidation (RGCC) mechanism extends beyond spiking neural networks to transformer-based language models. We test the hypothesis that sequential learning in transformers exhibits the same replay-driven consolidation dynamics predicted by RGCC, including competition for shared parameters and an encoding-order consolidation gradient. By analyzing sequential fine-tuning and replay strategies, we evaluate whether RGCC provides a unified mechanistic explanation for memory consolidation and catastrophic forgetting across fundamentally different neural architectures.

Led by Ashwajit WarwatkarView project
Health and Life SciencesIn Progress

Artificial Intelligence in Brain Cancer: Current Applications, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Brain cancer, including primary tumors such as gliomas and glioblastomas, is one of the most complex and life-threatening neurological conditions. Diagnosis and treatment are difficult due to the brain’s sensitive structure, tumor heterogeneity, and limitations in early detection. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into brain cancer research and clinical workflows to improve detection, classification, and treatment planning. In medical imaging, particularly MRI scans, machine learning and deep learning models can assist in identifying tumors at earlier stages, segmenting tumor boundaries more accurately, and distinguishing between different tumor types. This improves diagnostic precision and reduces the burden on radiologists. AI also plays a role in predicting patient outcomes, survival rates, and treatment responses by analyzing large-scale clinical and genomic datasets. This enables more personalized treatment strategies, supporting the shift toward precision medicine in neuro-oncology. However, challenges remain, including limited high-quality annotated brain imaging datasets, variability in imaging protocols across hospitals, and concerns about model interpretability and clinical trust. Integration into real-world healthcare systems also requires strong validation and regulatory approval. Future developments are expected to focus on explainable AI models, multi-modal data integration (MRI, genomic, and clinical data), and real-time clinical decision support systems. Ultimately, AI has the potential to significantly enhance early detection, treatment planning, and patient outcomes in brain cancer care.

Led by Ammara TariqView project
Engineering and TechnologyIn Progress

Machine Learning-Based Surrogate Modeling for Electromagnetic Damping Force Prediction and Parameter Ranking

This research investigates the influence of geometric, magnetic, and operating parameters on electromagnetic damping force in vibration damping systems. A structured dataset will be constructed from published experimental studies, and machine learning-based surrogate models will be developed to predict damping force and evaluate parameter importance. Feature importance techniques will be used to identify the most influential design variables, enabling improved interpretability and faster design insights for electromagnetic damping systems.

Led by Sripaadh Jayashree KuppusamyView project
Health and Life SciencesCompleted

Research Bias in the World

Research Bias in the World is a free NSRI research program examining how bias appears inside the evidence behind major medical guidelines. Medical guidelines shape how diseases are studied, treated, and understood. But 1 question is often missed: Does the evidence behind those guidelines actually represent the patients those guidelines affect? NSRI researchers are already working on 3 major guideline-bias projects across hypertension, cancer, and depression. These projects examine which studies are cited, which countries dominate the evidence, how much of the data comes from a small number of massive studies, whether demographic information is properly reported, and which populations are missing. Through weekly Sunday sessions, participants will work directly with the host and the NSRI community to break down real guideline-bias examples, discuss evidence gaps, compare research approaches, and learn from each other as they build their own projects. This is not a passive webinar. It is a working research program for students who want to understand how research systems shape what medicine eventually treats as truth. Participants will learn how to analyze cited studies, identify representation gaps, evaluate demographic reporting, compare guideline evidence bases, and develop research questions around bias in medical evidence. Only the first 100 students will be able to join the weekly live sessions. Selected participants will receive the session link and project details after signing up. Research should not only be trusted. It should be tested. Weekly sessions will be held every Sunday at 8:00 AM PKT Pakistan, 12:00 PM KST Korea. Equivalent times: 8:30 AM IST India, 9:00 AM Bangladesh time, 11:00 AM Philippines/Singapore time, and 11:00 PM ET Saturday for the U.S. East Coast during EDT, or 10:00 PM ET Saturday during EST.

Led by Brian KangView project

Established before this portal

129 numbered research groups

NSRI organized these groups through its previous assignment system. They remain preserved in NSRI's internal records and are not shown as current openings.