Sydney is majoring Electrical/Computer Engineering and Computer Science with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at Duke University. Sydney is interested in research that focuses on the intersection of engineering and medicine, specifically neural prosthetics for paralyzed patients, as well as STEM retention and diversity. She is currently conducting research on the 3D printing of polypropylene fumarate-based materials for medical implants under Professor Ken Gall at Restor3d. In addition, she is on Duke's Improving Girls' Math Identity through Problem-solving and Mentorship Bass Connections Research Team. Lead by Professors Tori Akin and Sophia Santillan, this project aims to address two major causes of the gender gap in STEM by planning and running a series of free workshops for middle school girls, designed to improve their math identity. During summer 2020, Sydney participated in the Rhodes Information Initiative's Data+ Program where she conducted research to predict the incidence of blindness in glaucoma patients at Duke Eye Center, specifically, the likelihood of a patient presenting legally blind at their first visit.
