Thenuki De Mel’s favorite part of being a statistics major is being able to apply statistics into any department, “I liked how you can use statistics to kind of explain the world. It's in every kind of field.”
De Mel will graduate with a double major in statistics and mathematics and psychology minor in spring 2026.
She entered Iowa State University as a statistics major because she appreciated how statistics uses an application of math, which has also been a part of her favorite statistics courses:
- STAT 5840 (Computer Processing of Scientific Data) with professor Ulrike Genschel
- STAT 3410 (Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I) with associate professor Farzad Sabzikar
De Mel has also been a research assistant for Sabzikar. Their research is looking at gradient descent optimization and using a tempered fractional derivative to see how this impacts the speed of convergence and accuracy.
She is particularly proud of this work, “It felt so advanced starting it, and I've finally gone to a place where I kind of feel more in my element with it. I'm proud that I was able to do that as an undergrad.”
In addition to working with Sabzikar, De Mel has been a research and lab assistant in other departments. She has also worked as a Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader, tutor for statistics and math, and statistics department office assistant.
De Mel is also the vice president of the Undergraduate Statistics Club and Math Club secretary. She is also part of the Honors Program.
Following graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in statistics.
