IU Indianapolis Graduate Emissaries for Student Diversity

Harry Chaubey Ph.D. in Music Technology

Harry (Harshit) Chaubey, born in New Delhi, India, is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Technology at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI) with a minor in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). At IU Indianapolis's Graduate Office, his responsibilities include managing social media,transcribing presentations into digital storytelling, planning events, creating podcasts, and optimizing the graduate onboarding process.

Harry has extensive experience as a Research Assistant at the Donald Louis Tavel Arts & Technology Center and as Director of Live Programming at Deck10 Media. He is active in the IU Indianapolis Food Auxiliary Committee, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusive School taskforce, and serves as a Graduate Representative in the Graduate Professional Student Government(GPSG). He received the Plater Civic Engagement Medallion for his community service. His research interests include reengineering musical devices, product design, and developing frameworks for live multimedia broadcasting

Soumilee Chaudhuri PhD in Medical Neuroscience
Originally born and raised in India, Soumilee Chaudhuri obtained her undergraduate degrees in Neuroscience and Biochemistry from Montana State University, Bozeman. She joined the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2021 and matriculated into the Medical Neuroscience Program. Her PhD research focuses on employing multi-omics and artificial intelligence approaches to study Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and she was recently awarded the 2022 Paul & Carole Stark Fellowship. Soumilee serves on the executive boards of Underrepresented Professional and Graduate Student Organization (UPnGO) and Recreational Hiking at IU Indianapolis. She is committed towards building an inclusive environment for minoritized academics and aspires to serve as a research & teaching professor to continue that goal. Outside of school, Soumilee is an avid outdoor enthusiast trying to promote diversity for BIPOC non-straight sized women in the wilderness. As an Indian Bengali, she is also an active participant in cultural events and reserves a special love for dancing.
Aravind Chintalapudi Master's in Computer Science

Aravind Chintalapudi, known to many as Nemo, is a dedicated graduate student pursuing a Master's in Computer Science at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. He currently serves as the Secretary for The Graduate and Professional Student Government and holds the position of Graduate Emissary, demonstrating his commitment to enhancing the graduate student experience. In addition to his academic pursuits, Nemo works as an IT Intern for the Office of School Partnerships at IU Bloomington, where he contributes to various projects aimed at improving educational initiatives. Originally from India, he embraces his role as an international student and actively engages with the diverse campus community. Outside of his academic and professional commitments, Nemo enjoys exploring the vibrant city of Indianapolis and its surroundings, fostering connections with fellow students and community members. He is also an avid fan of Taylor Swift, often finding inspiration in her music as he navigates his journey in higher education.

Priyadharshini Manikandan PhD in Biology

Priyadharshini Manikandan completed her undergraduate degree at Indiana State University in Terre Haute with a B.S. in Biology with a Chemistry Minor. She is currently a PhD student in the Department of Biology focusing her studies on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder research using zebrafish embryos as a model organism, to explore the effect of alcohol on the developing genome. 

Outside of the lab, Dharshini enjoys travelling, trying new recipes, and spending time with her friends and dog. Alongside being a graduate student emissary, she is a laboratory Teaching Assistant for undergraduate biology labs, the President of the Biology Graduate Organization (BGO), a school of science representative on the Graduate Professional Student Government (GPSG), and likes giving back to her community as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advisor for her collegiate Alpha Phi chapter, and as a volunteer at the local Hindu Temple.

Shaquitta Dent Ph.D. in Health and Human Sciences
Shaquitta Dent is a second-year PhD student in the IU School of Health and Human Sciences (SHHS) working under Dr. NiCole Keith and Dr. Jefferson Streepey. Shaquitta’s primary interest is in understanding postural balance control through tracking center of pressure movement during static and dynamic tasks in clinical populations. Shaquitta is a scholar in the 2020-2021 ACSM Leadership Diversity and Training Program (LDTP) and is sponsored by SHHS to participate in the Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholars Program. Outside of her work, Shaquitta enjoys spending time with her loved ones and friends, binge watching Netflix series, and reading cheesy romance novels.
Isheka Orr Ph.D. in Applied Earth Science

After completing high school in Jamaica, Isheka Orr moved to Orangeburg, SC to pursue her BSc. in Environmental Science at Claflin University. Currently, she is a PhD student in Applied Earth Science at IU Indianapolis. Her research focuses on identifying the health risks associated with Combined Sewer Overflow events in urban waterways.

Isheka strongly believes in giving back to the community in whatever way possible and as a result volunteers as a mentor and/educator with various community programs such as School on Wheels(SOW)-Indy, Sea Scope Incorporated and Passport to College (PTC). Isheka also serves on the Executive Board of the Underrepresented Professional and Graduate Student Organization (UPnGO) at IUI.

Isheka enjoys cooking, trying new foods, socializing, and going on adventures. You can check out her food page (Robins Fusion).

Jennifer Yanum Ph.D. in Biology
Jennifer is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biology at IU Indianapolis. She works with Dr. Guoli Dai whose lab investigates the mechanisms governing liver regeneration. Her research focuses on the role prolactin receptor plays in transducing mitogenic signaling during liver regeneration and lipid metabolism in mice. The long-term goal of her research work is to yield insights into the role of prolactin receptor in the liver as well as the development of new therapeutic targets for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). She also serves as a teaching assistant for the Biology department and an instructor for first-year seminar.  Jennifer is passionate about helping immigrant and underrepresented students, which inspired her to serve on the Underrepresented Professional and Graduate Student Organization (UPnGO) Executive Board here at IUI.
Camara Wallace Ph.D. in Urban Education
Camara is a second-year doctor student in the IU Indianapolis Urban Education program. She has received two English degrees, one awarded by UW-Green Bay and one awarded by Butler University. Her interests include literacy, specifically technological literacy and alternate approaches to literacy. She is generally interested in community engagement and serving community needs as they appear. She has worked and still works with Dr. Crystal Morton at Girls Stem Institute, promoting literacy in STEM for Black girls who are interested and curious. One of her passions is meeting students where they are at, and when Camara gets a chance to teach college courses, she often reworks the syllabus to bring in different technologies that students can use in future careers as well as technologies that help them develop as people. 
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