Thacker recognized by Research Park for outstanding work

Peeya Thacker

MSIM student Peeya Thacker was honored for her internship performance at the 18th Annual Research Park Intern Awards ceremony on July 25. Thacker was named "Most Outstanding Graduate Student Intern" for her work at COUNTRY Financial DigitaLab in the University's Research Park.

During her eleven-week internship, Thacker served as a project manager for the company's Customer Data Platform (CDP) project, leading a team of four interns to strategize and develop an implementation roadmap for the company's key 2025 initiative. She also worked as a data developer on the data engineering and analytics team, "developing a data pipeline to ingest data into the company's data lake for enhanced analytics."

"Peeya's leadership and organizational skills were very important to structuring the intern team into different areas to bring the CDP project together—which led to an implementation roadmap and POC [proof of concept] that will be utilized in the fall semester," said Julia Hart, DigitaLab site director at COUNTRY Financial. "Her enthusiasm to learn and lead others has been valuable in both projects."

According to Thacker, her favorite part of the internship was the people. "Everyone was so open and eager to help, fostering an environment that encouraged learning and growth. I cherished every moment, from navigating new challenges and learning countless new things to building meaningful relationships and creating lasting memories," she said.

After completing her MSIM degree, Thacker would like to find employment that will help her refine her interests and career direction. She also plans to pursue an MBA and further develop her management and leadership skills. Thacker discovered the internship opportunity at the Research Park through the University's "strong alumni network."

"Thanks to their support and connections, I was able to secure this internship, which turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience," she said.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Kaushik defends dissertation

Doctoral candidate Smirity Kaushik successfully defended her dissertation, "Digital Trust, Safety, and Privacy in the Age of Emerging Technologies," on June 16. 

Smirity Kaushik

Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub wins Synergy Award

The Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub (MBDH) has won the Synergy Award from the Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST). The MBDH is a partnership of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Indiana University, Iowa State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, and the University of North Dakota. It is part of the National Science Foundation’s regional Big Data Innovation Hubs program that comprises offices in the Midwest, West, South, and the Northeast. 

Kelly Desino, scientific director of AbbVie's Community of Science, presenting the Synergy Award from the Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) to Professor Cathy Blake.

New project improves accessibility of health information through AI

Assistant Professor Yue Guo has received a $30,000 Arnold O. Beckman Research Award from the U of I Campus Research Board for her project, "Optimizing Personalization in Plain Language Summaries: Comparing Predictive and Interactive Approaches for Tailored Health Information." 

Yue Guo

Jang awarded the Jeffrey S. Tanaka Grant for Asian American Studies

PhD student Inyoung Jang has been awarded the Jeffrey S. Tanaka Grant for Asian American Studies for her project, "Semi-Basement Housing as Cold War Infrastructure: State Violence and the Legacies of American and Asian Imperialism and Colonialism in South Korea." The grant provides up to $1,000 for direct research expenses, including travel and material purchases.

Inyoung Jang

Student award recipients announced

The School of Information Sciences recognized student award recipients at the iSchool Convocation on May 18. Awards are based on academic achievements as well as attributes that contribute to professional success. For more information about each award, including past recipients, visit the Student Awards page. Congratulations to this year's honorees!

Award recipients Mahir Thakkar, Delia Kerr-Dennhardt, Katie Skoufes, Audrey Bentch, and Adam Beaty.