IT-ROCS REU Students Present Applied Mathematics Research at CCNY
Aug. 13, 2025
This summer, IT-ROCS REU students Senanur Bilgin and Atiqa Chowdhury presented their mathematics and climate research at the CiPass poster session, demonstrating how mathematics can tackle urgent environmental challenges. They were advised by Dr. Sánchez-Muñiz and mentored by CCNY Master's student Samuel Briante.
In "Learning ENSO Through Data: A Niño 3.4 Index Case Study", Senanur analyzed sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific to better understand the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Using Python-based tools, she examined seasonal and interannual variability, confirmed strong anomalies in major El Niño years, and applied Principal Component Analysis to identify the index’s dominant variability pattern.
Atiqa’s "Tracking Southeast Asian Droughts through Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies" studied the 1940–1950 period, which included two major El Niño events tied to severe Southeast Asian droughts. She processed SST anomaly data, mapped seasonal variability, and prepared the dataset for dimensionality reduction and Topological Data Analysis (TDA).
Future work will integrate SST, the Niño 3.4 index, and Total Column Water Vapor into a three-dimensional dataset to track moisture dynamics before, during, and after El Niño events. This project contributes to a broader Topological Data Analysis (TDA) research pipeline in atmospheric science, led by Dr. Sánchez-Muñiz, and grounded in "Weather Regimes: A Topological Perspective" by Strommen et al (watch the talk).
“This summer’s IT-ROCS REU program at CCNY has been an inspiring and transformative experience. As a Computer Science major, I was amazed to discover how open and far-reaching the field of mathematics is, extending into areas like climate science in ways I had never imagined. Working closely with my mentor and participating in hands-on research not only deepened my skills, but also broadened my perspective on what I can do with math. This experience inspired me to pursue a dual major in Mathematics and Computer Science, and it has strengthened my passion for research. I leave this program with new knowledge, confidence, and a deep appreciation for the role mathematics plays in understanding our world.” — Senanur Bilgin
The department celebrates these outstanding contributions as a testament to the IT-ROCS program’s mission of cultivating the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists.
