Vu Anh Le’25 poses with Dr. Jon Urschel, a professor of mathematics at MIT.Vu-Anh Le’25 recently participated in the prestigious MIT Summer Research Program, where he made contributions to the ALTEMIS project, an environmental informatics initiative led by Dr. Haruko Murakami Wainwright, his supervisor, and her collaborators across the Department of Energy. Over the summer, Vu-Anh extended PyLEnM, a Python-based library, and developed efficient machine learning-driven models to provide reliable predictions of contaminant concentrations in water. His work will play a crucial role in helping decision-makers and the public make informed choices about different treatment efforts.

But research wasn’t the only highlight of Vu-Anh’s summer. He also took part in information sessions and networking events focused on the cutting-edge of computational science, where he connected with researchers at the forefront of the field. He befriended Dr. John Urschel, a former NFL athlete and current assistant professor in MIT’s mathematics department, who shared insights into his work on matrix analysis problems inspired by machine learning optimization. When not immersed in research, Vu-Anh explored the natural beauty of New England, traveling to mountains and beaches, and soaking in the rich traditions and forward-thinking spirit of the region.

“I can’t express how much exciting stuff I’ve seen this summer in Boston,” says Vu-Anh. “The future is incredibly bright for scientists, with AI poised to replace costly, traditional wet lab work and drastically reduce the time spent on experiments. It’s amazing to see how many researchers with modeling and data analytics skills are now dominating faculty positions across all departments. This is an exciting era that humanity has been counting on for centuries.”

As he gears up for his senior year, Vu-Anh plans to continue his research and report his work at different governmental and scientific sessions.