Sudiksha Sahu, a fourth-year architecture student at NJIT's Hillier College of Architecture and Design, wanted to diversify her career options this past summer. Without prior research experience, Sahu took on the challenge to participate in the 2024 Undergraduate Summer Research and Innovation Symposium.

After completing her first research experience, Sahu took home the third prize with a project that aims to assess spatial variations in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and propose recommendations for optimal spatial resolution in IEQ measurements.

With the support from associate professor Hyojin Kim and Ph.D. student mentor Jeongseo Lee, Sahu completed the 10-week program.

The prototype she built was based on the indoor environment quality (IEQ) research developed by Kim in 2020. She made an iteration of it using fewer sensors namely air temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide which focus on air quality and thermal comfort factors.

Among her findings was the rise and drop of carbon dioxide levels happening during the day and night. "At night, it was extremely high, like around 800 particles per million, but in the morning, exactly 12 hours later, it was 450, you see that drastic reduction, and it's interesting because what happens with carbon dioxide is that it's supposed to diffuse if it stays in the place, that's when you start getting headaches, that's when you start feeling nauseous, and you don't understand why. It's probably because of the carbon dioxide in place.

"So ideally, in a place, carbon dioxide should diffuse and return to lower levels," she explained. "And those levels are around 450 to 500 particles per million, and that's equivalent to the outdoor regular carbon dioxide level. So if it does come down to that level, that means you know that the building has actual good ventilation, and you're going to be doing fine the next day when you come into work."

Sahu's first research experience with URI has sparked a passion for academia, making it a serious alternative to the traditional path of becoming an architect after earning her bachelor's in architecture.

"If I do want to go into research, then I would love to be a professor and teach," she said. "I think I love that aspect of being able to innovate something and also pass down the knowledge. I love teaching. I love helping out people. That is also something that I really wanted to do. I'm not sure if I can do both - academia and industry - but I have met very influential people who have done their own research, promoted it, marketed it and opened their own firm. So they're working in the industry as well as researching."

That idea of helping out people is one of the reasons Sahu is currently a resident assistant and a residential leadership development co-chair. "I always enjoy giving out any knowledge… I think that's one thing I love about my job as a resident assistant."

She's also part of the NJIT Athletics dance team, vice president of NJIT's chapter of The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the recruitment chair of The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students, and recently she and a couple of friends launched Girl Gains, an initiative to invite female identifying students more to the gym so they can create a nice and safe culture and space to work out.

Professor Kim was first impressed by Sahu when she took her class on environmental control systems and later volunteered to assist in her lab. Although architecture students often have a heavy studio workload, she demonstrated remarkable dedication to learning outside of the classroom, she noted.

"What truly sets Sudiksha apart is her ability to learn quickly and apply feedback independently," said Kim. "She displayed great patience during trial-and-error phases and troubleshooting issues. This ability to digest feedback and apply it across similar situations is a vital skill, especially for a young researcher. Overall, Sudiksha's commitment, curiosity, and capacity for independent learning make her a standout student and a pleasure to work with."

Since the age of 15, Sahu knew she wanted to work in New York, and she already fulfilled that dream last year as she interned near the World Trade Center at MP Engineers + Architects. She's always been inspired by her hometown of Dubai and how rapidly it has developed and modernized.

The Albert Dorman Honors Scholar, who recently received the Northeast Precast Design Scholarship, appreciates how Professor Kim has acted as her role model in her field. "I feel like without her guidance, I don't think I would have been where I am right now.

"She's very focused, she's very detail-oriented, she's always organized," said Sahu. "I think you need somebody like that, a role model in your life, to actually be guided towards the right thing. Even though you know you can do it, you just need a push at times.

"I feel like she gave me that push, and I'm really glad that happened."

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