Brilliant Teen Seeks PhD At UC Berkeley With STEM Award

Imagine a patient with advanced Parkinson’s disease having the ability to email their grandchildren. Or what if you could text on your smartphone with brain power instead of wearing out your index finger? These concepts are not that futuristic to Alisha Menon from Beaverton.

Alisha will soon be working on her PhD in this innovative field of brain-inspired computing at the University of California, Berkley thanks to a recently awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. The award will essentially provide $46,000 a year for the next three years of Alisha’s doctoral studies.

This bright 19-year-old graduated high school two years early, when she was just 16 years old, from Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA), the statewide online public school. She was a member of the Class of 2015. Her brother Avish, followed his sister’s path in 2017, also graduating from ORCA two years ahead of schedule at age 16.

This spring Alisha finished her Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU) in just three years. Alisha is passionate about neural engineering and she plans to continue working on the areas she studied during her undergraduate work at ASU when she gets to Berkley this fall.

“I see the potential for infinite applications - from prosthetics controlled directly by neural signals to brain-computer interfaces that will eliminate the need for secondary interaction tools like keyboards,” said Alisha. “There are so many directions for technology that interacts with the brain can go. Some of these ideas are currently being developed such as virtual reality/artificial reality interfaces, rehabilitation systems, and deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's. Other ideas are more futuristic such as "typing" using neural signals. I can't wait to be a part of this field as it grows and develops!”

Only 16-percent of the 12,000 applicants are selected to receive an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and Alisha was among those undergraduates selected. Once at Berkley, she’ll be studying at one of the top graduate programs for computer and electrical engineering in the country, according to the annual ranking by U.S.News & World Report. Last year the university granted just 39 PhD’s for electrical engineering at that graduate school.

The Foundation’s program recruits and supports early-career scientists and engineers working in STEM fields; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. NSF is an independent federal agency, and the only one which supports all fields of essential science and engineering, except for medical sciences.

The Fellowship from NSF will be Alisha’s primary funding, but her skills and potential have been recognized by other scholarship organizations as well. “I was also honored to have received the UC Berkeley Graduate Research Fellowship, UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Excellence Award, and the UC Berkeley NSF Fellowship Supplemental Award,” explained Alisha. “All of these will allow me to better pursue the research I am interested in.”

Alisha is already jumping right into this ground-breaking career field. She’s spending part of her summer working on the cutting edge of neural engineering technology at CTRL-labs in New York City. The company is developing a special brain–computer interface wristband.

Knowing that she is a part of pioneering new technology for generations to come, what advice would Alisha have for today’s high school students considering careers with STEM applications?

“My advice is to find what you are passionate about within STEM and look for opportunities in those areas,” said Alisha. “Being excited about what you are pursuing is one of the best ways to stay motivated. For me it was neural engineering, but there are so many exciting areas in STEM that you can explore and learn more about through research and job shadows that will help you find what appeals to you most.”

Another way Alisha encourages other young people is through a program called TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) through the non-profit TiE Oregon initiative.

“Young entrepreneurship has always been a huge interest of mine, specifically the leadership skills and initiative it builds in young people,” Alisha noted. “In 2013, I reached out to TiE Oregon to find out about a youth program that I could join. When I learned that there wasn't one, I worked with the organization to create a program for promoting business and leadership skills in high school students with a focus on diversity and inclusion.”

Once TYE was up and running around 100 teens participated during the 2015-2016 program, with some of the credit going to Alisha being on the Steering Committee during her high school and undergraduate college years.

Similar to his sister, younger brother Avish is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering through Arizona State University’s online program. Both Menon children have been involved in dance and theater during their high school and college years.

Alisha believes ORCA’s online learning program was a great fit for her scholastic and extracurricular needs. “Being an Oregon Connections Academy student taught me about self-motivation, determination and planning,” added Alisha. “The structure and flexibility of the program allowed me to pursue my interests outside of school such as TYE Oregon, dance and theater, in a deep and immersive way while still pursuing my education seriously. I had to learn how to plan my time carefully in order to give my 100% to school as well as my extracurricular activities - a skill I continue to use every day.”

This past winter both siblings and mother Anita Menon were involved in the Northwest Children’s Theatre’s production of Chitra: The Girl Prince. Alisha played the title role of Chitra, Avish was in the supporting cast, and Anita was Director and Choreographer.

The arts are a big part of Alisha’s life. She learned to dance when she was just four years old, started acting when she was six, and has played in lead roles in over 200 performances across the state over the years. She plans to continue performing while getting her doctorate.

“I have always found that being involved in dance and theater have allowed me to think more creatively when it comes to solving engineering problems,” said Alisha. “And having an engineering background has helped me to think in a more structured way when it comes to the arts.”

As she prepares for the next phase of her education, Alisha takes with her many of the skills she learned while attending Oregon Connections Academy. She also remembers the tremendous support and encouragement she received from her teachers and rest of the ORCA staff.

“My counselor, Susan McCall, provided me with all the resources I needed to challenge myself academically by taking advanced courses and aiming to graduate early,” said Alisha. “Oregon Connections Academy gave me critical skills that provided a strong foundation for my studies and work over the last several years. I am truly thankful for all of the help and support everyone at ORCA gave me both while I was in high school and afterwards.”

Families who are interested in learning more about Oregon Connections Academy as a possible option for their students for the 2018-2019 school year may want to check out one of the upcoming events going on around the state: www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com/Events

Enrollment is now underway and for additional information about the school, visit www.OregonConnectionsAcademy.com or call (800) 382-6010.

Information for this article provided by:

Laura Dillon, Outreach Manager

Oregon Connections Academy

(503) 779-3150 ldillon@orca.connectionsacademy.org