Logan Kocka
Class of 2022-2023
Miami University, 2022
Biomedical Engineering Major
Why did you choose ESTEEM?
This program generates well-rounded young professionals who gain the competence to wear the many hats of an entrepreneur as well as coveted Notre Dame resources and network. I really identified with the missions of the program - learn by doing and fixing things that matter. I knew this was the program that could enable me to make my intended social impact.
What is your Capstone Project and why are you excited about it?
Avanade is a global professional services company providing IT consulting and services focused on the Microsoft ecosystem with artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), business analytics, cloud, application and infrastructure, digital transformation, modern workplace, security, and managed services offerings. Avanade is continuously innovating and developing advanced technologies across Data & AI for their clients. Sustainability is key to this innovation and technology advancement to reduce carbon footprints across industries and achieve on global ESG goals. AI and IoT-based solutions, and other frontier technologies, are poised to deliver unparalleled operational efficiency as well as reducing environmental impact. The insights gained in this capstone project via research and stakeholder interviews will yield one or more comprehensive service roadmaps for these frontier technologies, allowing Avanade to make informed decisions about the future of sustainable digital transformation.
What do you hope to do after ESTEEM?
I hope to have an early career applying data and informatics to some sort of positive social impact, hopefully in sustainability and healthcare. It's exciting to live through such innovations in biotechnology: the role of AI in protein folding predictions (Google's DeepMind), advances in biomaterials, organ bioprinting, genomics, organ-on-chip and mathematical modeling. I hope to eventually work on strategy and equitable commercialization for technologies with the potential to change how we study, diagnose, and treat health disorders. The ESTEEM Program will also give me the toolkit to start my own company down the road.
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I’m not working, I’m doing hackathons and academic competitions, playing intramural sports and athletics, trail running, and reading books. Sometimes I teach myself new coding languages while drinking a lot of iced matcha.