St. Edward’s Math Major Excels in NASA Research and Data Science
Before pursuing a degree in Mathematics, Chloe Roque ‘26, wanted to be a forensic scientist. She joined the robotics club in middle school, where she found her love for puzzles. But being from Houston, Texas, widely known as “Space City”, Roque woke up one day and acknowledged her love for math and her interest in aerospace engineering.
“I decided my senior year of high school (that) aerospace was something I was really interested in. I always dreamed of NASA,” Roque said.
After receiving a full scholarship to both St. Edward’s University and the University of Houston, Roque decided from her January tour that the hilltop was meant for her, drawn to the size and intimacy of the campus.
Roque started her college career as a Biology major and eventually found a better fit as a Mathematics major. Her mentor, Dean of the School of Natural Sciences Jonathan Hodge, advised her to add a Physics minor to her coursework to support her interest in aerospace. Roque grew interested in physical chemistry, which combines chemistry and differential equations, her favorite branch of math.
NASA-Connected Research on Air Quality in Austin
Since adding her Physics minor, Roque has conducted in-depth research on air quality with her physics professor, Paul Walter.
“I basically analyzed air quality in the East Austin area,” Roque said. “ We actually have two sensors on the roof of JBWS (John Brooks Williams South Science Center on campus) that are NASA Machinery.”
Roque’s research is part of NASA’s AERONET and Pandora projects, measuring atmospheric aerosols and ozone levels to assess air quality in Austin. She was inspired to conduct this research after a 55-acre brush fire in East Austin. The air on campus was smoggy, and her eyes were burning, so she used this information to create graphs to see if future anomalies could be predicted.
Roque presented her research at the 33rd Annual Senior Seminar Symposium, which showcases a culmination of original research by senior students in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science and Mathematics. She was awarded the Dr. M. Jean McKemie Distinguished Mathematics Student Award in May 2025.
It wasn’t until her junior year at St. Edward’s that she started to find her groove on the hilltop.
“Last semester, I really got a lot of my confidence and (felt) like I belong here,” Roque said. “Until I got the McKemie Distinguished Mathematics Student Award, I always felt super average. I have a lot of imposter syndrome. But from all my mentors, like Dean Hodge, Dr. Gee, Dr. Walter, and my academic advisor, Dr. Savala, I felt their support. Hand-picking me for that was just like a huge eye-opening experience for me. I thought, ‘Okay, I have something going on; I'm doing good here.’”
Data Science Internship at Valkyrie
Roque kicked off her summer as a Data Science Intern at Valkyrie, one of the top AI, Machine Learning and Knowledge Engineering firms in Austin. Part of Valkyrie’s business model is to build custom models to support their clients’ needs. She earned this internship through the Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4), whose mission is “to build capacity in interdisciplinary sciences, informatics and emerging technologies as we increase students’ readiness for the 4th Industrial Revolution.”
For 12 weeks, Roque worked for the nonprofit, National Angels, which supports those experiencing foster care. Alongside her team, she helped build a matchmaking model so the nonprofit could match the children and volunteers through a program instead of manually sifting through profiles.
“It's a data science internship, so I was really nervous. I'm not a huge code-heavy person, but that's just kind of how the cards play because I'm doing the Data Science Certificate; so I knew I needed a data science internship for it.” Roque said. “What a consulting company like Valkyrie does is work for companies that aren't code savvy.”
One of her favorite parts of interning at Valkyrie was learning from the women there and being in a space with a woman chief engineer. Now, Roque has the opportunity to work with Valkyrie since she was invited back this fall as a Data Science Intern to work on a new project.
Leadership in STEM on Campus
Roque continues to serve as a Math Lab tutor, where she tutors students in Calculus and Math for Business and Quantitative Reasoning, and she works as a Calculus I Teaching Assistant. She is the founder and president of the on-campus organization, Women in STEM, and the vice president of Math Club. When she’s not researching or studying, you can find her working as a Facilities Supervisor at the Recreation and Athletic Center.
Women in STEM
Roque greatly values learning from women in her field, like her “unofficial mentor” Carol Gee, Professor of Mathematics and Department Chair at St. Edward's University, who serves as the advisor for Women in STEM. The organization is passionate about inspiring other women and young girls to pursue science. Once a year, they visit Galindo Elementary and help out at the school’s science fair, as well as participate in other service projects, such as volunteering at the local nursing home.
Roque hopes to set a strong foundation for Women in STEM before she graduates in Fall 2026.
Roque is also an Ecology Data Science Scholarship Ambassador and mentors a cohort of 15 EDS students. The Ecology Data Science Scholars Program is “a range of generous and innovative support for high-achieving students in specific science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.” In March 2025, Roque competed at the American Statistical Association’s Data Fest at the University of Notre Dame with two other St. Edward’s students, Thu M. (Jennie) Pham and Shu Teng Ong, where they took home the “Best Visualization” award.
S-STEM Scholars Meeting
Once a year, out of the whole Ecology Data Science Scholars Program, three students are chosen from the program to join the S-STEM Scholars Meeting, hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science Center for STEM and Education and Workforce and the National Science Foundation. Here, students attend workshops, network, listen to guest speakers, and meet with advisors from graduate schools. Roque was first invited to attend the meeting in Chicago last year. This year, she presented her research, "Building a Data-Driven Matching Model for National Angels Participants and Volunteers,” at the S-STEM Scholars Meeting in San Diego from October 2 to October 4, 2025.
When Roque finds her free time, she’s often competing in Wednesday-night trivia at Radio Coffee, swimming at Barton Springs or at a concert—she attended twelve last year!
