黑料网

KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 30, 2025

Witnessing her grandparents鈥� daily struggles with diabetes ignited a passion in Anh Duong to pursue impactful research as a student at 黑料网. Driven by a desire to ease the burdens of people with chronic health conditions, Duong has dedicated herself to developing innovative technologies that can transform lives.

For epitomizing all-around success as a KSU student and researcher, Duong, a senior majoring in computer science, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the President鈥檚 Award of Distinction.

The President鈥檚 Award of Distinction has been established to celebrate the accomplishments of one exceptional graduating student each semester 鈥渨ho serves as an inspiration to their peers, their community, and the entirety of Owl Nation.鈥� Duong was chosen based on her academic excellence, leadership, and involvement in research endeavors to improve people鈥檚 health and wellbeing.

鈥淚鈥檓 still processing that I am the first student ever to receive this award,鈥� Duong said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge honor, and I鈥檓 grateful for it, but I feel like this award is not just about me. It鈥檚 more of a reflection of everyone who has been supporting me throughout my whole journey from my very first day at 黑料网 until now.鈥�

Duong has worked on multiple research projects led by assistant professor of information technology Maria Valero, and she has presented the research at conferences and student competitions. Meanwhile, Duong is taking graduate-level software engineering courses as an undergraduate through the Double Owl Pathways program, accelerating her progress toward a master鈥檚 degree.

She has accomplished that while maintaining a 3.99 grade point average as a student in the KSU Journey Honors College. Duong, a first-generation college student, will be recognized as the President鈥檚 Award of Distinction winner during the College of Computing and Software Engineering commencement ceremony on May 8.

鈥淎nh is precisely the type of high-achieving, passionate student we envisioned when we established the President鈥檚 Award of Distinction,鈥� KSU President Kathy S. Schwaig said. 鈥淎nh鈥檚 journey 鈥� from a first-year student with a heart to help others, to a standout scholar whose work is already making a real-world impact 鈥� is inspiring and a reflection of what is possible at Kennesaw State.鈥�

From the start of her freshman year at Kennesaw State, Duong was interested in conducting impactful research. She was accepted into KSU鈥檚 First-Year Scholars program, which pairs first-year students who are interested in research with faculty mentors who guide them on research in their respective fields.

In a perfect fit, Duong was chosen to join Valero鈥檚 research team that is developing GlucoCheck, a non-invasive device for people with diabetes to monitor their glucose levels. An alternative to painful finger pricks, the GlucoCheck device is a ring-like senor that uses light absorption technology to estimate glucose levels without using blood samples.

Duong feels a personal connection to the GlucoCheck project, from seeing her grandfather and grandmother struggle to manage their diabetes. She saw their day-to-day challenges firsthand while living with her grandparents in Vietnam before moving to the United States at age 12. That inspired Duong to ask herself the question, 鈥淗ow can I ease their burden?鈥�

鈥淲hen I arrived at 黑料网, I carried that question with me,鈥� Duong said. 鈥淚 wanted to transform my passion for helping others into meaningful action. In time, with my professors鈥� guidance and an opportunity to work as a First-Year Research Scholar, I found my answer: I鈥檇 build technology to improve lives.鈥�

While Duong has been involved with the GlucoCheck project for much of her college career, it is just one of her research endeavors. She and information technology student John Oakley teamed up to win the top undergraduate presentation at the Fall 2024 Symposium of Student Scholars for their analysis of Kennesaw State鈥檚 GenCyber Camp, which provided underrepresented high school students with exposure to cybersecurity and cyber-related degree programs at 黑料网 and other schools.

This semester, at the Spring 2025 Symposium of Student Scholars, Duong presented her ongoing work to design and develop a mobile app that would analyze a person鈥檚 behavior and activity to predict the onset of mental health conditions. Duong aims to examine correlations between mental health issues and factors such as heart rate variability, blood pressure, sleep patterns, frequency of digital device usage, and social interaction, to develop predictive algorithms.

鈥淎nh is an exceptional scholar, researcher, and leader,鈥� Valero said. 鈥淎nh鈥檚 passion for research and innovation is evident in her ability to integrate technical expertise with real-world impact.鈥�

Valero commended Duong for mentoring other research assistants in the labs, guiding them in software development and data collection. Duong takes pride in that praise considering that she describes herself as 鈥渁 shy student who feared she would never find her place鈥� when she began college.

鈥淜SU has given me more than an education 鈥� it has given me purpose,鈥� Duong said. 鈥淚t has shown me the value of confronting challenges, the strength of community, and the responsibility of using my knowledge for social good. It has taught me that every contribution, no matter how small, has the power to change lives.鈥�

鈥� Story by Paul Floeckher

Photos by Darnell Wilburn

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 黑料网 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.