Young Student Innovator
Omer Wants to Innovate Social Entrepreneurship Ventures in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
At 18, Omer is making strides in the world of engineering and expanding his skillset to be a changemaker in upcoming years!
Research Bootcamp Scholar 2024
From Egypt, Omer plans to major in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Science, AI, or both. This passion for understanding engineering technologies has motivated him to publish a paper on Advancing Model-Based Systems Engineering in Biomedical and Aerospace research during the Research Bootcamp cohort 2024. His goal is to expand his knowledge, skillset, experiences, and connections in college and through his career, using these along with his major of interest to pursue innovative + social entrepreneurship, as well as philanthropic ventures. Omer specifically plans to leverage the "Matthew Effect," where he aims to gain acceptance into a top university, opening doors to various opportunities, including but not limited to: connections, learning environment (being surrounded by like-minded peers), educational quality, and most importantly, work opportunities such as summer programs, internships, research funds, and the ability to conduct research with the best professors all over the world. With all the gained connections, knowledge, and experience, he will have the foundation to start pursuing his social & innovative entrepreneurial ventures in the fields he is truly passionate about, allowing him to address global challenges while working on innovative ventures! By his participation in the Research Bootcamp, Omer gained invaluable experience in academic research, working in a team setting receiving guidance from mentors from Cornell University, University of Ottawa, Stanford University and more.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about research?
Omer: Research is fun! When I first heard about research, I thought you had to be a super genius or someone with a PhD to do research. However, after working on my own research project, I realized that not only is it fun, but anyone who is passionate about contributing to science or discovering something new will be able to work on high quality research even if you're still in high school! The fact that you know you are contributing to advancements in a field, even if it's just a tiny contribution, excites you and makes the entire process feel fulfilling and fun!
Tell us what you specifically loved about the Research Bootcamp.
Omer: Honestly, as cliché as it may sound, everything.
1. Cost: The program is very affordable, ensuring that everyone from all backgrounds can participate.
2. Team & Project Allocation: During the on-boarding process, I liked that there were essays used to allocate a project and team for you, based on your interests and past experiences.
3. Sessions: All the sessions were very high quality. I specifically liked the fact that the sessions that were not live were self-paced, so you could watch them in your own time before the next session.
4. Program Support: Throughout the duration of the program, we had support whenever we needed from advisors and mentors.
5. Assignments: The assignments were explained really well during the sessions, and the instructions made it much easier for us to finish our assignments.
6. Awards: The presence of the awards, Young Student Innovator (YSI) and Team Awards, provided motivation and drive throughout the program duration. In addition, it allows for the recognition of your work.
7. Post-bootcamp Support: This was my favorite part of the program. We were provided with immense post-bootcamp support that lasted almost 3 months. The support mainly included helping us with publishing our paper.
When you think about the future of research and where it’s headed in the next decade, what role do you hope to play in shaping that future?
Omer: My research paper was on advancing model-based systems engineering in biomedical and aerospace research. In that paper, we introduced a new concept, the Dynamic Risk Management Framework (DRMF), that could be implemented in the future of MBSE. I hope that my research paper, including the new proposed concept, contributes something to science, even if just a little. I also plan on continuing to work on other research projects related to this field. In fact, I have already started working on my second research paper which is related aerospace! Additionally, as I hopefully major in Aerospace Engineering, I aim to continue working in research in that field during and beyond college.
Is the program ideal for young high school students considering research is a very vast and advanced field?
Omer: Definitely! With the right guidance that Incognito Blueprints provides, the process is not as difficult as you would expect. Don't get me wrong, you are still going to have to work hard, REALLY hard. I myself thought you had to be a super genius or someone with a PhD to do research. However, after working on my own research project, I realized that not only is it doable at the high school level, but anyone who is passionate about contributing to science or discovering something new will be able to work on high quality research even if you're still in high school! The fact that you know you are contributing to advancements in a field, even if it's just a tiny contribution, excites you and makes the entire process feel fulfilling, enjoyable, and maybe even easy!
What song is the soundtrack to your life?
Omer: “Giorgio by Moroder” by Daft Punk is the perfect mirror of my life. This song is about Giorgio Moroder, a musician who beat all odds and rose as a music pioneer. The 9 minute long track starts with his humble beginnings, having great dreams but no resources to pursue them. Being from a small town, where no one else went down his dream path before, he faced many roadblocks. However, this did not stop him. He relentlessly pursued his dreams of combining creativity, imagination, technology, and innovation, spending most nights sleeping in his car, in front of a discotheque, for 2 entire years. And the track continues with his boundary-pushing innovation. Giorgio shows that his goal was not just to be successful, but all he wanted was to craft new ideas and push the limits of what’s possible.
What individual inspires you?
Omer: Elon Musk. He is a pretty common inspiration, but for different reasons for different people. To me, it's because he is a "Jack of all trades, master of all." Yeah, I know that is not how the figure of speech goes. "Normally," it's "Jack of all trades, master of none," but I am interested in many and every thing! It's hard for me to stick to one thing, and seeing Elon Musk pursue multiple ventures at once and being the best in all of them really inspires me.