A spark of curiosity: Meet Fall 2024 Chancellor Medallion recipient Oona Kintscher
Oona Kintscher, ‘24, had an array of academic interests while growing up in Berlin, Germany that spanned computer science, robotics, biology and medicine. Kintscher thought she might follow her father’s footsteps and become a doctor, but did not feel she quite had the stomach to work with human blood or other fluids.
However, she found inspiration by staying curious about the applications of computer technologies with medicine and health.
“Programming and algorithms came naturally to me,” Kintscher said. “It is interesting to me to see how technology, artificial intelligence and quantum computing is evolving and how much impact it has on our future. I want to do graduate school back home in Germany and combine computer science and medicine to find something that may have not been done before and find potential breakthroughs.”
Kintscher brought her talents to the U.S. in working toward her undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. At the same time, she competed in both singles and doubles with PNW Pride women’s tennis. Kintscher’s passion to keep learning and make a difference for others shined through her different opportunities afforded throughout her academic career.
Strive for excellence. If you allow yourself to aim high, there are a lot of opportunities that will open up for you.
Why did you choose to attend PNW?
“It was a combination of opportunities with athletics and a quality academic program. While we have a good education system in Germany, we do not have the combination of pursuing your athletic goals and a bachelor’s degree.
Especially on the academic side, I had professors who were interested in helping me and always provided support. PNW also has so many applied learning opportunities that help us build our skills and learn how to solve certain problems.
Location-wise, I think it is very good to have a campus like PNW where you are next to a major city. You can focus and lock in on your studies or athletics goals and Chicago is right there if you need a getaway.”
Did you have a pivotal experience while attending PNW?
“I did an internship in summer 2024 at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio applying my skills toward computer programming involved with disease classification and analysis. I worked on a computer algorithm that can take medical images and help with predicting diseases or conditions. It taught me a lot.
I was able to see what a professional work environment looks like. I lived in the dorms of a university close by, met some great people and experienced an American summer.
My interest with applications for medicine influenced my direction for my senior design project, and I am glad I was able to find two other people who wanted to work on it too. In our group of three, one is studying mechanical engineering, another is studying electrical engineering, and I’m computer engineering.
We brainstormed how to combine engineering and software in a medical context and we chose to work on an AI-powered prosthetic hand. All of us collaborated and offered different areas of knowledge for the implementation of the hand’s motors, the microcontrollers and electrical currents and the computer application and machine learning model.”
Were you involved in student organizations or other activities on campus?
“The Eta Kappa Nu honor society with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a great student organization because it allows students in electrical and computer engineering to find other peers in their areas while pursuing their careers. What is also nice is having a combination of seniors who can mentor first-year students to guide them in what they learned during their academic careers.
We were invited to go to the IEEE leadership conference, which showed the excellence of what is out there and allowed us to connect with other professionals and universities.
I also worked as a tutor with Student Academic Support, which was a very good opportunity for me to give something back to other students. The staff in the center are very nice and supportive and it’s a good feeling to be able to give back. Mentoring other students also helped me solidify my knowledge better by explaining it back to others.”
What did you like most about PNW?
“It was the people. I made friends for life, and the people really made a difference in making this place feel like home. My actual home is an eight-hour flight away, but I knew that I had people here who I could lean on and people in my department who always wanted me to succeed.”
What words of advice would you share with prospective students looking to attend PNW?
“Strive for excellence. If you allow yourself to aim high, there are a lot of opportunities that will open up for you. Make that extra step, take the extra credit or opportunity, go join a student organization — all of it allows you to find and establish your place at the university.”
Was there anyone at PNW who inspired or encouraged you along the way?
chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering, professor of electrical and compUTER ENGINEERING
“Both of them had a big impact on my academics. They recognized my strive and desire to learn as much as I can and allowed me to progress by collaborating on projects and giving me different opportunities.”
Meet the Fall 2024 Graduates
Discover what inspires our remarkable Fall 2024 graduates—and how they are Powering Onward to their futures.