The Honors Thesis Journey: Jocelyn Velazquez

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The Honors Thesis is the culmination of Honors students' curriculum, research, and hard work, typically completed during their senior year. Some Honors students fulfill this requirement through a Thesis Seminar, while others do so through an Individually Contracted Thesis, which may involve a research manuscript or a creative portfolio.

This series will feature multiple students throughout the 2024-2025 academic year as they navigate their thesis journeys. This is the first of three articles focusing on Jocelyn Velazquez, a senior double major in computer science and mathematics, who is completing a research manuscript on quantum information science and graph matching.

Read on to learn more about the beginnings of Jocelyn's thesis project!

Q: What is your thesis/ creative portfolio about? How did you come across this topic?

A: My thesis is on quantum information science and graph matching. Basically if you have two graphs, the goal of the thesis is to be able to tell how similar they are, and so if I give you two graphs, you should be able to give me a percent of how similar they are. 

There are many classical algorithms designed for this purpose. Some can determine whether two graphs are exactly the same or completely dissimilar, while others can map one graph to another to measure their similarity. However, there are relatively few quantum algorithms that address this problem. Our focus is on exploring how quantum algorithms can be utilized to solve it.

I came across this topic during my sophomore year. I had always wanted to do research, so I regularly checked the computer science department newsletters. That’s when I discovered a program called Undergraduate Research Volunteers, which the department offers during the summer and winter. The program matches students with a Ph.D. student and a small group of peers to work on a project designed by the Ph.D. student. I was paired with two other students and a Ph.D. student, and we explored graph matching, but solely under a classical lens. I really enjoyed the experience and decided to continue working with him, which I’ve been doing ever since.

Q: What was the proposal process like? Do you have any tips for students?

A: The proposal process was quite interesting for me. Toward the end of last semester, it became especially stressful due to finals and the challenges of moving out. As an out-of-state student, I had to pack everything up and move back to Chicago, which added to the pressure.

I found myself avoiding my proposal because of the stress. By the third week, I realized, 'I need to submit this.' When I finally looked at it, I thought, 'Oh my God, I knew these questions last semester—I could write them out right now without even talking to the professor.' Of course, I did speak with my professor after drafting the proposal, but it was based on ideas we had already discussed. For my thesis, I’m simply building on the work I started during my independent studies.

I realized I already knew the answers, even though the process felt intimidating. I was so afraid of not knowing them or facing extra work, but it turned out I was more prepared than I thought. It was an interesting experience overall.

My biggest tip for students would be this: even if submitting the proposal feels overwhelming, start small. Look at the proposal, talk to your professor about it, and focus on the first step rather than jumping straight to the final step of submission. Taking it one step at a time makes the process feel much simpler and more manageable. It doesn't have to be something big and crazy.

Q: How has your thesis come along so far? What are you planning to do next?

A: The start of the semester was focused primarily on working on my proposal. Now, I've shifted to my literature review, which involves reading a variety of papers on the topic. Fortunately, many of these papers are ones I’ve collected over previous semesters, so I’m revisiting them and ensuring I fully understand the core details—this time with a focus on quantum algorithms rather than classical approaches.

After I complete the literature review, I’ll move on to coding. This semester, I’ll be implementing the quantum algorithm I plan to use, along with the code needed to run the tests. That way, next semester will be dedicated entirely to conducting experiments.

Q: How did you plan the execution of your ideas? 

A: This thesis is essentially the culmination of my independent study work. During these independent studies, I did a lot of similar tasks, but in a more classical manner. Through these studies, I was able to test things like, 'Okay, this is a good experimental method,' or 'I need to consider graphs of this nature, etc.' Using those experiences, I can now apply that knowledge to plan what I’m doing this semester. Essentially, I will be implementing the code and running the experiments that my professor and I have decided would be beneficial. That’s pretty much it.

Q: Why did you choose this topic?

A:  Personally, when I was a sophomore, I was really into natural language processing and other research topics within computer science. I never really considered quantum computing, and it always seemed so foreign to me, so I didn’t have a personal connection to it. It wasn’t until I joined that program that I thought, 'Wow, this is super interesting.' And it wasn’t until last semester that I actually started learning about what quantum computing is, and I thought, 'Okay, this is pretty cool.'

So, this thesis is really just an experiment on what I'm interested in, but it's also super fascinating to me because it seems really abstract. Anytime I talk to someone, they say, "That seems really hard." And I'm like, "Yeah, I don't really know." It seems really hard to me too.

I think there's a stigma around certain STEM topics, and while that stigma can sometimes be justified, as someone who is an underrepresented student in CS, it can be very unmotivating to hear that something is really, really hard. So, I want to dispel the idea that quantum is this really hard, scary thing, and instead show that it's something interesting that you can learn more about. 

I also think it's super cool that it's up-and-coming, similar to how AI had a huge boom and is still going through that. I believe quantum is heading in the same direction.

Q: How does it feel to be completing your Honors Thesis?

A: It feels good, but it's also a little stressful. And by a little, I mean kind of a lot. I want to make myself proud, and I want to make my Ph.D. students and my professor proud. There's a lot of pressure to meet these deadlines, but not just meet them—I'm striving to go above and beyond. I want to show them that I know my stuff, but at the same time, having so many people supporting me makes it really exciting. I'm producing something unique and cool, and they think it's cool too. 

It's exciting to create something that people are excited to see.