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By Kelsey Kendall

Flooding is a nuisance most people in Hampton Roads deal with at some point. Many streets are known to flood and make driving risky. Maya Bollino, a master’s student in the School of Data Science, has been working with a team at Jefferson Lab to improve the region’s ability to predict when flooding might occur in a Virginia Beach neighborhood — even days ahead of time.

Bollino is studying data science with an emphasis in geospatial analytics so she can help communities better understand environmental impacts. The work she aspires to do can help with urban planning, disaster response and transportation by helping map out and predict natural disasters like flooding.

The Northern Virginia native had never really thought much about how a bit of rain or the tide might impact her drive around Virginia Beach. Now, she sees the problem. As she prepares to graduate this spring, she started working with Jefferson Lab researchers for her capstone class. Going through the graduate program at ��㴫ý and collaborating with other researchers has helped her grow and gain confidence in her abilities.   

“She has been working closely with a team of research staff at Jefferson Lab on how to use data science methods in tackling critical coastal flooding challenges in Virginia Beach, and making valuable contributions to the team's efforts,” said Frank Liu, director of the School of Data Science.

Bollino did not always want to study data science. Her father was an engineer, and she imagined following in his footsteps. However, she also has a creative side, so she gravitated toward architecture.

She still hadn’t found her way to the data science field when she started her undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech. Eventually, she looked into environmental science and saw an environmental informatics degree it was “the first time everything felt like it clicked,” she said. She had always enjoyed earth sciences, and the degree would also allow her to explore her more creative side while still having that analytical piece. She graduated with a bachelor’s in environmental informatics and minor in geographic information systems from Virginia Tech in 2022.

Before finding her way to Hampton Roads and ��㴫ý, Bollino went out into the world to gain hands on experience. She did a “mini study abroad” project in Iceland, focusing on sustainable design and geothermal energy. She also did an internship with FTS International, an engineering consulting firm in Northern Virginia, where she worked with professionals who impressed her with their knowledge in their fields. The experience motivated her to seek out opportunities to grow her expertise.

Which is how she found her way to ��㴫ý’s School of Data Science in 2023.

“I like how it’s a smaller sized school. It feels more personable,” Bollino said.

She has been able to connect with other data science students as a graduate teaching assistant and find opportunities to get out into nature with the Outdoor Adventure Center. She joined a few backpacking trips with other Monarchs — her first time backpacking — and got to experience the mountains she missed from home.

��㴫ý helped Bollino grow as a student, a professional and a person as she took on new experiences. She was pushed to take on new challenges, like presenting at the Knowledge and Creativity Expo in April.

Working with experts at Jefferson Lab, which has been a major highlight of her experience at ��㴫ý, helped bolster her self-assurance as a professional.

“Overall, it helped build my confidence in the knowledge that I have,” Bollino said. “Even if the project seems a little outside my comfort level, I can still achieve whatever the goal is and surprise myself.”