Meet the PRAs – Kira Cuneo

Meet Kira Cuneo ’23, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in Engineering Management.

Meet Peer Research Ambassador Kira Cuneo.What is the focus of your research?

I work in the Geo-environmental laboratory within the Civil and Environmental Engineering department on the Crumbling Foundations research project. The project focuses on exploring solutions to combat the foundation crisis that homeowners in Connecticut are experiencing due to the reaction of pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide mineral, with oxygen and water.

Why did you get involved in research?

I first started to look into research as a freshman because I wanted to find a way to further explore my major outside of the classroom and become more involved on campus. I was interested in learning more about what research was and how I could become a part of it.

What advice would you give to aspiring student researchers?

Don’t be afraid to reach out to professors! Professors enjoy having passionate undergraduates work on their projects and if you show initiative and interest that can go a long way. It’s not all about your major or what school year you’re in.

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research?

I enjoy how many people I have been able to meet and work with. In my lab there are people in all years and in many different majors. I enjoy hearing about other people’s journey with research and also learning about what they are interested in.

Describe the impact your research experience has had on you.

Research was one of the only things I was able to participate in on campus during COVID and it has also been something that I have been most consistently involved throughout my time at UConn. It has been a big part of my undergraduate experience and I really enjoy being on a project that has a direct impact on people in Connecticut and even beyond. I feel lucky that I have been able to be on this project for the amount of time that I have and have been able to help on many different aspects of the project.

Click here for more information on Kira and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.