Student News
Undergraduate research in Artificial Intelligence expands horizons for Tony Boos
April 21, 2025
Tony Boos story is part of a larger story called "Commencement stories: Graduates reflect on their time as Lakers."
Today, it’s not uncommon to hear phrases like ‘AI’ or ‘machine learning’ thrown around in conversations. But when Tony Boos started his time at GVSU in 2022, these new technologies were only beginning to gain mainstream awareness.
After two years at a community college, where he received his associate degree in network administration, Boos wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to pursue.
“When I first came to Grand Valley, I figured I’d do some kind of programming. I remember having a vague interest in AI, but I figured I’d never be able to do that,” recalled Boos, who is earning a degree in computer science.
After working as an undergraduate research assistant alongside Zach DeBruine, assistant professor of computing, he now not only knows what he’d like to pursue, but has the confidence, skills and knowledge to achieve it. His research with DeBruine has focused on machine learning with genomics data, specifically single-cell RNA sequencing.
“Basically, you isolate a single cell, sequence the RNA in it, and get a measure of different genes and how expressed they are. Some turn on and off, like metabolism. You don’t want those genes turned on and constantly digesting, because you’ll just digest yourself. It’s got to turn off at a certain point,” he explained. “We’re trying to train the model to learn the structure and specific information: A heart tissue is going to go through a different part of the model than if you give it lung tissue.”
This ability to articulate complex topics is one of the biggest skills he’s developed in his time at GVSU, Boos said. “I’ve gotten used to discussing very high-level concepts, even ones that I've never heard about before.”
The close-knit relationships with faculty and experts in the field is what contributed to this confidence and ability to synthesize complex topics.
“I think doing the research work has helped with that, being on the same level as these professors,” he recalled. “I never had a problem just going and talking to my professors, and every semester, it gets easier.”
Currently in the process of applying for jobs and graduate school opportunities, Boos knows that the worlds of machine learning and Artificial Intelligence are evolving quicker than ever – but he feels ready to enter the field, whatever that might look like for him.
“So much has changed from when I first came in here versus now – myself, my perception of what the field is and where it's going,” he said.
After a fulfilling and transformative experience at GVSU, his advice to future Lakers is to make the most of the resources available on campus.
“If you want to make the most of your time here, you have to go looking for it. It's not going to be handed to you. There are a lot of resources here if you want them.”
Written by Sarah Dudinetz on GVNext. Image credit: Cory Morse.