To Yejin is currently a PhD Student studying Statistics. According to Yejin, “My work proposes a formal framework for analyzing spatial dependence in functional data and planar curves, with a particular focus on distinct sources of variation. My approach uses functional marked point processes and trace-variograms to evaluate whether functional objects exhibit spatial dependence, serving both as an exploratory tool and a formal statistic. Applied to cell nucleus outlines in tumor vs. non-tumor regions of breast cancer histopathology images, the approach uncovers new insights into cancer progression and illustrates how accounting for different types of variation can refine our understanding of biological processes.” Furthermore, Yejin articulates that this award provided an opportunity to share their research with a wider audience.