{"id":11867,"date":"2017-07-13T14:15:54","date_gmt":"2017-07-13T18:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/?p=11867"},"modified":"2019-07-21T20:03:25","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T00:03:25","slug":"meet-the-sail-interns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/2017\/07\/13\/meet-the-sail-interns\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the SAIL Interns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/nexusjul17\/\">[Return to Nexus Newsletter]<\/a><\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By Yanshu Li<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you enter the\u00a0Hariri Institute for Computing at 111 Cummington Mall, a slightly low-profile street on the east campus <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of Boston University,<img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0646-e1495934143503.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0646\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\" class=\"wp-image-11878 size-full alignleft\" \/>\u00a0quite frequently you will find a group of young people exchanging ideas and discussing the progress of their projects on a 72-inch screen in a conference room with glass walls. They are the software engineers and the interns at SAIL, BU\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/sail.bu.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Software &amp; Application Innovation Lab<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SAIL is a unique, collaborative resource housed within the\u00a0Hariri Institute.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched in 2014, SAIL\u00a0provides researchers with professional software development capacity in support of computational and data-driven projects that require cutting-edge solutions. The lab initiated a\u00a0student internship program\u00a0in the summer of 2016 to provide BU students with unique experiential learning opportunities. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meet\u00a0the spring 2017 SAIL interns:<\/span><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pk_pfu9FBlw\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>Ben Getchell (CGS \u201909, CAS \u201911, GRS \u201917)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ben Getchell (CGS \u201909, CAS \u201911, GRS \u201917) was one of the first participants in the internship program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getchell completed his undergraduate students at BU with a major in philosophy and minor in math; then he returned for a graduate degree in computer science. After meeting with SAIL\u2019s Director Andrei Lapets and Senior Software Engineer Frederick Jansen, Getchell became fascinated with the\u00a0<\/span><i>Views of Education Across Nations<\/i><span class=\"alignnone\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0project, which was using natural language processing to validate the thesis of Cathie Jo Martin, professor of political science at the College of Arts &amp; Sciences, regarding the outcomes of varying models of education reform.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-1\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.24.36-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ben-Getchell-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ben-Getchell-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ben-Getchell-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe whole job is coding, and you get exposed to different flavors of software engineering,\u201d says Getchell. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He has also worked on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multi-Party Computation for 100% Talent<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project, developing a web application to support a secure data analysis process for over 60 of the largest employers in Boston.<img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0009-636x422.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0009\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11870\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat\u2019s fun!\u201d says Getchell. \u201cI like working with crypto and network securities. And you have the opportunity to work on the projects that are in line with your interests.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getchell credits the diverse projects at SAIL with having broadened his horizon and guiding\u00a0him to a variety of practical career options.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI was interested in computer science by modeling video games since I was a kid,\u201d says Getchell. \u201cAlso, computer science provides a more viable career than philosophy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With enthusiasm for the humanities, math and computer science, Getchell hopes to land in the research field of physical science following his recent graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Raphael Baysa (CAS \u201917)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During his time as a SAIL intern, Raphael Baysa worked on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amicus Curiae Briefs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project. Led by Dino Christenson, Associate Professor of Political Science (CAS), the project is building a web application to present data about amicus curiae briefs that have been filed over the past century. Baysa and Jansen, the staff advisor on the project, developed lean tools and packages that allow for web-based queries of a network of briefs.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-2\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.25.14-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Raphael-Baysa-individual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=2\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Raphael-Baysa-individual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Raphael-Baysa-individual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe thing I like about web applications and making things from a scratch is that there are many ways to do it,\u201d says Baysa. \u201cSo finding the best way means considering what the client wants.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SAIL provides an environment where Baysa experienced what it\u2019s like to be a professional software developer by working with a team engineers, meeting weekly for updates, and discussing how to distribute work.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis is definitely something that exposes me to what I am going to be doing in the real world,\u201d says Baysa.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raphael Baysa met Lapets while he was taking Lapets\u2019 Combinatoric Structures (CS 131) course. When the internship program launched, Baysa jumped at the opportunity to apply. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0040-636x422.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0040\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11877\" \/>\u201cAs students, I feel like there are\u00a0not a lot of opportunities\u00a0to develop software engineer skills,\u201d said Baysa. \u201cThis is one thing I really appreciate about SAIL.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\" class=\"alignnone\"><br \/>\nWith a highlighted, taper fade hairstyle, Baysa is a self-described creature of routine who\u2019s looking forward to the 9 to 5 life. \u201cI feel like I am not a \u2018class\u2019 kind of guy,\u201d said Baysa. \u201cI like hands-on things, rather than sitting in lectures and reading. I want to go straight to full-time work after I graduate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Rudhra Raveendran (CAS \u201920)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rudhra Raveendran likes to build things. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raveendran has experienced the power of coding since he was in high school. As a computer science major whose favorite subject has\u00a0never been math, the most enjoyable part of Raveendran\u2019s work at BU is participating projects that let him bring his imagination to life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFor computer science, at least the practical aspect of it, you can make things really easily. And it\u2019s really fun to be able to see your creations come to life,\u201d says Raveendran. \u201cIt has always been a creative outlet for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since joining SAIL in spring 2017, Raveendran has been working on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spinal Cord Injury &#8211; Functional Index (SCI-FI)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project, a web survey platform that spinal cord injury patients can be taken remotely to gauge their healing progress.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-3\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.25.41-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Rudhra-Raveendran-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=3\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Rudhra-Raveendran-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Rudhra-Raveendran-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI found it\u2019s a really interesting project because it\u2019s my first time working on something that is medically-related. \u00a0Most of my projects have always been making websites and games, and this feels like it has a lot more significance behind it. So, it\u2019s fun to work on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aiming to join a company such as Google or Microsoft as a software developer after graduation, Raveendran credits SAIL with providing key career development opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAt least the first few years right after college, I want to be making things,\u201d says Raveendran. \u201cAfter that, hopefully, I will be able to start my own thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ryan Walsh (CAS \u201917)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another SAIL software engineer intern who has contributed to the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCI-FI<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project is Ryan Walsh, a computer science major who graduated this past May.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-4\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.27.08-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ryan-Walsh-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=4\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ryan-Walsh-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ryan-Walsh-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Walsh participated in both backend and frontend development and had to adapt quickly in order learn new things during each component of the project. Working with Shreya Pandit, a SAIL software engineer, and the rest of the team, Walsh was impressed by the open and nurturing environment at SAIL. He especially appreciated the transparency between interns and staff and the interactions between different projects. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0031-422x636.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0031\" width=\"213\" height=\"321\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11872\" \/>\u201cHere, you really know what everyone is working on. Even if you never touched that project, you\u2019ll have an idea of what is going on,\u201d says Walsh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Walsh is planning to relax over the summer and then find a well-established start-up company to work with fellow software developers who are excited about innovative projects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For incoming freshmen who are interested in computer science, Walsh advises, \u201cyou have to have a natural \u2018like\u2019 for this. You definitely can&#8217;t do it if you are not enjoying it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDon\u2019t freak out if it\u2019s really hard. It gets easier, you learn to enjoy it, you get to do really cool stuff. So just hang in there,\u201d says Walsh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Jacqueline You (CAS \u201916, MED \u201920)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Jacqueline You volunteered at the Inpatient Unit of Beth Israel Hospital during high school, she realized how much she enjoyed being helpful to patients. \u201cGiving out blankets, providing people with books and magazines, getting them things to make them comfortable, and also just having a\u00a0conversation with patients,\u201d are what You recalls most fondly about her experience. \u201cWhile doing that, I discovered I really enjoyed interacting with patients and seeing them light up.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During\u00a0her experience as part of a caring and warm medical team, she developed a new goal for herself: to become part of such a team.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-5\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.28.38-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Jacqueline-You-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=5\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Jacqueline-You-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Jacqueline-You-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, during her freshman year at BU, medical school was still an abstract idea. Instead, You majored computer science because of one visual basic programming class in high school that she thought was \u201cenjoyable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You, one of the first SAIL interns, is now involved in two projects: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GUN-CULTURE<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobile and Electronic Health ARC<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0069-422x636.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0069\" width=\"213\" height=\"295\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11873\" \/>SAIL has provided You an eye-opening view of research both at a medical center as well as at a large university.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think that given that I am interested in academic medicine, knowing how to talk the technology talk, as well as talk to researchers, is going to be a valuable skill going forward,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After graduating with her bachelor&#8217;s degree in computer science in 2016, You decided it was time to pursue her interest in medicine. Now an MD Candidate at BU\u2019s School of Medicine, she\u00a0is confident and clear about her unique path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMedicine does require people who think outside the box, and who bring different approaches to the table. One of [those] is the technological approach,\u201d says You. \u201cI think computer science is a great strength to have as a medical student.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Sreeja Keesara (CAS \u201919)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two things Sreeja Keesara likes most about being a SAIL software engineer intern: the learning curve and the flexibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-6\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.29.23-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Sreeja-Keesara-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=6\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Sreeja-Keesara-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Sreeja-Keesara-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working with an archaeology Ph.D. candidate on one of SAIL\u2019s projects, Keesara needed to learn how to program on a Windows machine, something she had never done before. Motivated by the database aspect of the project, Keesara installed a virtual machine to run Windows programs on her Mac and worked through that to learn all the new commands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balancing between internships and coursework, Keesara is appreciative of the freedom that SAIL affords her to manage her own time.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf I get my work done, I can learn a lot on my own terms, and I can still manage my classes, homework and everything else,\u201d she said. \u201cI definitely have a lot of independence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both of Keesara\u2019s parents are software engineers. But she wasn\u2019t bitten by the software bug until she took CS 111 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Programming in Python<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI really loved it, I really loved the professor,\u201d said Keesara. \u201cThen, I just stuck with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Majoring in computer science, Keesara chose to minor in economics and statistics because of her eagerness to learning about data science and her willingness to conduct research in different fields.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDon\u2019t easily get intimidated,\u201d Keesara says to incoming freshmen considering a computer science major. \u201cReally, [it] just comes down to logic and problem-solving. If you can do that, or if you can take your time to think through a problem, then it\u2019s perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ibrahim Shaikh (CGS \u201919)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ibrahim was planning on majoring in economics before he spent some time delving into mobile app development the summer before starting at BU. The simple iOS app he created changed everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI fell in love with it right away,\u201d says Ibrahim. \u201cIt\u2019s so fun to see how you can create something completely brand new just by spending a few hours on a computer and then actually be able to use it in real life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shaikh became a SAIL intern in January 2017 and has worked on multiple projects that cover a range of disciplines.\u00a0He<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0considers \u201cdebugging\u201d one of the most satisfying aspects of programming, despite admitting that it\u2019s one of the best and the worst parts of the work. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOnce you figure out the very last bug or the last error, the reward is great,\u201d says Shaikh.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-7\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.30.31-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ibrahim-Shaikh-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=7\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ibrahim-Shaikh-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Ibrahim-Shaikh-Individual-Video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shaikh advises incoming freshmen to constantly be looking for new opportunities during their time at BU. \u201cUse your time to your advantage and get involved with everything you can,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He admits that his own path has not always been as easy as developing his first mobile app. But, he won\u2019t give up, and he urges incoming students to develop the same, tough mindset. \u201cJust keep pushing through. It\u2019s going to be a long night and a lot of homework. But it will be worth it in the end,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>David Wang (CAS \u201917)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0530-636x422.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0530\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11874\" \/>David Wang began his internship at SAIL during summer 2016. He has worked on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCI-FI<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eye Tracking,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nielsen<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> projects during his time at the lab. The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eye Tracking<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project, led by faculty members at Sargent College, aims to interpolate scripts from an older eye-tracking machine to newer models. The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nielsen<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> data project is working to create a faster cloud interface for querying large amounts of data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having completed his bachelor&#8217;s this May (with a major in computer science), Wang will spend his summer as an intern at Amazon Digital Music in San Francisco, hoping to explore career options on the west coast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for his advice to incoming freshmen, \u201clearn how to take care of yourself very fast, especially for computer science. If you are going to continue on this path, you gotta learn, like me, to be able to eat and sleep,\u201d says Wang.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Chang Gao (CAS \u201917)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe math was not like what I thought it would be,\u201d says Chang Gao, noting it has less to do with being \u201csmart\u201d and everything to do with working hard. Gao had this revelation after she took her first math class at BU. Prior to that, she had always thought she was \u201cbad at math and computer science.\u201d Since being at BU and discarding her previous misconception that being good at math requires an incredibly high IQ, Gao found her own perspective on studying math.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a process where you get familiar with the number, the format, everything,\u201d says Gao. \u201cWhen you work hard, you will get it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-8\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.30.11-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Chang-Gao-individual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=8\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Chang-Gao-individual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Chang-Gao-individual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gao worked on the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AMICUS-NET<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data Mechanics<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> projects during her SAIL internship. With limited experience working with the programming language, she and the rest of the team went through an extensive learning process.<img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0568-422x636.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0568\" width=\"213\" height=\"321\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11876\" \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cI guess computer scientists are learning throughout their whole life,\u201d she says. \u201c The area is changing so fast, so we have to keep learning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encouraged by the sense of achievement she felt while mastering computer science skills in a few intro-level courses, Gao declared a dual major in computer science during her junior year. \u201cThe more I learn, the more desire I have to implement the algorithms and models into a more concrete format,\u201d says Gao.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gao notes her appreciation for everyone she\u2019s met at BU. She credits their support with guiding her through hurdles and uncertainty, and she\u2019s proud of this new, more technical path that she\u2019s paving for herself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Linlan Chen (GRS\u201917)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linlan Chen began her journey in software engineering while seeking her undergraduate degree in China. She had a mentor who was strict but very helpful \u00a0&#8211; \u201ca life teacher\u201d as Chen states.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to pursue her academic goal, Chen chose to continue her education abroad, instead of accepting her mentor\u2019s offer to begin graduate school in China. She came to BU in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-11867-9\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" poster=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Screen-Shot-2017-07-01-at-8.30.47-PM.png\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Linlan-Chen-indivisual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4?_=9\" \/><a href=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Linlan-Chen-indivisual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4\">\/hic\/files\/2017\/07\/Linlan-Chen-indivisual-video-with-SAIL-logo.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chen participated in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IKEA Data Record Linkage<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> project at SAIL. Her familiarity with the tools and techniques required by the project gave her a great sense of confidence. Nevertheless, she worked incredibly hard to overcome the language barrier and bring her amicable personality and cultural perspectives to the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2017\/05\/DSC0600-636x422.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC0600\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-11869\" \/>Her vision for SAIL is to increase the number and scope of projects available in order to allow more interns to join the team in the future. She advises prospective interns to \u201cwiden your horizon first. Because it is important to know your preferred track in computer science and corresponding experience while you are hunting for a job.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regarding her time in Boston, or as Chen calls it, the \u201cgarden city,\u201d she says, \u201cyou can see flowers and trees everywhere. It made me feel happy every day.\u201d Chen will be working as a machine learning intern at Facebook this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diverse talents in the internship program have been instrumental in contributing to the dynamic environment at SAIL through their curiosity, hard work, and discipline. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a serene summer night, if you walk down Hinsdale Mall, the quiet street between the Hariri Institute and College of Communication, you\u2019ll probably see lights still on in the SAIL offices. The team\u00a0values long days full of achievement and excitement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/nexusjul17\/\"><strong>[Return to Hariri Nexus Newsletter]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you go inside Hariri Institute for Computing at 111 Cummington Mall, a slightly low-profile street on the east campus of Boston University, quite frequently you will find a group of young people exchanging ideas and discussing progress of their projects on a 72-inch screen in a conference room with glass walls. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12989,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11716,11767,11768,11728,11801],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11867"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12989"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11867"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12255,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11867\/revisions\/12255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}