NCSA Welcomes Chen Wang to the Center Stage!

NCSA’s Chen Wang has been working at the Center for more than six years. With an expertise in atmospheric science and bioenergy, Chen has been an asset to the Software Directorate during her time at the Center. Her work on the Social Media Macroscope project was featured on the website last year, and she continues to innovate and work towards a goal of becoming a top-notch full-stack research software engineer. Here is Chen in her own words.

What is your title and team?

I’m a senior research software engineer (RSE) at the Software Applications and Data Lab (SADL), which is part of the Software Directorate. We collaborate with researchers from diverse fields – environmental science, civil engineering, social science, public health, data science, you name it – to transform their research into software, applications and cyberinfrastructure that are more accessible to the public. At SADL, our team specializes in providing comprehensive, end-to-end solutions.

Tell us a cool fact about your job.

A cool fact about my job is that during COVID, I worked on building the data pipeline that collected and analyzed saliva-based rapid test data on campus, including my own tests. However, bound by HIPAA, I never dared to look up my own results – talk about curiosity killing the cat!

What project(s) are you working on right now?

I’m currently involved in several projects: IN-CORE, Clowder, Illinois Computes and the newly started DAC Hub project. IN-CORE builds cyberinfrastructure to support research on community resilience against natural hazards. Clowder is an open-source data management system for long-tail data that we developed in-house at NCSA. Through an Illinois Computes project, I’m collaborating with Professor Tess McNulty from the English Department. We are integrating YouTube data sources and analytics into the Social Media Macroscope project, which I spearheaded to develop a set of social media analytics tools. Lastly, I recently joined the DAC Hub project led by Jong Lee at NCSA, where we partnered with ISTC to develop an application for planning the optimal location for greenhouse gas-capturing sites to curb climate change.

What inspires you?

Interdisciplinary collaboration inspires me. With a background in environmental science, holding a Master’s in Atmospheric Science and another in Bioenergy, I have followed a non-traditional path into software engineering, which has provided me with valuable perspectives. The fusion of different domains and software engineering, along with the unique viewpoints they bring, truly excites me. I’m fascinated by how software engineering can address the pain points of various fields, how domain-specific needs can drive innovation in cyberinfrastructure and how UI/UX design can set standards within a domain. These intersections of creativity and progress fuel my passion for work.

What might people find you doing outside of work?

Mostly drawing and painting. You can check out the series of posters I created for various projects on the NCSA second floor. Or find me on Instagram! Learning new languages. Participating in the Letters to a Pre-Scientist STEM pen-pal program, where I write letters to 7th graders in California and try to convince them that science is cool. Running with a local running and drinking club. Just a heads up, you might occasionally see me in weird costumes running around Urbana-Champaign. And no, it’s not Halloween. 🙂

If you could have one superpower – any superpower – which would you pick and why?

Telepathy. I’d finally understand what people are really thinking, avoid misunderstandings and make real connections. Plus, my colleagues could no longer joke about me being too loud since I wouldn’t need to make a sound.

What’s your go-to song to raise your mood? Why this song?

Lately, I’ve been looping Ekaterina Shelehova’s Savage Daughter. I love the female empowerment and all the non-traditional possibilities this song expresses. This is the opposite of my upbringing, but I find it very inspiring. My mother probably wouldn’t approve of me being her “savage daughter,” but hey, a girl can dream!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I was having a very hard time in 2015, quitting a PhD program and not knowing where I was going. In my distress, I reached out to my undergraduate advisor. He wrote me eight Chinese characters, 志存高远，热爱生活, which translate to “Aspire high, love life.” This wisdom has helped me navigate through tough times and stay grounded. It’s a beautiful balance – When I was blinded by the difficulty of the moment, I reminded myself to look ahead. When the uncertainty of the future weighs on me, I focus on seizing the present moment and finding joy in the here and now.