Meet the 2019 Fellows: National Institutes of Health
Students taking innovative approaches to improving public health in America
This post is part of a series introducing the 2019 Civic Digital Fellows, a cohort of 50+ students working to improve the federal government with their computer science, data science, design, and product management skills. Meet some of them below.
Meet the Fellows
Alaz Sengul
Alaz is a rising junior at Columbia University studying Computer Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. As someone with a wide variety of interests, I have always known that I wanted to combine my love for computer science with interdisciplinary fields. I am excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow because it means that I will be able to use my skills to help find tech solutions to existing problems within our society. I also love the idea of getting to know a cohort and team that will support me through it all.
Q. What is your favorite thing about technology, and why?
A. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that owning a computer presents a huge creative opportunity. Practically any idea I have in my head can in some way be translated to a screen, and this capability is what enables software and technology to tackle the challenges of our modern world.
Amit Rajesh
Amit is a rising sophomore at Cornell University studying Computer Science and Chemistry.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. The US government has earned a reputation of being frustratingly slow and inefficient (and not without reason). Being a Civic Digital Fellow gives me a unique and exciting opportunity to help solve this problem. Hopefully, I can utilize my technical skills to help modernize the federal government for the digital age — something that can all of us can benefit from.
Q. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?
A. I would love to visit Indonesia. It consists of thousands of volcanic islands and has a unique fusion of East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern culture. I believe Indonesia is one of the most unique and underrated countries on Earth, and I will surely go there at least once before I die.
Ariel Langer
Ariel is a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley studying Data Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. As a current undergraduate student, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I would like to use my degree in data science for after I graduate. I enjoy data science because it lets me think critically and creatively as I apply computer science to real-world challenges. I want my work in technology to have an impact on society and am excited that the Civic Digital Fellowship will give me a chance to see first-hand what a career at the intersection of technology and public service might look like.
Q. What is your favorite thing about technology, and why?
A. The tech industry relies a lot on open source information which reflects the tendency towards collaboration and the sharing of knowledge among people in this field. I love that people are passionate about sharing ideas in order to make meaningful innovations that shape the lives of others. It is ultimately the climate of creativity, curiosity, and collaboration in the field of technology that makes me so excited to work in technology spaces.
David Frankel
David is a rising sophomore at McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis studying Computer Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. My mission is to create technology for social good, a pursuit that perfectly aligns with the Civic Digital Fellowship. Whether I am hacking together a transportation app to help combat the challenges of transit deserts, designing a system of navigation for blind or visually-impaired users, or creating an app to improve the health of older adults, technology has allowed me to create software that improves lives. The Civic Digital Fellowship has all the components that I am looking for: social impact, large audience, government involvement, and technology.
Q. What is a fun fact about yourself?
A. When I was 10 I got my chance at 15 minutes of fame by playing a flute rendition of the Harry Potter theme song on TV. That’s probably where you know me from.
Isaac Robinson
Isaac is a rising junior at Yale College studying Computer Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. The Civic Digital Fellowship is an incredible opportunity to explore my passions for technology and healthcare while having a meaningful impact. On top of that, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to feel out government work as a career, as opposed to social impact startup work which I’d previously focussed on. And as if that weren’t enough, the Fellowship will surround me with many people going through similar explorations in many different fields and agencies, giving me an opportunity to learn and explore even more through them. This Fellowship is exactly how I want to be spending my summer.
Q. What is your favorite thing about technology, and why?
A. I like how with technology you can just sit down and start working on something. I think the emergence of computer science as a dominant tech makes it easier for people with an idea to sit down and make their idea into a reality. That modern relative ease of implementation is why I started programming.
Nik Marda
Nik is a rising junior at Stanford University studying Computer Science and Political Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I’m excited to work on high-impact problems in the intersection of government and technology. As a Product Management Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, I’ll be shaping valuable tools for scientists and citizens across the country. I’m also thrilled to work alongside a cohort of like-minded peers. I’m proud to be part of a real movement to bring more young technologists into the public sector.
Q. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?
A. Antarctica. I love hiking and stargazing, and I would love to waddle with the penguins and bask in the glory of the southern lights. Also, I’m from Minnesota, so the weather couldn’t be much worse!
Sam Kim
Sam is a rising junior at Duke University studying Biology and Computer Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I’m looking forward to using data science to improve research at the National Institutes of Health. I have always wanted to help people, and I see this Fellowship as the perfect chance to step back from my lab bench or laptop and effect real change. I’m also very excited to meet other Data Science Fellows and hear their stories about what led them into this niche field.
Q. What is your favorite thing about technology, and why?
A. I love the optimism that comes with technology. Though the rapid rise of technology can pose its own problems, the recent advances in high-throughput research, biotechnology, and machine learning inspire massive amounts of potential that promise to help the lives of many people.
Sarah Frost
Sarah is a second year Master’s student at the University of California, Santa Cruz studying Computational Media.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I am passionate about understanding audiences and creating responsive, intuitive technological projects. The Civic Digital Fellowship is the perfect setting to build on the skills that I have learned in previous work and in academic classes. As a Fellow, I am excited to do useful work for the NIH and learn about technology roles in the federal government. Technology is the key to a successful, efficient government, and I want to be a part of implementing and developing new technologies for government agencies.
Q. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?
A. One day I hope to visit the International Space Station. I want to orbit the earth in 90 mins while experiencing zero gravity!
Vivian Cheung
Vivian is a recent graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she studied Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I’m excited to step way out of my comfort zone! When I came across the Civic Digital Fellowship, I was so excited to apply because it felt like a perfect opportunity to apply my interest in helping others and developing technology. I look forward to meeting industry leaders and to learn from other fellows about their journey in civic tech. As I graduate from college this year, I’m eager to see what lies ahead and start this new chapter in my life!
Q. What is a fun fact about yourself?
A. Justin Bieber follows me on Twitter! My proudest accomplishment from the 6th grade.
The Civic Digital Fellowship is a first-of-its-kind data science and technology internship program for innovative students to solve pressing problems in federal agencies. Check out our website for more information and to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when applications for our 2020 cohort open.
