BSDS Student Profile: Elaine Liu

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Elaine Liu

Education 
B.S. in Data Science 2027, University of Virginia

Hometown 
McLean, VA

Q: What sparked your interest in data science?

I first gained interest in data science analyzing a dataset on the New York Squirrel Census for a high school project.  It was a straightforward task – I found that brown-furred squirrels were more likely to interact with people and that gray squirrels have the greatest territorial spread across Central Park. But this simple analysis sparked my interest and inspired me to continue working with data.

Q: How does it feel to be a pioneer in UVA's BSDS program as part of the first cohort? What are you most looking forward to during your time in the program?

Being a part of the first cohort in the BSDS program makes me feel a little nervous but mostly excited. I’m most looking forward to the capstone project in our fourth year – specifically, learning more about the full scope of the data science pipeline and how we can apply our skills to real-world problems.

Q: What specific aspect of data science intrigues you the most?

The aspect of data science I find most intriguing is interpreting data into information. Steps like finding patterns, drawing conclusions, and making visualizations all help turn vast amounts of numbers into useful statistics we can make sense of. To me, finding meaning in data makes my work meaningful.

Q: How do you plan to use responsible data science for the common good?

Personally, I am interested in the intersection between environmental science and data science. The quantity of environmental data is exponentially increasing, so the demand to handle all this data is also rapidly growing. In the future, I hope to use data science to help tackle sustainability/conservation challenges and help shape future environmental guideline

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Q: What has surprised you about the BSDS program so far?  

Something that surprised me was how flexible the program has been. The faculty recognize that these courses are being taught for the first time and have asked for our feedback on multiple occasions. It’s clear that this program was created with flexibility in mind, allowing room for growth and improvement.

Q: What extracurriculars, clubs or sports are you involved in? 

I’m a currently a supervisor for the ceramics club and looking to join scuba diving.

Q: What is a fun fact or two about you? 

My go-to boba order is jasmine milk tea!