🌟Alumni Spotlight: Selena Luo 🌟

👋 Meet Selena Luo(she/her) who spent summer 2025 as a research and software intern with the HIDIVE Lab at Harvard Medical School! 🧬💻

🧭 Selena joined the lab through the HuBMAP Summer Research Program. The application required a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, and a ranked list of preferred labs. After selecting HIDIVE as her first choice, she received her internship offer by email without an additional interview process.

🔬 During the internship, Selena contributed to Easy Vitessce, a Python package that transforms static PNGs of single-cell visualizations into interactive visualizations. Built on Vitessce, the package aims to simplify the complex setup process and make interactive data exploration more accessible.

🖥️ Through this project, Selena gained hands-on experience developing a Python package, using GitHub workflows, creating technical documentation, and contributing to a research-focused software project.

🌱 Her advice to students considering research:

“Research programs can be especially valuable for students exploring graduate school or a PhD.”

💡 Selena encourages students who are still deciding between research and industry to use these experiences to better understand which path fits their goals. For students already certain they want to enter industry, she recommends also considering traditional internships or co-ops.

Congratulations, Selena, on an exciting summer of research and software development! 🎉

🙌 Our Careers Survey is always open and is the first step to sharing your story too. Link is in the comments!

**#StudentSpotlight #UMassAmherst #CICS #SoftwareEngineering #Research #Python #DataVisualization #HarvardMedicalSchool #ManningCICS #ComputerScience #Informatics**

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