ISC service(s) or programs/projects: PIPS (management tool for telecom)
Length of time in ISC: Joined ISC and Penn in 2023
Previous work experience: One year as software developer at Oat Foundry (to control smart analog split-flap displays); prior to that, completed Masters degree in South Korea (thesis on MRI brain images as part of Perelman School of Medicine-sponsored competition on brain-tumor segmentation, BRaTS) while also working as a researcher on machine learning at Korea University.
Tell us about a challenge at Penn that made you proud to be part of ISC.
In the Intelligent Automation interest group we are thinking together about how we can use IA to help Penn in general and to solve a variety of specific problems. It’s really cool to see people from different departments coming together to give their own perspective on problems and how to solve them. As a software engineer, I have my own perspective, but at the last meeting I was talking to a lady who’s a librarian! It was really interesting to hear her opinion on how IA is helpful for her in her daily work, and that gave me a different perspective on how it can be used in my own day-to-day work.
What’s an interesting technical or business problem you’ve faced with ISC?
Recently I worked on a project for the PennFlex team where we were trying to cut down on the number of physical phones on campus, since a lot of people don’t use their desk phones any more. So I had to go talk to the techs—it’s incredible when coming to the office to have the cooperation of all these different people—and ask them specific questions. How can we get this done? Where can we pull the relevant information from? Everyone was super helpful. Let’s saythe data showed that someone wasn’t using their desk phone, so we might want to cut off their Penn phone number. Someone from tech support jumped in to make sure I checked whether they were using that number on their soft client (web phone). A lot of people are doing that now and still need their line. I’m a software developer and not a telephony person, so there’s a lot I don’t know. Through every step of the project, the team was really supportive in giving me all the information I needed.
What do you like best about working with clients and colleagues?
Everyone is extremely helpful. Always there to jump in and ask me if I need any help with anything. When I was just starting out, people would come in and introduce themselves, and want to talk. The first week, people took me out for lunch and showed me places around the campus with the best food. They’d tell me about all the things that are going on across campus and the resources you can check out to learn what's going on, like how to attend some lectures that I might be interested in. So I really appreciate that.
How do you stay connected with colleagues in our hybrid work environment?
I try always to reach out to people even when working from home. Just send a message in the chat asking how they are doing. Simply checking in with people is a good way to maintain connections. When I’m on campus, I try to go around the office and talk to as many people as I can—say hi, or grab a lunch with a colleague. We have to make an effort to maintain connections when we can. Even one day a week, it’s good to interact with people in person.
What do you appreciate most about the time you spend on campus?
Again, the people. But also the physical space itself. I was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Penn campus reminds me of home. I really, really like the architecture of the campus. It feels very European to me. It reminds me of my university back home, compared to the rest of Philadelphia, which looks very different from the Penn campus. So taking strolls in the park, just walking around campus—especially in spring and summer. There are a lot of cool places around campus where you can sit down with a coffee on a bench in the shade of a tree and people watch. Though probably food’s the main thing. I really like good food and there are so, so many places you can go and get really good food for lunch.
What are you passionate about in your free time?
I’m passionate about food. I’ve traveled a lot. Ukraine of course, and I lived in Korea for awhile, and now in America I really appreciate all the different cuisines. I love cooking and love eating good food. That’s why I really like Philadelphia—I can get authentic food from almost anywhere in the world. I like exploring the city and finding a cool new place to get some authentic food. Besides that I like powerlifting. That’s another one of my passions. I like working out and sports in general. You know, to burn off all that good food I had before! You have to keep that balance.
What would you like people at Penn to know about you?
I’m a big history nerd. I'm interested in history and political science. I enjoy learning why countries, societies, and cultures are the way they are in an attempt to understand our fellow world citizens. I also really enjoy learning languages. So far I speak four: English, Ukrainian, Russian, and Korean. And with varying success, I’m trying to learn Japanese. So if you speak a second language come say hi and teach me some!