Rohan Narain graduated this year from University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in statistics and data science. This summer, he participated in a Coding it Forward Civic Digital fellowship with mentor Judy Riggie in the Division of Scientific Categorization and Analysis (DSCA) within the Office of Extramural Research (OER).
Narain and his co-fellow, Marissa Joy, spent the summer helping DSCA build a web app that uses natural language processing tools to sort grant information for internal NIH staff.
“Marissa and Rohan are helping us look at the same data in a different way,” Riggie said. Narain focused on text summarizing while Joy focused on quality assurance.
“You can insert an abstract or question and the app will show you related grant summaries,” added Narain.
Coding it Forward fellowships are typically an in-person experience, but with the rapid switch to telework, this summer’s cohort had the unique experience of working virtually. Narain worked from the Bay Area in California.
While teleworking presented some obstacles, it also presented some different ways to meet new people. “I miss the social aspect,” Narain said, “but Coding it Forward has done a really good job of connecting people.”
Riggie agreed that the hardest part of teleworking is missing out on social connections, but she noted that “people are still being really phenomenal about getting the work done and being able to work together.”
Those connections were a big takeaway for Narain. In his time at OER, he enjoyed working with diverse groups of people. “Everyone that I’ve met has had a wide array of different backgrounds,” Narain said.
“I thought it was super fun to meet all these people with different backgrounds that have a common goal of helping people.”
With his time working at NIH concluded, Narain is going to work in research at the San Francisco Federal Reserve and believes his time at OER will translate well there.
“Just being in this environment now and trying to absorb as much as I can, I think I’ll be prepared.”
The Office of Data Science Strategy at NIH works with institutes and centers and with Coding it Forward to bring fresh perspectives to tackle computational challenges facing the biomedical research workforce each summer. ODSS will feature fellows and mentors from the 2020 cohort throughout the summer. Meet Rohan's co-fellow, Marissa, and his mentor, Judy.
