config.yaml

baseURL: "https://echen.io"
languageCode: "en-us"
title: "echen.io"
theme: hugo-profile-v2

urls:
  blog: https://blog.echen.io

Paginate: 50
# disqusShortname: gurusabarish
googleAnalytics: G-8HBZE4Q212

markup:
  goldmark:
    renderer:
      unsafe: true

  tableOfContents:
    endLevel: 2
    startLevel: 1

Menus:
  main:
    - identifier: your mom
      name: Lists
      title: Lists
      url: /lists
      weight: 2

    - identifier: blog
      name: Blog
      title: Blog posts
      url: https://blog.echen.io
      weight: 3
    - identifier: writing
      name: Writing
      title: Writing
      url: /shorts
      weight: 1

    #Dropdown menu
    # - identifier: dropdown
    #   title: Example dropdown menu
    #   name: Navigate
    #   weight: 1
    # - identifier: dropdown1
    #   title: About
    #   name: About
    #   url: /#about
    #   parent: dropdown
    #   weight: 1
    # - identifier: dropdown2
    #   title: Experience
    #   name: Experience
    #   url: /#experience
    #   parent: dropdown
    #   weight: 2
    # - identifier: dropdown3
    #   title: Extracurriculars
    #   name: Extracurriculars
    #   url: /#extracurriculars
    #   parent: dropdown
    #   weight: 3
    # - identifier: dropdown4
    #   title: Projects
    #   name: Projects
    #   url: /#projects
    #   parent: dropdown
    #   weight: 4
    # - identifier: dropdown5
    #   title: Achievements
    #   name: Achievements
    #   url: /#achievements
    #   parent: dropdown
    #   weight: 5

params:
  title: "echen.io"
  description: Eric Chen's personal homepage
  # staticPath: ""  # The path to serve the static files from
  favicon: "/favicon.png"

  theme:
    disableThemeToggle: false
    # defaultTheme: "light" # dark

  # font:
  #   fontSize: 1.5rem # default: 1rem
  #   fontWeight: 500 # default: 400
  #   lineHeight: 1 # default: 1.5
  #   textAlign: right # default: left

  # color preference
  color:
    #   textColor:
    #   secondaryTextColor:
    #   backgroundColor:
    #   secondaryBackgroundColor:
    primaryColor: "#5e8ac7"
    #   secondaryColor:

    darkmode:
      #     textColor:
      #     secondaryTextColor:
      #     backgroundColor:
      #     secondaryBackgroundColor:
      primaryColor: "#5e8ac7"
  #     secondaryColor:

  # If you want to customize the menu, you can change it here
  navbar:
    # align: mx-auto # Left: ms-auto | center: mx-auto | right: me-auto | Default: ms-auto
    # brandLogo: "/logo.png" # Logo for the brand | default is the favicon variable
    # brandName: "Profile" # Brand name for the brand | default is the title variable

    menus:
      disableAbout: true
      disableExperience: true
      disableEducation: true
      disableProjects: true
      disableAchievements: true
      disableContact: true

  # Hero
  hero:
    enable: true
    intro: "Hi, my name is"
    title: "Eric Chen."
    subtitle: "I like to create things."
    content: "I'm interested in people, philosophy, and technology. In my free time, I write for the web."
    image: /images/keneric.jpg
    button:
      enable: true
      name: "Resume"
      url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/ecstaticfiles/resume.pdf"
    socialLinks:
      fontAwesomeIcons:
        - icon: fab fa-github
          url: https://github.com/cloudui
        - icon: fab fa-twitter
          url: https://twitter.com/below_ocean
        - icon: fab fa-linkedin
          url: https://linkedin.com/in/ericchen03
      customIcons:
        # - icon: /fav.png
        #   url: "https://example.com"

  # About Me
  about:
    enable: true
    title: "About Me"
    image: "/images/boat.jpg"
    content: |-
      **Welcome!** I'm Eric, and I'm a rising senior studying Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland. I have a small presence online via my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/below_ocean), my [short-form writing](/shorts), and my [blog](https://blog.echen.io), where I share advice and my inner musings. The topics I write about include:
      - Technology and the Internet
      - Cognitive Science and Pyschology
      - Areas of Science
      - Culture and Politics
      - Cloud Computing
      - Popular media

      My hobbies include playing basketball, writing, breakdancing, chess, watching K-dramas and anime, learning, and solving twisty puzzles. 

      I am interested in you, too! Find me in my socials below.

    # Career-wise, I specialize in deep learning, full-stack development, DevOps, cloud computing (AWS, GCP), product design, and consulting. I will be working extensively 
    # with robotics, microprocessor design, and FPGA design in the future.
  # Gallery
  gallery:
    enable: true
    items: 
      - image: /images/gallery/japstore.jpg
        description: |-
          Editing myself into a digital drawing of a nighttime Japan. Original art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/q93beR">Jaume Rovira Llorca</a>. 
      - image: /images/gallery/kirby.jpg
        description: Kirby looming in the background of Philadelphia. This was my second ever Photoshop project.
      - image: /images/gallery/graffiti2.jpg
        description: |-
          Graffiti Pier in Philadelphia. I biked here to see the sunrise and also contribute (allegedly) to the cultural
          landmark. Borrowing the e-bike ended up costing me and my friend almost $60 for only 2 hours of use.
      - image: /images/gallery/graffiti.jpg
        description: Graffiti Pier doused by the orange glow of the sunrise.
      # Summer 2023 SF
      - image: /images/gallery/commons.jpg
        description: The Commons in downtown San Francisco. This is where I went for my first ever writing club.
      - image: /images/gallery/flower.jpg
        description: Some beautiful red and yellow flowers I saw in downtown Menlo Park.
      - image: /images/gallery/hoover_tower.jpg
        description: Stanford's famous Hoover Tower glowing from the sunset. 
      - image: /images/gallery/lands_end.jpg
        description: The first view from Lands End in San Francisco.
      - image: /images/gallery/lands_end2.jpg
        description: Foggy overlook on the hiking trail at Lands End. I was with Jason and Brianna. 
      - image: /images/gallery/menalto_tree.jpg
        description: A very tall tree near the hacker house on Menalto Avenue. The branches have a really intricate pattern.
      - image: /images/gallery/oregon_pkway.jpg
        description: Saw a crazy cloud formation on Oregon Parkway in Palo Alto on my way to the YMCA gym.
      - image: /images/gallery/palo_alto.jpg
        description: A beautiful nighttime picture of downtown Palo Alto. This was my first night after getting to the bay. The vibes here are fantastic.
      - image: /images/gallery/stanford_rainbow.jpg
        description: A surprising rain-free rainbow spotted on Stanford campus with Maxwell. It was a real sigh to behold.
      - image: /images/gallery/stanfordflower.jpg
        description: Some cool orb-shaped red and yellow flowers in the courtyard of Stanford.
      # First Iteration
      - image: /images/gallery/floridasunset.jpg
        description: The sunset of my last day of a trip to the national parks of Florida.
      - image: /images/gallery/butterfly.jpg
        description: A vibrant blue butterfly at the Butterfly Garden in Key West, Florida.
      - image: /images/gallery/gtown.jpg
        description: After sunset looking over the Washington Harbor in Georgetown. 
      - image: /images/gallery/paintedladies.jpg
        description: A view of the painted ladies on my weekend trip to San Francisco.
      - image: /images/gallery/pyonchen.jpg
        description: A picture of my freshman dormitory taken from the 4th floor. 
      - image: /images/gallery/redcar.jpg
        description: A picture of a vintage red car during a car show in Howard County. 
      - image: /images/gallery/terpsracing.jpg
        description: A baby formula car that I built with Terps Racing at the University of Maryland. I helped build the body and aerodynamic components, which were made primarily from carbon fiber.
      - image: /images/gallery/tjefferson.jpg
        description: A view of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. near sunset.  
      - image: /images/gallery/vsafam.jpg
        description: My family in the Vietnamese Student Association. My big is Kelly, and my sibs are Alex, Jonathan, and Ari.
      - image: /images/gallery/fn45.jpg
        description: Modern couple's dance performance at UMD Vietnamese Student Association's 45th cultural show
      - image: /images/gallery/gummybears.jpg
        description: An iconic picture I took at Black Hill Regional Park symbolizing a friend group I had in high school.
      - image: /images/gallery/hcat.jpg
        description: One of almost 60 of the 6-toed cats at the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida.
      # - image: /images/gallery/eric.jpg
      #   description: My first ever Photoshop project. It's clear that I didn't really understand perspective and compositing that well yet.
      - image: /images/gallery/janesisland.jpg
        description: A stylized photo of Janes Island, Maryland near sunset on a camping trip.
      - image: /images/gallery/montara.jpg
        description: Montara Lighthouse in California. I stayed here for a night, my first time at a hostel. 
      - image: /images/gallery/nsunset1.jpg
        description: A beautiful pink and purple sunset in my neighborhood in Potomac, MD.
      - image: /images/gallery/nsunset2.jpg
        description: A very unusual collection of pink-tinted clouds in my neighborhood in Potomac, MD. 
      - image: /images/gallery/seahorse.jpg
        description: A unique angle looking up at the Antelope Canyons in Arizona, forming the shape of seahorse.
      - image: /images/gallery/umdfootball.jpg
        description: One of the football games I watched at SECU stadium at the University of Maryland.
      - image: /images/gallery/fire.jpg
        description: Manning the campfire on my annual camping trip at Janes Island (2019).
  
  experience:
    enable: true
    items:
      - job: "Software Engineer Intern"
        company: "Viam"
        companyUrl: "https://viam.com"
        date: "May 2024 - Aug 2024"
        content: |-
          This most recent summer, I interned at a Series B "robotics" startup in NYC founded by Mongo founder and former-CTO Eliot Horowitz. Viam has the vision to 
          build a centralized platform for hardware and robotic components, allowing developers to easily create smart, internet-connected machines. We have a lot of 
          cloud platforms nowadays that helps manage servers for us. Viam helps us manage connections between hardware, providing an easy interface to control things like
          cameras, motors, sensors, and robotic arms.

          I worked on the Robot Development Kit, responsible for creating the drivers for all of our supported hardware components. I helped fix a critical
          memory management bug plaguing our most popular component: the Raspberry Pi 4 (with over 22k users). Using my knowledge of microprocessors, hardware, and software interfaces,
          I wrote a new module that overhauled the previous Pi 4 component, fixing one of the most critical bugs on Viam's platform. 

          I also did some work with high-precision GPS drivers and testing, which may be important for Viam's future customers. 

      - job: "Generative AI Intern"
        company: "Mobius"
        companyUrl: "https://mobiuslabs.xyz"
        date: "May 2023 - Aug 2023"
        # featuredLink:
        #   enable: true
        #   name: "View the project"
        #   url: "https://example.com"
        content: |-
          In the summer of 2023, I worked at Mobius Labs, a very early-stage 6-person startup based in Menlo Park, California. Mobius is leveraging tools that 
          allow corporations to integrate generative AI into their business processes. I worked on fine-tuning generative AI models such as 
          text-to-image models and open source LLMs. 

          I was also responsible for staying up to date on the latest technologies in the AI space that could be valuable to the company's products. I experimented with
          emerging AI technologies such as LLM plugins and tools. 

          Stuff I worked on:
          - Built data analytics tools with LLMs
          - Tested viability of LLM tools to become potential products
          - Deployed models on AWS to run open source LLMs (text-generation-webui, Sagemaker, custom AMIs on EC2)
          - Worked with LangChain, Q&A chatbots, and agents
          - Built chat interfaces with Docker, React, and FastAPI
          - Constructed demos for potential enterprise customers using Streamlit
          - Created product demos to help secure enterprise contracts and VC funding

        # Why did I choose a startup? 
        # - I feel like I will be able to contribute to more crucial aspects of a company and hence, make more of a difference.
        # - I'm looking for the excitement of working for a Silicon Valley startup with driven and motivated founders. 
        # - I am particularly interested in exploring generative AI, which I likely wouldn't be able to at an established company.
        # - I will likely be able to contribute to multiple aspects of the company instead of one strict regimen.
        # - I can see what goes into a business model, how a startup adapts, and how how a small company is run. 
      - job: "Machine Learning Engineer"
        company: "Mailchimp"
        companyUrl: "https://mailchimp.com"
        date: "Jun 2022 - Sep 2022"
        # featuredLink:
        #   enable: true
        #   name: "View the project"
        #   url: "https://example.com"
        content: |-
          I worked within the Data Science Division - MLOps Team at Mailchimp/Intuit. I experimented with methods to optimize the deployment of data science models to production. 

          I audited three of the datascience pipelines and proposed a myriad of problems and solutions relating to documentation, testing, versioning, notebook development, and production readiness.
          I was responsible for automating Python and SQL documentation generation and version control. I 
          integrated the solutions into our new repository templates.

          Some of the cool technologies I worked with and learned:
          - Kubernetes and Docker
          - Jenkins and Airflow
          - Python Library Template Engines
          - Google Cloud Platform
      - job: "Cohort 40 Member"
        company: QUEST
        companyUrl: https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/quest
        date: "Mar 2022 - Present"
        content: |
          I am a part of the QUEST (Quality Enhancement Systems & Teams) Honors Program in Cohort 40. QUEST is an interdisciplinary program for 
          business, engineering, and science students to gain hands-on experience within the industry by partnering with large corporations. 
          We learn how to communicate with clients, create solutions to real problems, and work within intellectually diverse teams.

          For the first course, my team and I designed Verbalinkd, a platform to connect immigrant restaurant owners connect with service professionals that
          they can communicate with. A large portion of immigrant entrepreneurs struggle with language barriers on a daily basis, and we aimed to alleviate
          them. Read more about that [here!](/projects/verbalinkd/)
          
          My group consulted for the University of Maryland's Engineering Career Services, where we designed potential solutions
          to help alleviate issues relating to registration and check-in for employers at our school's career fairs. Read a detailed report about our 
          story [here!](/projects/engineering-career-services)

           Our curriculum consists of the following:
          - BMGT 190H: Introduction to Quality and Design
          - BMGT 438A: Applied Quantitative Analysis
          - BMGT 390H: Designing Innovative Systems
          - BMGT 490H: A Capstone project where students consult QUEST's coporate partners on an identified organizational challenge

      # Trailblazer
      - job: "Head Coach and Administrator"
        company: "Trailblazer Debate"
        companyUrl: "https://linktr.ee/trailblazerdebate"
        date: "Sep 2021 - May 2022"
        info:
          enable: true
          content: Organize classes seasonally.
        content: |
          We teach public forum debate to middle school students around the country. 
          I have coached students on how to plan debate strategies, organize evidence, think critically, and speak with authority. 
          I handled Trailblazer's sign-up, administrative organization, advertising, and financial system. 
          Our team has successfully hosted 6 debate camp sessions so far!

          Our Curriculum:
          - Public Forum Debate Fundamentals
          - Basics of Argument
          - Public Speaking, Rhetoric, and Clarity
          - Research, Writing, and Analysis
          - Notetaking, Responses, and Strategy

      # UMD ML
      - job: "Machine Learning Research Intern"
        company: "UMD"
        companyUrl: "https://complex.umd.edu/"
        date: "Jun 2020 - Aug 2020"
        info:
          enable: false
        content: |
          I conducted a research project at what would be my future alma mater in my junior year of high school. Having exprimented with Twitter's Developer API before my internship, 
          I was inspired to do machine learning research on public sentiment on the social media platform. I worked under Dr. Daniel Lathrop and Dr. Heidi Komkov of the Nonlinear Dynamics Laboratory.
          - Designed an Artificial Neural Network with Pandas, Scikit-Learn, and TensorFlow to predict the exposure of tweets using sentiment analysis. 
          - Created a custom data pipeline using Python and the Twitter Application Programming Interface. 
          - Collaborated with mentors to determine and optimize hyperparameters for making predictive estimations of exposure.
          - Presented research to laboratory and peers.

      # NIH
      - job: "Data Science Research Intern"
        company: "NIH"
        companyUrl: "https://nih.gov"
        date: "Aug 2019 - Nov 2020"
        featuredLink:
          enable: true
          name: "Abstract"
          url: "https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/80/16_Supplement/2763/642171/Abstract-2763-Identification-of-mouse-embryo-genes"
        content: |
          I and four other collaborators studied the effects of gene expression during embryogenis on cancer metastasis. We queried the E14.5 mouse embryo database using CBioPortal, one of the
          leading online hosts of cancer research data.
          - Queried and identified a dozen critical cancer-related genes in the central nervous system of the E14.5 mouse embryo
          - Performed statistical analysis and analyzed Kaplan-Meier Curves for each gene using cBioPortal genomic datasets

          Our abstract was accepted by the AACR, and we were invited to present at their annual conference in 2020. Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, we were not able to present.

  # Education
  education:
    enable: true
    index: true
    items:
      - title: "B.S. in Computer Engineering"
        school:
          name: "University of Maryland - College Park"
          url: "https://umd.edu"
        date: "2021 - 2025"
        GPA: "3.97"
        content: |-
          Minor in Robotics and Autonomous Systems |
          Academy of Machine Learning

          Honors Programs:
          - University Honors
          - QUEST - Collaborative Business and Engineering Teams Program

          Accolades: 
          - Electrical and Computer Engineering Scholarship 2024
          - Moose Family Leadership Scholarship 2024
          - Ted & Janice Smith Endowed Scholarship 2023
          - L3Harris Corporate Partners Scholarship 2022
          - James W. Dally Endowed Scholarship 2022
          - Derek H. Blume Memorial Scholarship 2022
          - Northrop Grumman Environmental Sustainability Challenge Champion 2022
          - Dean's List (6x)

          Extracurricular Activities:
          - Bitcamp Organizer | Tech Director
          - Terps Racing SAE Formula - Composites Team
          - SEDS Liquid Rocket Team - Data Acquisition Team Lead
          - Terps in Space Researcher

          Relevant Coursework: 
          - **Computer Science**: Computer Systems, Organization of Programming Languages, Algorithms, Big Data with R, Object-Oriented Programming,
            Advanced Algorithms, Quantitative Analysis (Python)
          - **Engineering**: Discrete Signal Analysis, Engineering Design, Electric Circuits, Digital Logic Design, Digital Systems and Circuits, 
            Signals and System Theory, Computer Organization, Machine Learning, Intro to Robotics, Advanced Computer Architecture, Microprocessors
          - **General Math + Science**: Probability, Differential Equations, Discrete Mathematics, Multivariable Calculus
          - **Other**: Intro to Design and Quality, Entrepreneurship, Systems, and Design

          Upcoming Coursework:
          - Autonomous Robots Capstone
          - Consulting Capstone
          
        # featuredLink:
        #   enable: true
        #   name: "My academic record"
        #   url: "https://example.com"
      - title: "Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program"
        date: 2017 - 2021
        school:
          name: "Montgomery Blair High School"
          url: "https://mbhs.edu"
        # GPA: "4.2 out of 5.0"
        content: |-
          Extracurricular Activities: Science Bowl Team (B Captain), Math Team, National Circuit Debate Team (Public Forum), Astronomy Team (Captain), Rubik's Cube Team (Regional Champion)
        # featuredLink:
        #   enable: true
        #   url: "https://example.com"

  # Achievements
  achievements:
    enable: true
    items:
      - title: Electrical and Computer Engineering Scholarship 2024-2025
        content: Awarded by the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department within the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
      - title: Moose Family Endowed Scholarship 2024-2025
        content: Leadership scholarship awarded by the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland.
        url: https://studentaffairs.umd.edu/scholarships/moose-family-scholarship
      - title: Ted & Janice Smith Endowed Scholarship 2023-2024
        content: Awarded by the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department within the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
        url: https://eng.umd.edu/ted-and-janice-smith-scholarship-computer-engineering
      - title: L3Harris Corporate Partners Scholarship 2022-2023
        content: Awarded by the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
        url: https://eng.umd.edu/industry/corporate-partners
      - title: James W. Dally Endowed Scholarship 2022-2023
        content: Awarded by the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
        url: https://eng.umd.edu/james-w-dally-endowed-scholarship
      - title: Derek H. Blume Memorial Scholarship 2022-2023
        content: Awarded by the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department within the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
        url: https://ece.umd.edu/news/story/memorial-scholarship-created-to-honor-derek-hans-blume-03
      - title: 1st Place - Northrop Grumman Environmental Sustainability Challenge 2022
        content: Designed and built an IoT storm water management system to prevent runoff and flooding on residential properties
        url: http://mtech.umd.edu/ng/challenges/northrop-grumman-mission-systems-innovation-challenge-environmental-sustainability.html
      - title: Science Bowl Regional Champion, National 9th Place 2021
        content: Nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics.
        url: https://science.osti.gov/wdts/nsb
      - title: 4x American Invitational Math Examination Qualifier
        content: Second level of AMC Series Math Competitions. Qualified 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021.
        url: https://www.maa.org/math-competitions/invitational-competitions#:~:text=USA(J)MO-,American%20Invitational%20Mathematics%20Exam,number%20between%200%20to%20999.
      - title: Chesapeake Ocean Sciences Bowl Champion 2020
        content: Buzzer-based academic competition with a focus on oceanography and earth science.
        url: https://oceanleadership.org/national-ocean-sciences-bowl/
      - title: NSDA Chesapeake Debate Tournament Champion 2020
        content: Won regional NSDA circuit debate tournament in the public forum division. Reached double elimination at national championship.
        url: https://www.speechanddebate.org/nationals/

  # projects
  projects:
    enable: true
    items:
      - title: Echen's Blog
        content: Want to learn about personal development, booming tech, and the college experience? Take a look at my personal blog that I created with Hugo.
        image: /images/projects/echenblog.png
        featured:
          name: Site
          link: https://blog.echen.io
        badges:
          - "Hugo"
          - "HTML"
          - "CSS"
          - "JS"
        links:
          - icon: fab fa-github
            url: https://github.com/cloudui/echen

  # extracurriculars
  extracurriculars:
    enable: true

  #Contact
  contact:
    enable: true
    content: Send me an email if you have any questions. My inbox is always open.
    email: ericchen314@gmail.com
    btnName: Email me

  footer:
    recentPosts: false
      
    socialNetworks:
      github: https://github.com/cloudui
      linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/ericchen03
      twitter: https://twitter.com/below_ocean
      instagram: https://instagram.com/violeric
      # reddit: https://echen.io
      # facebook: https://facebook.com