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UBC Faculty of Forestry > Student Stories > Andy Chen (Wood Products)

Andy Chen (Wood Products)

August 23, 2024 | Author: Matthew

Research Assistant; University of Victoria, Math and Statistics Faculty

Andy Chen at his work-term with the University of Victoria

Hi, my name is Andy Chen and I am currently a Research Assistant at the University of Victoria for my first co-op workterm. I am a research assistant for Dr. Xuekui Zhang in the math and statistics faculty where I am working on a project, Diagnostics of Viral Infections Using High-Throughput Genome Sequencing Data.

This term I have been learning about data analysis and machine learning models to diagnose plants correctly in order to prevent further infections. I have learned to code in R to process this data. Viral plant infections cause major economic losses and with no treatment for virus-infected plants, accurate and efficient diagnosis is important for preventing and controlling these diseases.

In the co-op program, I have learned what a data analysis career consists of and I can determine if I would like to pursue it as a future career path. I have also learned many new skills that are useful for future employment.

I realized I am enjoying this job as it makes me feel I am positively contributing to the world even if it is as small as diagnosing plant viruses through data analysis. I feel motivated and proud to work and be able to contribute to a good cause.

Posted in: Student Stories, Wood Products
Tagged with: Co-op, Forestry Co-op, Student Stories, Wood Products

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