Learning to make the best of it
As universities bore the brunt of pandemic safety protocols, with delayed semesters and online classes, homebound students discovered new interests, got inspired and found ways to grow, Cao Chen reports in Shanghai.
According to Liu, who is the recipient of a scholarship by Huawei Technologies, the system leverages technologies like big data visualization and real-time communication web technology and manages data provided by mask manufacturers and subdistricts to determine an efficient distribution strategy.
In a thank-you letter, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce told the university in February last year that the system had helped 6,032 neighborhood committees and 1,182 pharmacies. The system, which was developed in just 16 hours by a team of 18 members from Fudan University's schools of public health and computer science, was also awarded the second prize in a government campaign to recognize voluntary efforts in combating the pandemic.
"System updates required data from every neighborhood and pharmacy. It was a time-consuming process. We did not receive all the data until midnight, which meant that we had to work till 5 in the morning to complete the project," recalls Liu, who was in charge of system development and design.
Looking ahead, Liu says he hopes to work in the field of artificial intelligence, specifically natural language processing, so that he can explore the interactions between computer and human language.
