Sneha's Experience
Participants ·What were the most challenging moments in developing the app?
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Because I haven’t worked with RStudio or created an R Shiny app, at first it was difficult to structure my code in a logical way and even figure out the syntax of different statements. Another challenge I faced was balancing my tasks within my subgroup and being a part of session 2, as session 2 members were still working on the pathway modules. However, with the support of my team leads and by finding online resources, I was able to learn to create the necessary code.
What were some of the most enjoyable/memorable moments from the project?
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I really appreciated how welcoming team leads and members were throughout the project. Even as a person with little prior bioinformatics experience, I was able to work with my peers and contribute something. I particularly enjoyed our Zoom meetings which felt more personal because everyone kept their cameras on. It felt good presenting to a team, getting feedback, and crunching out solutions.
Were there any unique aspects of the project that you particularly enjoyed?
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I thought that it was interesting that the RShiny product we are creating is geared towards students, so that they can learn about the pipeline steps involved in analyzing microarray data. Looking back a few months ago, before starting this project, I see how such an app may have been helpful to broadening my understanding when I had little experience with genomic data.
What is the one thing you will take away from this experience?
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One thing I will take away from this experience is that a team is meant to share ideas and issues. I often found myself stuck in trying to come up with a way to solve an error thrown by my code or adjust the output in some way. After looking online and feeling stumped, I finally reached out to my mentors or team leads who were able to drop me a hint within minutes. Sometimes asking for help takes a little courage, but I found that the backing of a team only enables me to learn more.