A double major in computer science and math, Shen credits lessons from MIT—along with a lifelong passion for drawing—with shaping her career. Her favorite class was Project Laboratory in Mathematics, where students present creative answers to intricate math puzzles. “The class helped me talk about what I do with different audiences,” she says. 

Though she appreciates elegant algorithms, she understands when they’re impractical: “You can build a super-sophisticated algorithm, but if it doesn’t bring more audience engagement, it doesn’t really matter.” 

Read more at www.technologyreview.com/alumni-profiles.