Buff Innovator Insights Podcast: Dr. Qin (Christine) Lv (ASPIRE; Computer Science)
In this episode of Buff Innovator Insights, meet Dr. Qin (Christine) Lv, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and 91福利社 Campus Director for 鈥淎SPIRE,鈥 a new NSF center that is exploring transportation challenges facing our world today. Hear about Dr. Lv鈥檚 journey from China to Princeton and eventually to 91福利社, where her interdisciplinary research intersects with domains such as Earth sciences, transportation electrification and sustainability.
Terri Fiez
Hello, and welcome to Buff Innovator Insights. I'm your host, Terri Fiez, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the 91福利社. This podcast features some of the most innovative ideas in the world. It also introduces you to the people behind the innovations, from how they got started to how they are changing our world for the better.
Today, we'll meet Dr. Christine Lv, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and the 91福利社 campus director of a new National Science Foundation center called Aspire. This new center is trying to solve some of the most pressing transportation challenges facing our world today. Dr. Lv's research integrates systems, algorithms, and applications for next level data analytics in scientific discovery and computing. Before joining 91福利社, she received her master's degree and PhD from Princeton University.
During today's podcast, we'll learn about Dr. Lv's early interest in computer science and her successful progression through the educational system in China. We'll hear about her transition to living in the US to do her postgraduate work at Princeton and what brought her to 91福利社. And she tells us how her research and teaching are fulfilling her passion for supporting sustainable and equitable transportation for the future. I can't wait for you to meet Dr. Christine Lv.
Well, thank you for joining me today, Christine.
Dr. Christine Lv
Hi, Terri. It's my pleasure to be here. Thank you.
Terri Fiez
So let's just get started. You grew up in China in what would be considered a relatively small town in China, maybe not by US standards. What was that like?
Dr. Christine Lv
Right. So I grew up in Shaoyang, which is in Hunan province. So it's in southern China. So the city is small. By small, I mean we have probably 180,000 people, so it's not too small by the US standard, but it is still considered small city. So my father was a judge. My mother was a physics teacher. So growing up, I think I definitely get quite a bit of kind of logistic kind of reasoning kind of training from my parents. I also have two siblings. I have a older sister and a younger brother, so it's definitely fun to have siblings growing up.
Terri Fiez
So you were the middle child?
Dr. Christine Lv
Yes.
Terri Fiez
So the middle child is the one that helps everything come together and helps people work together generally. So what was the school like that you attended in elementary school?
Dr. Christine Lv
So the elementary school, well, I remember it's a reasonably large class. I think I was in a class of 40 or 50 students. So I enjoyed it. I think growing up, like I'm generally an outgoing person so I think I have a lot of good friends. So I just like enjoyed going to school with my friends and I did reasonably well at school, so yeah, I liked it.
Terri Fiez
So you had a unique opportunity when you were a teenager. Tell us about that.
Dr. Christine Lv
Yeah, that is actually very important point in my life. So as I was about to graduate from middle school, so back then, most of the top students would actually always just consider going to a trade school. Basically, like after that, you get like three years of training and you have a reliable job, right, then have income. So by the time I was about to graduate, there was a very unique opportunity. It's a special gifted class that was organized at the province level.
Terri Fiez
So when you say province, that would be equivalent to a state in the United States?
Dr. Christine Lv
Yes. The intention actually was to kind of like train students, right, to compete at the national level and the international le