Hello, I am Maya!

Student, Developer, and Friendly Gal

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  • Name: Maya Nigrin
  • Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
  • School: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Age: 21 Years
  • Hometown: Buffalo, NY

I am a student in MIT's class of 2021, pursuing a major in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics. I have been studying computer science since my sophomore year in high school, and am comfortable coding in Java, Python, C++, HTML, CSS, Javascript, React, and Typescript. When I'm not in classes, I'm often doing research or AI software development as part of the Quest for Intelligence at MIT. I've also done software engineering, data science, and machine learning internships with Vivint Smart Home, Arcadia Funds, Klaviyo, and Microsoft, and have been a CS instructor with Juni Learning since my freshman year of college.

I'm also involved in a variety of extracurriculars on campus, including MIT Muses (MIT's all-female acappella group), MIT's Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, Code for Good, and MIT Skydiving Club. In the rare moments I'm free, I also enjoy painting, playing piano, and exploring Boston!

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My Education

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Bachelors Degree | 2017-Present

    Major: Computer Science

    Minor: Mathematics

    Relevant coursework: Computer Systems Engineering, Ethics in Engineering - AI/CS, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Probability & Random Variables, Software Engineering, Computer Graphics, Computation Structures, Machine Learning, Introduction to EECS via Interconnected Embedded Systems, Mathematics for Computer Science, Fundamentals of Python, Introduction to Algorithms, Differential Equations, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra

  • University at Buffalo - Gifted Math Program

    2011-2017

    Awards: Founders Award

    Graduated with 22 college credits including classes such as Calculus I - III, and Linear Algebra

  • Nichols School

    High School Degree | 2013-2017

    Awards: High Honors, Cum Laude Society, National Merit Scholarship Finalist, Strachan Computer Science Award

My Experience

  • Klaviyo

    Software Engineer Intern | Boston, MA (Remote) | June 2020 - August 2020

    • Partnered with a full-time Klaviyo engineer to build font importing and storing infrastructure so that customers can use custom fonts in their Klaviyo-created content, allowing them to maintain a cohesive brand throughout their website
    • Used React, Typescript, and Redux to build a font management interface to incorporate user’s custom fonts into their content
    • Worked on and received approval for a plan for the project architecture, including data models, type structures, and an API contract
    • Partnered closely with Product and Design to build with the user experience in mind
    • Wrote automated tests using React Testing Library & did extensive manual testing of each aspect of the feature

  • Quest for Intelligence - The Bridge

    Researcher and AI Software Developer for the Gaze Coding Project | Cambridge, MA | February 2020 - Present

    • Used video processing, AI, and ML to automate the labeling of babies’ gaze direction in early cognition research videos
    • Completed the CITI Program Human Research: Data or Specimens Only Research - Basic Course
    • Discussed and outlined the ethical ramifications of the project alongside several different ethicists
    • Created and tested several classification models to label babies' gaze direction using GCP Video Intelligence
    • Figured out how to and wrote documentation for connecting to a Debian VM from a Windows PC with X11 forwarding
    • Modified OpenGaze docker implementation to use X11 forwarding in order to resolve core dumping issues
    • Wrote a Python script that takes in an OpenGaze video processing output and converts it into a properly-formatted gaze label TSV

    View the open-source project my work was added to here.

  • Microsoft

    Azure Machine Learning Intern | Boston, MA | January 2020 - February 2020

    • Used MLflow to create an end-to-end system that can intake a dataset, run a model, and output the results and statistics to your Azure ML account
    • Integrated a differentially private logistic regression model created by IBM
    • Created a differentially private linear regression model compatiable with scikit-learn using the covariance method
    • Worked with Harvard and Microsoft researchers on a differentially private stochastic gradient descent model

    View the open-source project my work was added to here.

  • Klaviyo

    Software Engineer Intern | Boston, MA | June 2019 - August 2019

    • Changed existing logic for settings update so that it would no longer trigger historical data sync, and added separate historical sync feature to the UI
    • Rewrote code to import CSV files and cut down upload time for a file with 500,000 rows from 12 hours to 15 minutes
    • Updated infrastructure to separate out API calling from business logic and added instrumentation to collect data on interactions with APIs

  • Quest for Intelligence - The Bridge

    Researcher and AI Software Developer for the K-12 Education Initiative | Cambridge, MA | February 2019 - June 2019

    • Trained a ProGAN on castle images from MIT's Places2 dataset
    • Used Gandissect to analyze the nodes of the network and understand which node generates what
    • Helped integrate the results of Gandissect with front-end code that used Scratch to create a kid-friendly program that allows them to interact with the GAN

    View the open-source project my work was added to here.

  • Arcadia Funds, LLC

    Data Analytics Intern | Burlington, MA | January 2019 - February 2019

    • Built a variety of machine learning models to identify potential auto loan borrowers who are likely to default
    • Created a program that scraped a web form to collect data on cars’ value over time
    • Coded in Python and used a variety of data visualization and machine learning tools (Keras, Tensorflow, Sklearn, Pyplot, etc)

  • Vivint Smart Home

    Software Intern | Boston, MA | June 2018 - August 2018

    • Investigated the data pipeline from surveillance cameras to database
    • Researched and prototyped new server infrastructure to increase efficiency and lower cost
    • Learned usage of Docker, Google Cloud Platform, Terraform, GStreamer, and FFmpeg, among others
    • Presented summary of my research and explained my prototype
    • Collaborated on and presented project answering question: What will the interconnected lifestyle look like in 10 years?

  • Juni Learning

    Senior Instructor | December 2017 - Present

    • Teach computer science video lessons for children ages 9-16
    • Instruct students in Scratch, Java, web design, and introductory, intermediate, and advanced Python programming classes
    • Create tutorial videos that walk through how to create projects in Python, Scratch, and Java

Projects

Click on any project to learn more

Movie Findr

This program (built for HackMIT 2020) lets users swipe through movies or type in their favorites and then easily figure out what movie to watch with their friends.

AutoBrailler

This device sits on a Braille typewriter and connects to a computer. The associated program takes in a text file and triggers the appropriate buttons on the brailler to type the file contents.

Alumni Map

I created a page for the MIT Muses website that features an interactive map & list that are autopopulated by Google Forms responses to help keep Muses members and alumni connected.


Scratch GANPaint Extension

I adapted a game that interacts with a GAN for the popular coding platform for kids, Scratch. I did both the ML model setup and training, and the front-end & back-end intergration.

ProGAN Translation

I built code to convert a Tensorflow-trained proGAN into a Pytorch model with the same structure to allow for model dissection.


Personal Website

I built this website by combining two existing HTML/CSS & Javascript templates and modifying the result to fit my needs.

Custom Chrome Extension

Overrides "new tab" page and shows html page that displays date & time, useful links, and a notepad that can be edited and saved.

My Extracurriculars



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MIT Muses

The MIT Muses is MIT's only all-female-voice-part acappella group. We perform at concerts and various gigs on and around MIT's campus!

I am currently co-Music Director of the Muses, which means I am part of the Executive Board. I also lead the group musically and organize rehearsals, in addition to other responsibilities. I've held many different positions in the group during the past couple years, though, including Auditions Manager, Publicity Chair, Social Chair, and Choreographer.





MIT Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program

The Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, or UPOP, is a yearlong professional development program that prepares MIT sophomores for success. It is designed to help students develop communication, leadership, the ability to work in teams, and other career skills.

I participated in the program my Sophomore year, and I now attend their alumni events when possible.

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MIT Skydiving Club

MIT Skydiving Club is an organization consisting of current MIT students, alumni, and local skydiving enthusiasts. The purpose of the club is to connect those interested in skydiving, and help those who are interested in the sport to pursue it!

I am currently an AFF student, which means I'm learning how to jump out of a plane, manage equipment, and other necessary skills so that I can skydive on my own.





Code for Good

Code for Good is a student-run club at MIT that connects groups of MIT students with local nonprofits to make a direct, positive impact with computer science.

I was a member of Code for Good from my Freshman fall to my Junior fall. I was on the Executive Committee of the club all three years, and held various positions including Consulting Program Chair, and Coporate Chair.

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Get in touch

If you want to contact me, fill out the following form and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can!