CONG CHEN: Using Technology to Improve People’s Lives

Cong Chen landed at Penn State after her search for experts in intelligent agents identified IST's John Yen, University Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, as one of the leaders in the field. Dr. Yen introduced her to the school's interdisciplinary focus.

Wanting more than a career in programming, she signed on for the Ph.D. program.

“With IST, I don’t have to restrict my interests to computer science but can incorporate my interests in social science and business,” said Chen, a graduate of Peking University.

Trained as a computer scientist to solve the challenges of new software applications, Chen also is intrigued by the potential of technology to improve people’s lives. Her major research interest is how to use intelligent software agents to enhance communication and decision making of human teams in dynamic and complex environments such as the military and industry.

But she also is intrigued with how Team-based intelligent tutoring systems can greatly influence individuals’ acquisition of knowledge and collaboration skills.

Chen likes IST’s emphasis on hands-on projects involving real-world problems such as designing systems to assist drowsy drivers. In addition, she has had a project in which she determined the factors that influence adoption of wireless technologies in academic environments.

Her coursework also has changed her ideas about the social context of technology.

“We can’t just be satisfied with our own solutions to problems but have to start with the users,” Chen said. “Only when considered with people will application of a technology lead to more success.”