9,550 Miles from Singapore to ORU: Gladys Chen’s Intellectual Pursuit

Gladys Chen

Hometown: Singapore
Area of Study: Computer Science

Nearly 10,000 miles separated Gladys Chen from her dream. That dream was to teach mathematics in her homeland of Singapore, which she pursued by enrolling at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As often happens in life, our journey veers into new directions. And for Gladys Chen, the end of her 10,000-mile journey was actually the beginning of something new and unexpected ... a passion for computer science. 

Gladys was chosen as one of 20 students in the nation by the Advanced Computing for Social Change (ACSC) to participate in a data science program that applies data analysis and computation thinking to social challenges. She also participated in a research project at the Neuropathy Treatment Clinic of Oklahoma (NTCO) with ORU Computer Science Professor Dr. Andrew Lang. The project explored the treatment efficacy for neuropathy treatments for specific health conditions, such as chronic kidney disease. All of these experiences sparked Gladys’ passion for data analytics.

 

 

On the road of data science exploration, Gladys acknowledged the importance of the Holy Spirit in her journey. “This research project challenged me,” Gladys said, “to explore what it means to translate academic knowledge into real-world solutions through the help of the Holy Spirit. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit provided insight on ways to approach this project.” 

While at ORU, Gladys also used the computational resources in the Stanley White High-Performance Computing Lab. This innovative lab houses three advanced computers, which Gladys used to accelerate the extraction and analysis of large datasets. Various aspects of her project were accomplished simultaneously, whether writing code to extract the datasets, cleaning the data, or creating data visualizations.

Among the advanced computers that are part of ORU’s state-of-the-art lab is “Titan,” the only supercomputer in Tulsa and one of the fastest in the state of Oklahoma. Titan consists of more than 1300 physical, high-performance computing cores and can perform 45 trillion calculations per second.

“Working in the Stanley White High-Performance Computing Lab,” Gladys said, “allowed me to exercise creative and critical thinking as I learned to translate my skills and knowledge gained in this experience to find real-world solutions.”

It took 10,000 miles and three years at ORU for Gladys to find her new bold vision. Though she still loves teaching, Gladys now plans to pursue a Master’s in Computer Science with a concentration in Data Science. In continuing her studies, Gladys plans to explore Spirit-empowered educational models in various cultural and academic contexts.

“ORU’s Computing & Mathematics Department has a fantastic team of faculty and staff,” Gladys said. “Their love, warmth, and support have made a profound impact on my life.”

Eventually, Gladys hopes to use data analytics to create learning technologies and platforms. Her goal is to improve student learning and engagement while helping educators identify student-geared approaches to teaching. She also wants to develop outreach opportunities in high-performance computing for women, high school students, and under-represented communities. 

“Being at ORU,” Gladys said, “has taught me to trust the Lord’s leadership. It has also challenged me to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually as a whole person. I am extremely thankful to receive an education that prepares me to be a Spirit-empowered leader who lives in integrity, purity, and wholeness.”

Learn more about ORU, ranked Top 5 in America for Student Engagement by Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Ed.