Zicheng Geng

Please tell us about yourself

I'm currently an Applied Scientist at Amazon, crafting and deploying innovative machine-learning solutions. I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Geophysics from Tongji University in 2017. After that, I started to work with Dr. Sergey Fomel at TCCS, an experience that enriched my knowledge under his guidance and through interactions with my esteemed colleagues.

When did you first hear about Madagascar?

I first heard about Madagascar from Professor Jiubing Cheng during a summer computational lesson in 2015. The idea of reproducibility quickly captivated my thoughts and inspired me to further my academic journey with Dr. Sergey Fomel.

What was the most challenging part of learning Madagascar?

Like many others, the most challenging part for me is learning how SCons works.

Of all your contributions to Madagascar, which one is your favorite?

I helped make Madagascar compatible with Python 3 from building to testing, which is my favorite contribution to Madagascar. As we all know, Python 2 is mostly abandoned. Having Madagascar working with Python 3 keeps Madagascar alive and makes it follow the modern trend.

What advice would you give to those who wish to learn Madagascar or contribute to it?

To learners: Be patient. The learning curve of Madagascar may appear steep, but if you persist, you will become a master of Madagascar. To contributors: Be consistent. When contributing to a package, one of the most important things is to be consistent with the existing codebase.