Yichen Liang

Understanding the system.
Questioning the trade-off.

I'm Yichen Liang, but you can call me Summer. I'm a student at Shanghai High School International Division, interested in how mathematical ideas become software and how software behaves when it meets the real world.

My interests span computing systems, optimization, and robotics. I like problems where there isn't a single obvious answer: making an aircraft lighter can change its endurance, tuning a controller can affect how a robot moves, and adding a feature can make an app more useful or harder to navigate. Understanding those trade-offs is a large part of what draws me to engineering.

My projects give me different ways to explore these questions. In solar-aircraft modeling, I compared thousands of possible designs and revisited the assumptions behind the results. Through VEX robotics, I work on the connection between control software and physical movement, from driver control to autonomous routines.

I also build around everyday student needs. Sider explores how classmates can find and share learning resources, while Homework Tracker grew out of the practical challenge of keeping up with assignments. These projects make me think about the person using the software: what they need to do, what might confuse them, and whether a tool fits into their day.

I enjoy starting with a prototype, testing it, and looking closely at where it falls short. Sometimes that means debugging code; sometimes it means changing the model or reconsidering the original idea. I want to keep developing both sides of that process: the ability to reason carefully about a system and the patience to turn that reasoning into something that works.