This year BioJS has one Google Summer of Code student, Nikhil Vats, who will be working on BioJS Yeoman slush generator. We’ve interviewed him to provide an introduction to the community.
We’re really excited to have you on board as part of the team this summer. Can you introduce yourself?
Nikhil: Hey, I am Nikhil Vats, a student of BITS Pilani, pursuing dual degree in M.Sc. Economics and B.E. Computer Science. I started learning frontend development 2 years ago and delved into backend development with Node.js an year ago. Since the start, I have been more interested in Web development than my studies. I also like to binge-watch TV shows and movies. I am a huge fan of Superheroes, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, GOT, dogs and I love listening to music.
What interested you about BioJS?
Nikhil: Some of my seniors and friends worked in BioJS in GSoC 2018. I talked with them about their projects and experience and it fascinated me. After GSoC 2019 was announced, I looked at the project idea of BioJS and it interested me, I had never done something like this, so I was sure that I would learn a lot. I started talking with the mentors and I loved working with them on the project and that’s why I decided to apply for GSoC 2019 in BioJS because I knew for sure that if I get selected I will have the summer of my life.
Tell us about your plans for your BioJS project this summer.
Nikhil: If I have to sum it up in one line, it is to learn, contribute, do my best and have fun. I have never worked on a project this big earlier. I have planned my summer and I hope I can deliver the best end product. I will start with debugging the existing Yeoman generator and then move on to adding new features in the first week itself. I will be adding new features, writing tests for them afterwards and updating the documentation after each release. I also plan to upgrade the components to BioJS 3.0 standards if time allows. In the end, I want to live upto the expectations of my mentors and the community.
Are there any challenges you anticipate for your project? How do you plan to overcome them?
Nikhil: I have been contributing in BioJS for a while now and I share a good camaraderie with my mentors and the community. I have been learning Javascript, Node.js, etc. for more than a year but I have never worked on a project like this. The only challenges I anticipate are bugs and they are unavoidable but with proper learning and guidance I will overcome them.