Alyssa Cox

Live Sites

NEO Radar

NEO Radar is a website that interacts with the NASA Near Earth Object API to show all incoming Near Earth Objects for the next seven days. Objects can be filtered by speed and hazard status.

The site uses JavaScript and JQuery to make an API call using AJAX. Specific data points are pulled out of the returned JSON and the DOM is updated accordingly in real time. The code is also available for view on GitHub.

Warehouse on the Web

Warehouse on the Web is an example of a Software as a Service (SaaS) web application. Warehouse on the Web represents a modern warehouse fulfillment center that provides an HTTP-based web service so that sellers can build their own internal tools to keep track of their warehouse activities.

The application is built in Rails and includes API endpoints that enable developers to use the service to store items, ship items, be notified of returned items, etc. The code is also available to view on GitHub.

RuPaul 2020

RuPaul 2020 is a fully RESTful Ruby on Rails web app built from the ground up. It was built as a final project for a full-stack web development class that utilized Rails as a framework for learning how to interact with the web.

RuPaul 2020 is an example of a simple campaign website that allows users to donate and send messages to the campaign, as well as view others' donations and messages. The guidelines and rules of the site, along with an explanation of how to use its features, can be found by clicking on the "User Stories" button in the top left or navigating to /help. The code is also available for view on GitHub.

GitHub Projects

Bias Buster

Bias Buster is a full-stack Flask web project that I and two other students completed in March of 2017.

The Bias Buster website allows a user to enter the url of a current news article from a number of left- or right-learning sources (The Huffington Post, Breitbart News, etc) and recieve back a list of up to three articles on the same specific topic (for example, Paul Ryan's thoughts on the healthcare bill) but from sources that lean in the opposite direction of the input source.

Present-day media can act as an echo chamber if we aren't careful--humans natually seek out sources that confirm their already existing beliefs. The goal of Bias Buster is to provide users with articles that challenge their view on a subject of their interest.

Bias Buster incorporates the following techniques and technologies: Flask, web scraping using Beautiful Soup, web crawling, matching algorithms, and the Natural Language Tool Kit.

Blue Lotus

Blue Lotus is a custom site for Blue Lotus Pyschological Services, a company located in Hyde Park, Chicago.

The site utilizes responsive design to maximize the ease of user interaction on desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones. The site is currently under development, but the code is available to view on GitHub.

Education

The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, Chicago, IL
Masters of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy, expected June 2018

The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, June 2017

Experience

Redshelf, Inc
Full Stack Software Engineer, October 2019-Present
• Built and maintained full stack, service based, modern web applications using Django and Ember.js
• Wrote front-end code for API consumption, state management, and complex conditional rendering while meeting accessibility standards
• Served as principal contact and subject matter expert for my team and our products
• Coached a team of offshore contractors on Python and Ember.js best practices through direct conversation and code reviews
• Managed weekly releases and hotfixes using AWS Codebuild
• Wrote documentation for services, workflows, and third-party APIs
• Collaborated closely with adjacent teams on interactions and integrations between our services
• Debugged critical production code and data issues in real time

Capital One Financial
Software Engineer, September 2018-October 2019
• Built seven wrapper APIs to interface with external APIs, restructuring data for better user experiences
• Developed multiple Slack chatbots to provide services to users such as creating service tickets, retrieving access request statuses, and answering common questions without requiring human interaction
• Designed and created full-stack web applications using React.js, Redux, and Python Flask
• Automated internal processes using Python scripts and CI/CD pipelines, such as Jenkins
• Utilized AWS cloud technologies such as EC2 and S3 to host applications and store resources

University of Chicago IT Services
Assistant Web Developer, June 2016-January 2019
• Maintained a series of websites related to the University
• Assisted in the design and content overhaul of various websites by migrating content, debugging, and launching the sites
• Responded to service requests for updates to broken/erroneous features on websites
• Hand coded webpages in HTML5 and CSS3
• Organized web content in Drupal and Wordpress

Skills

Languages: Python, Swift 4, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript/JQuery, Ruby, PHP, R, SQL
Web Frameworks: Ruby on Rails, Flask, Django, React.js, Ember.js
Other skills: Linux command line, Git/GitHub, AJAX, JSON:API, ORM, AWS, Shell Scripting, Loggly, Agile/SCRUM