Name, where are you in the world right now?

Zhiyi Feng, and I’m staying with my family friends in the Boston area.

Where are you joining us from?

I’m freshly graduated as of May - with an MBA from Duke and I have a second major in technology management.

Why did you choose to work with Conservation X Labs (CXL) this summer?

This is an exciting field to be in - technology is changing our lives. Conservation technology is a forward-looking, fast-paced industry that’s exciting to be a part of. CXL is really trying to democratize accessibility to technology. And with my work, I get to be a part of that.

What will you be working on with us?

I will be working with the Garage team to perform market analysis, and develop business cases for the Sentinel system. What we are developing is super interesting - it has a very broad application, and there's so much potential. The Sentinel system will allow for people to have access to new technology to make their work more efficient and easier.

Do you have a favorite species?

Dolphins are my favorite - they are elegant, intelligent, and can sing! And I’ve read stories about how they try to protect humans.

How are you staying entertained during the pandemic?

At the very beginning, I was doing a lot of cooking and baking. I played Dungeons and Dragons with a few friends - we did weekly virtual sessions. And I was finally able to “find some time to read!” I read a couple of really good books - Know My Name by Chanel Miller, How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell, Outline by Rachel Cusk.

Outside of your work at CXL, what’s one of the coolest projects you’ve worked on so far?

The first year I lived in New York City, I had a friend move to London. We collaborated on a photo project together where each week we picked a theme, then took 7 pictures on the theme. We posted pictures on a blog all year long and eventually we put all of the images into a book.