My Story
Currently in the Tri-Cities area of WA state, I have a Master of Science in Computer Science. I fell in love w/the world of bits & bytes on day 1 of my Intro to Python class back in 2009. But, life throws curveballs. So, after several years in Marketing, and a few more in Tech Support, I have found myself once again writing Python. These days, my stomping ground is Pacific Northwest National Lab. I started there as an IT Tech in November 2016, and returned as a Data Scientist in November 2021.
Tracking COVID-19 In My Community
In Progress
Using code to explore Stuff You Should Know Topics
Step One is almost complete - collect transcripts of every SYSK episode! I have decided to share this dataset of transcripts here, when they are ready: https://osf.io/vm9nt/
Once the transcripts have been aquired, I will begin working to build a search engine for the episodes, and hope to eventually host the result on a freely accessible site.
Occurrences and Accomplishments
Awarded a Gorilla Grant 2020
Diamond Tier
Gorilla Experiment Builder offers small grants annually to researchers using their site to conduct user studies. Our experiment on Visualizing Reinforcement Learning Agents to advance Explainable AI received a top-tier award.
IEEE Vis Conference Paper Accepted
TREX Workshop
Our awesome team pulled together a paper on the use of trust as a metric for AI explainability, and it was accepted to the TREX (Workshop on TRust and EXpertise in Visual Analytics) workshop. The paper suggests more concrete metrics, measurable by downstream tasks, as a more robust measure of explainability in AI and Machine Learning.
Accepted a position as Data Scientist
Back to Full-Time Work
I am happy to say I have finally achieved what I set out to do when I accepted a position at PNNL back in mid-2016 - I have taken on a role in the Scientist & Engineer track.
Taking on TREX at Vis 2022
Putting those organization skills to use
After having a paper accepted in recent years, I will be giving back this year by taking on a role as workshop organizer for the Workshop on TRust and EXpertise
in Visual Analytics at Vis 2022
My Experience
Roles & Responsibilities
Data Scientist - PNNL
November 2021 - Now
Splitting my time between software development and research, I am making use of that Graduate Degree: writing plenty of code and learning new things every day.
Software Developer - PNNL
August 2019 - October 2021
My coding classes paid off when I got to work in one of my favorite languages, Swift, on updating an in-house application.
IT Engineer, PNNL
November 2016 - August 2019
Starting from phones, I got to experience the emotional rollercoaster that is Tech Support, eventually working on A/V support, purchasing and trails of electronics, and piloting a satellite concept location.
IT Technician - ENW
August 2014 - November 2016
Let me tell you, Tech Support at a Nuclear Power Plant is a whole other thing! From carting computers through a bunch of security checkpoints to volunteering on the Emergency Response Team, this job was a lot of fun and new experiences.
June 2011 - August 2014
New Edge is a business strategy marketing firm. My roles included a lot of research into market opportunities, and managing the development and eventual publication of a book on the company's methodology: Killing Ideas, by Pam Henderson.
Education
My Studies
August 2019 - August 2021
MS Computer Science - WSU
My thesis focused strongly on machine learning interpretability, specifically tailored to Reinforcement Learning.
September 2007 - May 2011
BA Marketing - Gonzaga
From measuring customer sentiment to understanding how background cues invoke purchasing activity, the Marketing track of the Business Administration degree covered it all.
August 2007 - May 2011
Tri-Cities Prep HS - Pasco, WA
Essentially the only "college prep" high school at the time I attended, the hours were long, but Mock Trial was really fun.
My Skills
Tricks of the Trade
Marketing
Ok, hear me out. It turns out that Marketing is just applied Sociology and Psychology, and it turns out that in Data Sciences, Social and Psychological factors do matter sometimes.
Coding
I can guarantee that even if I haven't written in a certain language before, give me some time and I can figure it out. I really enjoy the challenge of doing so, but I also appreciate how different languages approach solving similar problems.
“In my opinion, the only way to conquer stage fright is to get up on stage and play.”