Rocks, data science, and breaking into Machine Learning
Apr 6, 2023
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Meet Catherine Nelson, a geophysicist turned Principal Data Scientist at SAP Concur, discussing her journey and insights into building machine learning pipelines. She emphasizes the importance of data preparation and training, model interpretability for ethical ML, and the value of diverse backgrounds in the field. The podcast also covers topics such as data quality, auditing, and favorite AI-related books.
Preparing and training data is crucial for building machine learning pipelines.
Model interpretability is essential for ethical machine learning usage and user trust.
Deep dives
Transition from Geoscience to Data Science
Katherine shares her journey transitioning from geoscience, where she studied ancient volcanoes and oil exploration, to data science. After finding limited job opportunities in geology, she discovered data science through LinkedIn in 2014, leading her to upskill in Python and machine learning. By engaging in personal projects and leveraging TensorFlow for image rating, she secured her first data science position at SAP Concur.
Writing a Book on Software Engineering for Data Scientists
Katherine discusses her upcoming book 'Software Engineering for Data Scientists,' aiming to demystify software engineering concepts for data scientists entering the field. Expressing the need for accessibility in learning programming fundamentals and writing code for production systems, she emphasizes bridging the gap between data science and software engineering. Drawing from her own experience of transitioning careers, Katherine aspires to offer a valuable resource for newcomers.
Model Interpretability and Data Reliability
Focusing on model interpretability, Katherine underscores the importance of understanding how machine learning models function, regardless of their size, to ensure ethical usage and enhance user trust. She highlights the significance of tracing data origins and questioning data assumptions to ensure the reliability of results. Katherine's background in geoscience instills a rigorous approach to data examination, emphasizing its critical role in the predictive outcomes of machine learning models.
Meet Catherine Nelson, Principal Data Scientist at SAP Concur and author of the upcoming O’Reilly book “Software Engineering for Data Scientists”. Join us as we talk about Catherine's amazing career journey as she pivoted from geophysicist to working on setting the standard for building machine learning pipelines. According to Catherine, it all starts with how you prepare and train your data!
Catherine Nelson is a data scientist and author of the upcoming O’Reilly book “Software Engineering for Data Scientists”. She is a Principal Data Scientist at SAP Concur, where she explores innovative ways to deliver production machine learning applications which improve a business traveler’s experience. Her key focus areas range from ML explainability and model analysis to privacy-preserving ML. She is also co-author of the O'Reilly publication “Building Machine Learning Pipelines", and she is an organizer for Seattle PyLadies, supporting women who code in Python. In her previous career as a geophysicist she studied ancient volcanoes and explored for oil in Greenland. Catherine has a PhD in geophysics from Durham University and a Masters of Earth Sciences from Oxford University.
#AI #ML
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