Dana Plumb ’19 dives into the intersection of computer science and chemistry at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. As a machine learning research scientist, she designs and leads research on Neocortex, an artificial intelligence accelerator.
Plumb reflects that Allegheny College set the foundation she needed to excel through her post-graduate studies and beyond.
“Allegheny College gave me the problem-solving skills I needed to succeed both in a Ph.D. program as well as in research,” says Plumb, who majored in chemistry and double minored in math and history. “Allegheny College also helped me develop the perseverance and resilience needed to make it through the more difficult aspects of a Ph.D.”
After graduation, Plumb pursued a materials science and engineering doctoral degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Without knowing how to code, she took courses on machine learning and has been dedicated to the topic ever since.
She says that her background in math and chemistry helped her interpret machine learning models for chemical applications. Meanwhile, her history minor helped her develop crucial writing and reading skills. It also has aided her when creating educational material or preparing open-access, peer-reviewed articles.
“Allegheny College helped me grow into the person I am and I can’t imagine the person I would be without this experience,” reflects Plumb.
