Project Lead, Skylight, Allen Institute for AI (AI2)
B.S. EAS 2016; M.P.P. U Washington 2017
Kolla
Namrata
Allen Institute for AI (AI2) ·
Seattle, WA
Please briefly describe your current job
work at an environmental NGO that uses AI to detect illegal fishing for governments around the world.
What is your favorite part of your current position
Diversity of my work day, always learning.
How did your EAS education prepare you for your current job?
EAS gave me a very strong science and math background that made it easier for me to enter environmental policy. Learning to code for class and for research also made it possible for me to learn other coding languages on my own and enter the data science field. The challenge of coursework generally gave me the confidence that I could learn anything if I put my mind to it and surround myself with supportive classmates and professors. The community and small student-faculty ratios were my favorite part of EAS.
What do you wish you had known as an EAS undergraduate in order to land the job of your dreams?
There are opportunities to learn all around you. Go where your curiosity takes you, and look for opportunities with class projects and open-ended assignments to deep dive into those problem spaces that interest you. Not all learning happens in the classroom … I learned just as much from extracurriculars and campus jobs about how to be successful in the workplace.