Becca Barbanell’s background as a visual artist, her extensive travels, and her previous career as a polarity therapy practitioner have all contributed to her holistic perspective on data science. Her ability to see the bigger picture, think creatively, and appreciate diverse viewpoints makes her a well-rounded and innovative data scientist.
When not investigating and implementing innovative data structures, Becca enjoys spending time with her dog, Theta Squared, and her partner, exploring nature, preparing food, having fun, and playing music.
Education
Willamette University | Portland, OR | Masters in Data Science | August 2023
Willamette University | Salem, OR | B.S in Data Science | May 2023
Seattle Central College | Seattle, WA | A.S Associate in Science Transfer | March 2020
Experience
Ness of Brodgar with Willamette University | Data Engineer Intern | Orkney Island, Scotland | July 2022 - present
• Spearheaded the development of a standardized system for naming and compiling samples, achieving a 75% increase in efficiency for data collection.
• Engineered a Python file crawling script to clean outdated Excel data, achieving a successful update to the new standardized format for precise data analysis.
• Utilized X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) to produce geochemical data on major and minor trace elements from soil samples.
• Orchestrated successful management of communications, planning, and data modeling for a multidisciplinary team, resulting in a comprehensive roadmap for essential data visualization tools and improvements using QGIS and R intermittently.
• Presented captivating sessions on archaeological and data science concepts during Ness of Brodgar’s “Open Day,” achieving heightened public awareness and enthusiasm for continued research.
Skills : Rstudio * Quarto * Server-Less Dashboard * Python * GIS * Work with Multi-disciplinary Teams
Seattle Central College | Mathematics Tutor | Seattle, WA | October 2019 - August 2021
- Specialize as an individual tutor, simplify math concepts, and coach students to think critically to solve problems.
- Improve tutee comprehension and increased competence while fostering confidence for success. Maintained a 98% tutee satisfaction rating.
- Cultivate a fun and interesting learning environment which encourages questions and discussion.
Leadership + Volunteering
President of WiSE Club | Women in Science and Engineering | Seattle Central College| February 2019 – March 2020
- Coordinated fifteen professional engineers and three Seattle Central alumni and 30 volunteers and a student audience of 165+ for Engineering Mentor Night.
- Planned, created, and implemented highly effective club plans and agendas while informing club members.
Projects
High-Performance Computing Bootcamp | Sustainable Horizons Institute | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | August 2023
Summary:
ntro to High-Performance Computing boot-camp was held in person at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It was hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) Computing Facilities at Argonne National Lab (ALCF), Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (NERSC), and Oak Ridge National Lab (OLCF) and organized by Sustainable Horizons Institute.
During my Intro to HPC boot camp, I gained insights into the critical issue of energy consumption within HPC systems. I discovered that inefficient code can lead to excessive energy usage, causing adverse environmental impacts and imposing significant financial burdens. Moreover, I learned that HPC systems have a distinctive characteristic of their substantial power requirements, relying heavily on electrical and cooling infrastructure. It became evident that these vital resources are not uniformly distributed worldwide, often leading to accessibility challenges in certain regions.
One of the key takeaways from the boot camp was the importance of optimizing code for efficiency, a practice that can significantly reduce energy consumption in large-scale computing systems. I also gained an understanding of how these efficiency principles can extend to other aspects of power infrastructure, further reinforcing my commitment to promoting energy justice and environmental sustainability in computing.
Skills:
- Used jupyter notebook and IRIS API tokens to log into Permitter supercomputer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to conduct analysis of large data sets.
- Hands on experience on python code to make data driven choices by analyzing energy consumption of different super computers around the world.
- Learned about power infrastructure and reinforced my commitment to promoting energy justice and environmental sustainability in computing.
Any past work and projects please refer to my Linkedin.