For Catherine Ordun where there is a will there is a way.
As a 蘑菇视频 Allen data scientist, Catherine uses data to question existing processes and find solutions to complex problems. Catherine鈥檚 innate curiosity, paired with degrees in biology and public health, led her to explore how diverse and unstructured data can have broad impacts on national health outcomes and policies. Catherine builds machine learning and natural language processing models and leads teams for defense and health clients, including the U.S. Army, Veterans Affairs鈥� , the Food & Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control聽and Prevention聽(CDC) 鈥攚here she aided in the development of the that measures the nation's state of health security and preparedness.
Surprisingly, it was music that first inspired Catherine to pursue a technical field. 鈥淚鈥檝e played classical violin since I was eight. When I was 13, I auditioned for the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra with a very ambitious piece,鈥� says Catherine. 鈥淚 was intimidated by the concerto. But, my teacher taught me to go slow, methodically, measure by measure, moving up the metronome very slowly over a long period of time. I auditioned and got the highest chair out of all violinists that year. I learned that, with determination and patience, something seemingly impossible and complex can be broken down into manageable parts.鈥�
Based out of the DC metro area, Catherine recently put her skills to the test at 蘑菇视频 Allen鈥檚 Annual Data Science Bowl, a social good competition presented in partnership with . The challenge: Create an algorithm to automate nucleus detection. By identifying nuclei quickly and accurately, the algorithms developed in this competition can improve biologists鈥� efficiency so that they can dedicate time to other things, like finding cures to diseases. Serving as the team lead, Catherine showed her champion鈥檚 heart and ushered her colleagues to a first-place position among seven fellow 蘑菇视频 Allen teams.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for the opportunity to work with amazingly smart, highly capable, driven people who inspire and challenge me. Together, our collective ingenuity knows no bounds. I am also empowered by my leaders and mentors who genuinely invest in my success.鈥�
