Nathan Rasmussen
Year Graduated:
2010
Data Scientist
Job description
I build and deploy machine learning models at a pet insurance company. Data is pulled from a data warehouse with SQL, cleaned and modeled in Python, and deployed to production via a cloud service. Model monitoring is done for different areas of the company to help other teams and their feedback drives the next iterations of models. Typical models use natural language processing and neural networks.
Why did you choose this program?
I wanted to study astronomy, and at the time HSU did not have an astronomy degree. I was never really interested in academics until I took a physics class which challenged me and allowed me to explore and understand more about how the universe worked. After taking some classes at the College of the Redwoods, I was very happy to apply for HSU and start working on a physics degree.
How did this program prepare you for your job?
A lot of what is learned in physics helps in data science. To understand the models used in data science, a fair amount of math is involved. Physics majors take a lot of math, and that set me up to have a good understanding of how machine learning models work. Physicists also do modeling and learn to program. I learned Mathematica and Python while at HSU and it greatly helped me understand if coding was something I enjoyed or wanted to do as part of a career. I had a great opportunity to do undergraduate research with Dr. C.D. Hoyle in the gravity lab which was a fantastic learning experience. It was challenging and I was able to use my knowledge from my course work and programming skills to help set up, test, and troubleshoot some of the equipment. I got to give a conference talk and publish a conference paper as part of my undergraduate research which was a big help for when I went to grad school and after, going into data science.
What did you enjoy most about the program?
There are lots of things I enjoyed about the physics program at HSU. The professors are amazing. They are intelligent, passionate, and very invested in teaching physics. This is not always the case at universities. When I went to grad school after and got a master's in physics, my professors were usually not very interested in the teaching side of their work and wanted to focus on their research, so classes were not anywhere near as engaging as the ones I took at HSU. Since HSU has smaller class sizes, I had lots of opportunities to talk with my professors during office hours and during classes.
Having a chance to do undergraduate research was very helpful for me in moving forward in physics and in my current career. I was very grateful to have the chance to work in Dr. Hoyle's lab.
The campus is so beautiful. I had so many great walks in the redwoods during and after classes. Arcata is a nice town with good food and I really miss the North Coast.
What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?
The HSU Physics Department is a great place to study physics. You will get a great education and can work with professors on research projects. This will help you prepare for a career in physics that could include teaching or research.
