My name is Reagan Bourne, and I am currently a senior at FSU, graduating this semester with a B.S. in Computer Science. After graduation, I am going to be a software engineer in Florida for L3Harris. The past 3 years as a Data Fellow with FSU Libraries have made a huge and positive impact in my time here at FSU. When I first started this position, I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to study and my career goals. However, I was extremely interested in this opportunity since it was very unique and combined several of my academic interests. This fellowship went above and beyond what I was hoping for.
When I first started this position, I learned a lot about different advanced data topics, such as the importance of critically evaluating data, machine learning, data analytics, data management and much more. I was able to develop instructional materials for several data tools, allowing me to expand on my knowledge and utilize my previous skills from my course work. One of my first projects was developing Canvas modules about Unix/Linux. This was such a great learning opportunity, and is something that I use frequently in my course work. I know that I will be using the skills I learned in developing these modules in my future endeavors as well. Another workshop that I had the privilege of teaching was an Introduction to Git and Github, which was an amazing way for me to expand on my knowledge of the subject. I have worked on numerous other projects, including leading an introduction to Deep Fake workshop and hosting multiple guests on the Get Data Lit podcast. I have also worked on several different outreach events, with one of my favorite events being Love Data Week. Each year we celebrated this event a little differently, but it has been so much fun getting to teach and connect with students about data.
A project that is extremely significant to me in my time at FSU is the Empowering Minds through Data Science and Machine Learning symposium. I created and organized this symposium, and held it twice with FSU Libraries. This symposium successfully showcased student and faculty research in the areas of data science and machine learning. This event was such a unique opportunity for me to lead, and I am so grateful for its success, and the chance to be involved. Both of the times that I led this event, it took a lot of hard work, creativity, effort, and time, but the success of the event made it all worth it!
In my opinion, the Data Fellow position has greatly benefited me in so many positive ways, and has definitely set me up for success in the future. I truly feel as though I have made an impact in my time at FSU due to this program. I have loved being able to use my knowledge to teach other students and faculty through various outreach events and workshops. I have also loved collaborating with all of my colleagues over the past three years. It has truly felt like a community. Overall, I am so grateful to Nick for taking a chance on me three years ago, and for the Data Fellow program as a whole. It has enabled me to make an impact on FSU, and prepare me for my future. I am so excited to see where this program goes next!
This post was authored by Reagan Bourne, Senior Data Fellow at FSU Libraries.
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