August 19, 2024
What do you teach? What’s the top line learning goal for that class?
I teach MADS courses including Milestone 2, Data Mining I, and the upcoming new Python onramp course. I'm excited about the new Python course that will help students get up to speed with their coding skills before diving into MADS. I love to code and enjoy helping others discover how fun and rewarding coding is as well.
How and when did you start teaching at UMSI?
I am a MADS graduate from the first cohort and began assisting with courses in 2022.
What’s your favorite thing about working with UMSI students?
I enjoy working with students from such a wide variety of backgrounds and levels of experience. Many MADS students are already working in various domains of industry, and I enjoy learning from them about their fields of work.
What’s your deal?
I live just outside Flint, Michigan with my husband and two kids: Hannah, 14, and Jude, 10. I'm a data scientist in the Prevention Research Collaborative at the School of Public Health and work on many projects focused on community violence prevention. I have a special interest in geospatial data science.
What is something you want folks at UMSI to know about you?
I enjoy solving puzzles and reading sci-fi and fantasy books.
Cliff Notes: Rachel has been doing some great work in MADS, and will soon be teaching the new MADS onramp, which is a big lift. She's been a trouper!