Alumni News - Catherine Yeh ('18)

Catherine Yeh (’18) recently completed her undergraduate studies at Williams College, majoring in Computer Science with a concentration in Cognitive Science, and is now at Harvard University.

What are you doing now?

I just started the computer science PhD program at Harvard. I could change my mind, but right now I am more interested in the research side of CS, as opposed to say, working as a software engineer. Research is really fun for me, and I love having the opportunity to explore new and interesting problems, so that’s a large part of the reason why I decided to go to grad school. The area I am interested in studying is human-AI interaction. After I receive my PhD, I would like to either work at an industry research lab like the ones where I interned at Adobe and Microsoft the past two summers or go the academic track and become a computer science professor.

Talk about your path ahead.

I originally was thinking of going the pre-med route, but switched to computer science early on in college. After getting involved with CS research at Williams, I became interested in how AI can impact human decision-making processes in a number of fields, including healthcare and the criminal justice system. I want to make AI algorithms more understandable and accessible to people because they are such powerful tools, but there are serious consequences if we do not understand their potential flaws and biases. One of the main questions I’ve been studying is: how can we explain AI to the general public, the benefits and the risks, and how to navigate them successfully? AI technologies are so prevalent, and their use is increasing constantly. Ideally, we want responsible, fair, and productive collaborations between people and AI, so that we minimize harms and get the maximum benefits.

Both professors I am working with (Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viégas) just came to Harvard from Google Research, and I was already following their work, so I am excited to collaborate with them during my PhD. They are just making the transition from industry to academia, and I thought it would be fun to be part of that experience, by being one of the founding members of their new lab.

Any advice for younger Owls?

Be sure to try lots of different things and explore different areas. Even if you think you know what you want to do, be open to other possibilities. I was sure I was going into medicine all throughout high school. Although I tried computer science at Overlake, I didn’t really consider the field seriously until I took another CS class my freshman year at Williams, and I loved it! Once you have found something you really like, explore the different specializations within that discipline too, because there’s so many possibilities. For example, in my experience, it seems most computer science majors aim to work in industry, but I’d encourage everyone to consider research – you might find you like it.

What did you bring with you from your Overlake experience?

I felt well-prepared for college, in terms of academics, time management, the rigor of the workload, etc. My communication skills were well-developed at Overlake, which is important because no matter what you do, even in STEM, you need to be able to read, write, and speak effectively to do your work and share it with others. I left Overlake confident in my writing skills, and found that this can really give you an edge. I also felt empowered to self-advocate, and when I was applying to grad schools, I spoke with many professors at my top two choices (University of Washington and Harvard) to determine the best fit for my interests.

At Overlake, Jenni Baldwin was my advisor, and she made a huge impact on me. She was always so supportive, and she is also an excellent English teacher. Lisa Orenstein is a great science teacher, and she really inspired me to initially pursue science or medicine. I also loved taking Chinese classes with Limei Xu. All my teachers were excellent, really, and contributed so much to my high school experience.