MDS Spotlight: Meet Merete Lutz, MDS Vancouver, Class of 2024
Merete Lutz’s path to UBC’s Master of Data Science (MDS) Vancouver program has taken an interesting route.
Lutz’s interest in data science began while completing her Master of Science in Epidemiology from Stanford University. but she took a detour after graduation to play professional volleyball in leagues in Italy, South Korea, and Japan.
After she retired from playing professional volleyball, Lutz was looking to further her education.
“I researched lots of different programs and realized that studying data science would allow me to learn more of what I loved about epidemiology, but in a greater scope outside of medicine” she added.
What drew Lutz to the MDS Vancouver program was its 10-month structure and that it was targeted towards students who didn’t necessarily have a background in computer science or statistics.
“It seemed like an intense bootcamp to get me up to speed… and really seemed to be focused on preparing students for careers in data science.” Lutz said.
One of the benefits of the program for Lutz was learning from her cohort.
“I love my MDS cohort. Everyone here comes from such unique backgrounds (academic and personal alike) and so working with everyone on labs and in group projects was a great way to see how other people approach problems and think about data science,” she added.
Lutz also appreciated the MDS faculty for being approachable and accessible to all students.
In particular, Lutz was inspired by Varada Kolhatkar, MDS Vancouver’s Co-Director and Assistant Professor, during her time in the program
“She taught most of our machine learning classes and was so knowledgeable but also clearly cared about us as students and whether we were understanding core concepts. I had never taken machine learning classes before, so I really appreciated her investment in our success and her willingness to go above and beyond to ensure our success in the program,” she explained.
The biggest reason why Lutz chose the MDS Vancouver program was the capstone as it gave her real world experience working as a data scientist.
“I really liked the idea of the capstone and the opportunity to work on a real-world project with a local company to finish off the degree,” she explained.
Lutz’s capstone project was with the Vancouver Whitecaps and focused on predicting physical performance. “As a former pro-athlete, I was extremely interested in the subject matter, especially as I hope to find work as a data scientist in the sports industry.”
Another bonus of the capstone project for Lutz is that it gave her a taste of what a data science career would look like.
“Before the program I would look at data science job listings and not know a lot of the technical terms used to describe the skills and knowledge needed for the job. But now I am familiar with almost everything listed in these posts,” she said.
After program completion, Lutz hopes to find roles to as a data scientist in sports, either for a professional team or a company in the health or fitness industry. “I think I’m uniquely well-suited to this as I’m someone who played sports at the highest level and is also well-versed in data science. So, I think I’d do a great job at bridging the gap between coaching staff and data science teams.”
With Lutz’s background in epidemiology, she is also interested in opportunities to work as a data scientist in healthcare or public health.
Merete’s Top 3 Tips on Succeeding in the MDS Program:
- Lean on your cohort! Make study groups, and don’t be afraid to stay late after lab to continue working with your group.
- Come to class and lab: You learn so much more just by being present.
- Don’t procrastinate: With four labs due every week, and exams every two weeks, you don’t have time to put things off. Start working early and make use of free time during the week to get things done and have time to enjoy your weekend.