From Stanford to Potsdam. Meet Natalie Dullerud, a doctoral student who spent June to September at the Hasso Plattner Institute’s Chair for Digital Health & Machine Learning. Her visit was part of our ongoing cooperation with Stanford University on Human-Centered AI and Natalie is working on the project "Objective Functions for Human-Understandable Explainability".
In our photo interview, Natalie talks about her background, her time at HPI, and the impressions she’s taking home:
Hasso Plattner Institute: Where are you from in the United States and how long have you been at Stanford?
Natalie: I grew up in Urbana, Illinois (a few hours south of Chicago). I did my Bachelor's degree at University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California and my Master's degree at University of Toronto in Canada. I have now been doing my PhD at Stanford for 3 years in September!
HPI: Do you have a photo that best captures your time at HPI?
Natalie: A photo at the Nudelfabrik in Zeitz, the location of the HPI Digital Health retreat in July. The space was incredibly unique and I got to meet everyone in the Digital Health Cluster. The only downside was the heat (Image 2).
HPI: Was there a spot in Potsdam or Berlin where you especially enjoyed spending your free time?
Natalie: The park at Boxhagener Platz, which was near my first apartment in Berlin in Friedrichshain. In general, I love that area of Berlin and often take the train back to Warschauer Straße for food, cafes and hanging out (Image 3).
HPI: Is there a song, book, or movie you associate with your stay at HPI?
Natalie: A Lot’s Gonna Change by Weyes Blood. I listen to that song most mornings on the S-Bahn to Griebnitzsee (Image 4).
HPI: If there is one thing at HPI you would love to take back home with you, what would it be and why?
Natalie: A Chai latte from Buena Vida Coffee Roasters! It's strong and delicious! I stop by there every morning before I go into the office and the staff is always really sweet, and remembers my order, and I enjoyed chatting with them. It was always a nice start to my workday! (Image 5)
We’re grateful to Natalie for sharing her insights and for the impact she made at HPI.
