CAREER VOICES


by Lango Deen ldeen@ccgmag.com


IMUSIC + M TH = PNNOVATION


edro Pastrana-Camacho was about 10 years old when he started playing the cuatro


Puertoriqueño, the national instrument of Puerto Rico.


At that age, Pedro didn’t give much thought as to why the music sounded so good or the complex geometry in the humming of the strings. But no doubt about it, he was skilled in the scales and patterns of the Caribbean folk guitar.


Thanks to the music, Pedro won a scholarship to University of Puerto Rico, where he earned dual bachelor degrees in computer science and mathematics. After graduation, he chose Purdue University in Indiana to do a master’s degree in computer science.


Three and a half years ago, Pedro joined General Electric (GE) and translated his skills in computer science into a whole new career. Pedro’s work in different GE businesses included gathering large data sets in health care and on the performance of large commercial aircraft engines.


Seven months ago he joined GE Research’s Software Systems and Patterns Factory Lab, where he designs and develops software.


“In my current position as a computer scientist, I work with a team that focuses on building an analytical ecosystem. This ecosystem will give domain experts the tools to develop, share, and update analytical models for GE’s assets across the company,” Pedro explains.


In other words, each engine has a digital larger group of people.


2 3


Focus on critical thinking and problem solving rather than equations.


4


Use open-source software, and collaborate on open-source projects.


To prepare for a data science job, Pedro has eight tips:


others consider simple or trivial; you never know what you can bring.


1


Aspire to go big by connecting your skills to benefit a community or a


Learn about everything that excites you, even something


5


Sign up for online courses like Coursera.


Build and invent physical prototypes by integrating hardware like RaspberryPi, Arduino, little bits, and software.


6 7 8


copy that helps in data collection. The data helps make better predictions of an engine’s performance, when a turbine’s going to fail, and when it’s time to do repairs and helps to reduce flight delay and cancellations due to airline equipment issues.


Pedro said he first started writing software. Next he discovered AI, or artificial intelligence, and then it was machine learning, natural language processing, and privacy, which help solve data problems.


“Having those sets of skills at GE, I found out I was prepared in a way,” Pedro added, “and how math and machine learning are used in an industrial scale.


“There’s no specific set of classes,” he continued. “However, software engineering, computer science, programming, software


10 HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | FALL 2016


Understand technical work in engineering and analytics, business


impact to culture and people, and, most importantly, how each one of them affects the others.


development, the design and study of algorithms, algebra, and domains of math are common themes. “At GE, math is the language in which engineers and scientists communicate because we’re building analytical models,” he said.


Once you’ve checked off all those courses and requirements, Pedro says the fun part is how you use all that knowledge together to make something useful and to create analytical models and business strategies.


In his spare time, Pedro works with students in the 10-week GE INSPIRE program and with interns. He is also planning a personal AI assistant.


To apply for the GE INSPIRE Program’s Internet of Things Generation, click here.


www.hispanicengineer.com


Write software that reflects how much you care and how passionate


you are about your work.


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