Young Scientists Profile: Conversation with Seyda Ertekin

1-) Can you please talk about your background? (How did you choose your major? How did you decide to come to the USA? etc.)

I am a computer scientist and an engineer who is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). When I was 6 years old, I was elated when one of my paintings took a lot of attention in an art exhibition. Seeing all those grown-ups appreciate my painting gave me huge pride, but apparently for the wrong reason. Later that night, my mom told me that the audience was fascinated especially with one aspect of my painting. And that was not my technique! Rather, their fascination was mainly due to the number of professions that I had portrayed as my interests in that kids art festival, where the topic was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Unlike the rest of the paintings in the exhibition, mine was displaying five figures with different professions, including an astronaut (referring to an engineer), a doctor, a math teacher as well as a ballerina and a pianist! For me, the significance of that painting is twofold: It not only brought me my first award in my art-related endeavours, but was also a reflection of my thoughts about working on different areas.

Since my childhood, my interests regarding which professional career to pursue covered a broad spectrum. The problem was that there were not enough hours in a day to excel in all of them. After giving it some thought, I decided to split the difference. I decided to pursue my interests in math and science with a more formal training and my interests in topics like literature, arts and social sciences on a more casual basis. Having also been already exposed to the exciting world of engineering by my father’s chemistry lab - which I had turned into a playground since I was three - helped me decide to go with the family tradition and I chose engineering. I picked EE as my major, trusting my instincts and focusing on the subject I believed I could make the most impact to shape the future of the world. Fortunately, in my high school years, I was equipped with the right amount of skills, background and determination to enter this highly popular and demanded field. I got my BS degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EE) from Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi (ODTU). Upon graduation, I worked at ASELSAN Inc. on digital telecommunication systems projects. Being in a constant pursuit of improving and expanding my knowledge, I decided to take a transatlantic leap and came to US for graduate studies. After a masters degree in Computer Science, I got my Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) from Pennsylvania State University – University Park. While at Penn State, I also worked several years as a researcher at NEC Research Laboratories in Princeton.

My concentration area in Computer Science is Machine Learning, which is a branch of Artificial Intelligence. With Machine Learning, we attempt to make machines (computers) intelligent, in other words learn from data and prior decisions and adapt to new situations. Basically, I design mathematical algorithms and computer programs which analyze huge chunks of data and make predictions about the future. One particular application domain that I am currently working on at MIT is the Energy domain. I develop algorithms for early fault detection in electric grids, which attempt to predict serious events in advance, such as fires and explosions in Manhattan’s electrical system.

2-) You’ve always been on the top ranks of academic  achievement. What is the driving force behind your success at such young ages?

An academic life spanning from an EE major to a CSE major gave me the insight about the cutting-edge science and technology, from the quantum mechanics of electron flow through silicon microprocessors all the way to the software engineering and mathematical modeling of big data analysis. I noticed that strong mathematical and computational programming skills are the key to most of the achievements in science and technology in today’s world. So I went with a rigorous training to become prominent in both of them. I especially enjoyed using the language of math and computation to develop engineering solutions for real-world problems.
Throughout the school years, despite my grueling science and engineering course load, I didn’t refrain from taking non-major classes such as economics, biology, history, music and photography to name a few.  These courses not only broadened my perspectives on the world, but helped train my brain to think in different ways as well. They formed me into someone who is a lateral thinker and helped me become a better communicator by training me to speak in the language of many different disciplines.
Therefore, more than specific knowledge, the greatest driving force of my achievements came from improving my abilities to think and learn independently, to communicate effectively, and to view the world through multiple lenses.

3-) What would you like to say to the Young Turkish Scientists?

I believe that two important factors lead the top of the list for being successful in science. First, working on what you love and second having a never-ending persistence to explore.
Science requires a massive and highly focused investment of time and energy. So it would be wise to make this investment on something that you are passionate about. However, the advice to follow your passion assumes that the passion is already present; that is, you identify it, you match it to your work and then you are happy. But I believe that passion is not something that you follow; it is something you cultivate and harvest by acquiring rare and valuable skills and using your creativity. I recommend scientists who are in the beginning of their career path to find a field that they like well enough and poses questions they find interesting. If it creates an additive and exhilarating effect on their interest as they work on it, then they build their passion from there, rather than expecting it to strike them full-force in an instant. The sense of competency, autonomy and mastery that comes from exercising these skills is what gives rise to a passion. Therefore my first advice is: Become very good at something, be creative and then passion will follow!
I will be brief in my second advice. It is human nature to explore but persistence is the key to how much you can go further. Define your line and always go beyond it!

4-) What would you like to achieve in the near future?

Algorithms which make computers intelligent are currently being used in many different places that have direct impact on our lives (and no, machines will not be able to take over the world yet as in “The Matrix” trilogy). For example, they are used by high-tech companies such as Google Inc. to match Web searches with query results or Wall Street companies to invest in the stock market or biotech companies to speed up the drug design process by reducing the number of compounds that must be screened. So as a computer scientist, I feel extremely thrilled to work in a field of science which not only enhances itself but also has a huge impact on the advancement of many other disciplines. What always makes me happy is to see other researchers use my algorithms and take them a step further to solve a similar problem in another domain. I would like to see myself build more such bridges between different disciplines. In the meantime, I would like to work on the foundation and the design of next generation AI systems for the fields I believe are important for a more sustainable world, such as energy, smart cities and health care.
I now feel that I am holding the golden key in my hand to solve problems in many diverse areas. And today, when I remember that 6 year old little girl which portrayed me in her art work in different professions, I smile, give her a high five, and hand her a sticker that says “Reach for Your Dreams.”