Cathryn “Cat” Posey and Maya Silver-Isenstadt will speak at the University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences December Commencement Ceremony. The ceremony will be held on December 18, 2019, at 7 p.m. at the Xfinity Center on campus.
Posey is a senior tech director on the leadership team in the Center for Machine Learning at Capital One. The center focuses on research and strategic innovation initiatives in artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), including the development of tools, technologies, frameworks, and partnerships with industry and academia. Posey is dedicated to developing and implementing AI/ML systems responsibly and in ways that put humanity at the forefront.
Posey is also passionate about finding ways to shift the current dynamics within tech culture so the community can truly be a microcosm of the world and a place where all of its members can thrive. She founded Tech By Superwomen, a movement she started to shift the conversation to what works and what matters when it comes to creating a more inclusive tech industry.
Prior to Capital One, she served as the head of strategic partnerships and alliances for the United States Digital Service, a tech startup founded by former President Barack Obama to change the technology infrastructure in order to better serve citizens. Posey is a recognized authority on issues impacting women in technology and an international speaker who has been featured in various national media publications.
Silver-Isenstadt is graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a University Honors citation. She has explored basic and applied biomedical research during her time as an undergraduate. Through a summer internship, Silver-Isenstadt conducted microbiology research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. There, she studied how bacteria can be genetically engineered to use agricultural waste as a food source in different metabolic pathways; this method could reduce carbon emissions caused by the traditional burning of such waste. Silver-Isenstadt also conducted research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine where she studied current chemotherapeutics and their impact on brain cancer.
On campus, Silver-Isenstadt played piano with the University of Maryland repertoire orchestra, enjoyed intramural soccer, and co-founded a club called Gove’s Quest that aims to mitigate health challenges faced by women in Prince George’s County who have limited access to high-quality care. Silver-Isenstadt also served as an English instructor in the Office of International and Executive Programs where she worked on conversational English with incoming graduate students from China.
Off campus, Silver-Isenstadt volunteers as an emergency medical technician first responder with the Savage Volunteer Fire Company in Howard County, Maryland. Next year, she will join a cardiovascular research laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Silver-Isenstadt plans to pursue a combined M.D./Ph.D. program to continue exploring the nexus of science and medicine.
Media Relations Contact: Abby Robinson, 301-405-5845, abbyr@umd.edu
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College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
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About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 9,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college’s 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $175 million.