People / Students / Class of 2025
Mason Ma graduated from UC Santa Barbara in December 2023 with a double major in Computer Science and Statistics and Data Science. His career has evolved from focusing on enhancing AI’s utility to addressing the need for trustworthy AI systems that ensure reliable decision-making, particularly in urban development, healthcare, and efficient manufacturing. Mason developed strong skills across various technical fields, including programming languages like C++, Python, and Java. His expertise in navigating complex computational challenges underscores his proficiency in technical domains and reflects his capacity to thrive in the fast-evolving field of technology. Driven by a curiosity about AI's practical applications, Mason interned as a Software Development Engineer at Amazon. There, he contributed to the development of a 2D pose estimation system using MoveNet, tackling the challenge of balancing detection speed with performance. He proposed a novel neural network architecture that improved detection speed by 20% without compromising accuracy. This was achieved through a two-stream model for appearance and body part map extraction, combined with bilinear pooling for reduced computational cost. This hands-on experience with convolutional neural networks deepened his understanding of AI’s transformative impact on human-technology interaction. Passionate about data science, Mason joined a UCSB research project focused on predicting heart failure using comprehensive datasets. By fine-tuning hyperparameters, employing precise feature selection methods, and eliminating noise-laden data, he significantly improved model performance and predictive reliability by 12%. This transformative experience underscored the critical role of data in healthcare and reinforced his commitment to leveraging machine learning to unlock healthcare insights while upholding data privacy. Believing in the business potential of data science, Mason also interned as a Data Analyst at SF Express Corporation. There, he developed a predictive model using time series analysis and clustering algorithms, achieving a 10% increase in operational efficiency. This role honed his skills in SQL and Python and demonstrated the tangible impact of data analytics on business processes, broadening his expertise from algorithm development to practical decision-making applications. With a robust background in data science and AI, Mason is poised for his next academic pursuit in the MLDS program. He envisions leveraging AI to revolutionize smart homes, cities, healthcare, and manufacturing processes, with a strong focus on ethical AI. His goal is to develop transparent, responsible, and privacy-preserving AI solutions that address real-world challenges and contribute to a sustainable technological future.
