Meet our Project Lead for Deciphering Climate Anxiety Signals in Youth Conversations!
Amanda Easson is a data science manager on the Canadian Personal Banking (CPB) AI/ML team at TD Bank, where she currently supports various forecasting projects for CPB Operations. Previously, she led a model innovation team, which focused on researching and applying advanced machine learning methods to various use cases in CPB. She is also an assistant instructor for the Data Science Certificate Program offered through the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and the Professional Development program at the University of Waterloo. Amanda holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, and was a fellow with Insight Data Science. She is passionate about using data science and analytics to make a positive impact and is looking forward to contributing to CRC's meaningful projects.
The variety of impactful projects and the strong focus on community outreach at Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) inspired her to join. She was also motivated by the chance to use analytics and AI/ML to make a positive impact on climate adaptation and strengthen community resilience.
I was inspired by the diverse array of impactful projects that CRC is spearheading, as well as their commitment to community outreach. Further, I was motivated by the opportunity to leverage analytics and AI/ML to contribute positively to climate adaptation and enhancing community resilience.
Volunteering Experience
Can you describe a rewarding project you worked on with us in a few sentences?
CRC is collaborating with Kids Help Phone to better understand climate anxiety in youth. For the first phase of this project, we are using natural language processing and large language models on open-source text data to identify and characterize climate anxiety in youth, and to provide recommendations for addressing climate anxiety.
What is one key skill you’ve developed through your volunteering?
As the project lead for CRC’s collaboration with Kids Help Phone, I have had the opportunity to enhance my skills in project management by leading the end-to-end project lifecycle. The project has given me the opportunity to collaborate with passionate CRC volunteers and partners at Kids Help Phone, and to apply my skills as a data scientist in a new field.
Impact
The models that CRC is building through our collaboration with Kids Help Phone will provide valuable insights into topics related to climate anxiety in youth, and recommendations for effectively addressing climate anxiety, in order to support youth in building resilience in response to climate change.
Join CRC Now
Why would you recommend volunteering with us to others?
I highly recommend volunteering with CRC! Everyone on the team is passionate and hard-working, and there are many opportunities to contribute to impactful projects, make a positive impact, and gain new skills. There is a highly positive culture in the team, with a strong focus on collaboration
We're Recruiting:
💰 2 Funding Leads: Drive our funding initiatives to support impactful projects.
🤝 2 Community Engagement Leads: Foster strong relationships with the communities we serve.
Why Volunteer With Us?
🤖 Gain experience in climate resilience & data and AI technologies
💚 Contribute to a meaningful cause
🤲 Collaborate with a passionate and diverse team
👯 Expand your professional network
🎓 Grow your knowledge, skills, and more!
Ready to make a difference? Join us in creating a sustainable and resilient future. To apply or learn more about the roles, visit https://crc.place/contributors/
