WiDSTORY | May 29, 2024

WiDS Ambassador Event Highlights: May

WiDS Austin

The Austin WiDS Datathon workshop successfully empowered a diverse group of beginners, providing them with hands-on experience and valuable skills in data science. The event fostered a strong sense of community and confidence among participants in a supportive and inclusive environment. Attendees praised the engaging discussions, interactive sessions, and valuable networking opportunities, marking the workshop as a resounding success.

WiDS Cambridge

The first Women in Data Science workshop in 2019 aimed to bring more women into AI by understanding their skill levels and expectations, attracting over 200 registrations. Since then, the workshops have consistently upskilled women by providing necessary materials via GitHub and maintaining engagement through Slack, growing from 25 participants in 2020 to over 100 this year. This year featured a keynote by Dr. Ehi Nosakhare, an AI leader and women in STEM advocate, who discussed the challenges women face in tech and her work at Microsoft as a Senior Applied Science Manager. The workshops continue to empower women in AI by fostering community and providing ongoing resources.

WiDS Ecuador

The highlight of WiDS Ecuador was the participation of high school students, who learned about the role of data in Artificial Intelligence. The speakers’ experiences stimulated curiosity and engagement among the students. Additionally, the event emphasized sustainability, offering eco-friendly souvenirs and prizes. The recording of the event is available for viewing here.

WiDS Ajmer

A total of 23 teams, each comprising 3 participants, engaged in the Datathon, with representation from various regions including India and Malaysia. Notably, 10 teams hailed from different universities across India, while 12 teams originated from different departments of CURAJ. Dr. Ambika Sharma, Deputy Manager-Research Scientist at Reliance Jio AICoE and an alumnus of IIT Delhi, served as the guest speaker for the event. Industry mentors, including professionals like Mr. Ankit Yadav, Mr. Trailokesh Mohanty, Dr. Vivek Kumar Verma, and Dr. Anju Yadav, were assigned to each team to provide continuous guidance leading up to the event. The Datathon culminated with recognition for the outstanding performance of three teams through the “Best Performance” award.

WiDS Riyadh @ PNU

The Artificial Intelligence Center, in collaboration with the Competition Unit at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University’s College of Computer and Information Sciences, concluded a successful Women in Data Science Datathon Workshop. Seventeen participants, including sixteen female students, showcased their data science skills and knowledge during the event. Led by Dr. Shrooq Alsenan and Ms. Ghada Alharbi, the workshop provided comprehensive guidelines and hands-on sessions to familiarize participants with the Datathon process and practical data science applications using Python. The event offered students a collaborative platform to tackle real-world challenges and gain valuable experience in working with data.

WiDS Timisoara

WiDS Timisoara 2024 gathered a series of industry, government and academia talks on the theme The Human Value of Data Science, discussing the impact of data science on industries, government, citizens and societies at large.

WiDS New York City

The WiDS New York City conference held at the CUNY Graduate Center successfully united data science enthusiasts through a series of inspiring talks, workshops, and networking opportunities. Spearheaded by dedicated ambassadors, the event featured presentations from industry experts such as Gargi Banerjee Dasgupta, Yiye Zhang, and Ioana Baldini, who shared insights on the latest data science trends. The conference fostered a vibrant and supportive community, highlighting the collective enthusiasm and commitment to empowering women in the field of data science.

WiDS Baku

Hosted by WiDS Baku, the event featured Gunay Imanzade, an Azerbaijani businesswoman listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30 for Social Impact, who shared her experiences in business, startups, and living abroad. She discussed the challenges she faced and strategies for staying motivated. The interactive event allowed participants to exchange ideas, address their business challenges, and receive valuable feedback, fostering a stimulating environment for developing successful business concepts.

WiDS Philadelphia @ Vanguard

The inaugural WiDS event at Vanguard brought together nearly 200 participants from all 11 divisions of Vanguard’s global sites to empower women in AI/ML. The event featured a Fireside Chat with senior female leaders Jing Wang, Abha Dawesar, and Nicole Pustai, who shared insights on thriving in the AI/ML field. Networking and Community Building sessions fostered connections, collaboration, and idea-sharing among attendees. WiDS at Vanguard aims to build a supportive and inclusive community to drive women’s growth in AI/ML.