CS Department Hosts Women in Data Science Conference
03-07-2018
Writer(s): Kristyn Childres
The Department of Computer Science hosted a Women in Data Science conference on March 5. Speakers included computer science faculty members Jennifer Neville and Simina Brânzei, as well as Purdue faculty members Wen-wen Tung and Melba Crawford. Nicole Hunt and Sara Bigelow from Eli Lilly’s department of data sciences and solutions also spoke at the conference.
“The conference helped our attendees see all sorts of problems that these accomplished women are solving with data science. It helped students envision themselves in those roles in a few years. The panel was especially beneficial, showing attendees what skills they’ll need to be successful in this field and what skills employers are looking for,” said Nicole Eikmeier, a graduate student who co-organized the conference with Huda Nassar.
Purdue faculty member Nicole Kong and Carol Song of ITaP Research Computing joined the speakers for an afternoon panel, responding to audience questions about data science careers. The conference featured a Julia computing workshop, as well as live streaming talks from the Women in Data Science conference at Stanford.
“It was inspiring to see how different the speakers’ backgrounds are, and the conference helped me understand how my interests fit into data science,” said attendee Caitlin Kennedy, a senior majoring in computer science and mathematics.