The State of Data Science Education
About the Event
Data science is a rapidly evolving field. On the supply-side, educators and vocational training organizations are developing programs to meet burgeoning demand, but with very different ideas of what skills data scientists need. On the demand-side, employers are still learning about how to hire, retain and manage data scientists. As a result, a number of questions have emerged about data science education:
What skills should data scientists have? How do companies evaluate talent? Are data scientists creating value? Is data science education meeting the needs of companies? What's the future of data science education?
We've assembled a fantastic set of panelists from universities, vocational programs and companies to discuss these questions and many more. In addition, we are excited to have DJ Patil, the Chief Data Scientist of the United States, provide a special closing keynote.
Conference Logistics
Date:
Saturday, October 10th, 2015
Time:
11am - 2pm
Location:
George Washington University (map)
Funger Hall Room 108
Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-state-of-data-science-education-tickets-18179460255
Panels & Speakers
Panel - Data Science Educators
Academics, vocational programs, incubators and specialized recruiting firms will talk about the state of data science education and where it is going.
Bill Rand - Assistant Professor & Director, Center for Complexity in Business at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
Jake Klamka - CEO and founder of Insight Data Science
Edwin Schmierer - Associate Dean of the Center for Continuing & Professional Education at Georgetown University - Data Science Certificate Program
Tony Ojeda - CEO and founder of District Data Labs
Tatiyana Apanasovich - Co-Director of the GW Data Science Program and an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics
Moderator:
Sean Patrick Murphy, co-founder, Data Innovation DC
Panel - Date Science Employers
Employers from government, large established companies and start-ups will discuss the challenges in identifying and using data science talent.
Gideon Mann - Head of Data Science at Bloomberg
Marck Vaisman - Lead Associate, Data Scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton
Brian Muller - Director of Data Science at Vox Media
Amanda Traud - Data Scientist at L-3 Global Solutions
Moderator:
Peter Wang, CTO and Co-founder of Continuum Analytics
Keynote Speaker
DJ Patil, Chief Data Scientist of the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy
Sponsors
We are proud to the have the support of the following sponsors:
Launched in fall 2013, GWSB’s MSBA program is innovative in its academic methodology and inspiring in its vision. Our program addresses the rapidly growing need for business analytics professionals, training graduates to harness the power of big data to make informed decisions and envision new possibilities for their organizations. To learn more, please visit: http://business.gwu.edu/programs/specialized-masters/m-s-in-business-analytics/
Continuum Analytics develops Anaconda, the leading modern open source analytics platform powered by Python. Continuum’s Python based platform and consulting services empower organizations to analyze, manage and visualize big data turning massive datasets into actionable insights and business value. Built on proven opensource technology and easily integrated within existing IT environments, Anaconda allows organizations to make critical business decisions based on their data quickly, easily, inexpensively, and with flexibility. Without having to worry about how to access their data, organizations can free up resources to solve actual problems. Continuum’s founders and developers have created or contribute to some of the most popular data science technologies, including NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, IPython, and many others. To learn more about the Anaconda platform, training and consulting services, visit continuum.io.
Audience
We expect a broad-based audience of data scientists, educators and employers. This event will be of interest to aspiring and professional data scientists who want to learn about the data science landscape from the perspective of both educators and employers.
Data science educators will hear from a variety of educators on the challenges and future of data science education, as well as from industry about the skills they are looking for in recent graduates.
Data science employers will hear from leading organizations about the challenges and best practices in hiring, as well as from educational institutions about how they are rising to meet the needs of industry.
Speaker & Sponsor Opportunities
The State of Data Science Education event will be the first event bringing together educators and employers to talk about the present and future of data science education. Given the ever-increasing need for data scientists, this will be an exciting opportunity to be part of the conversation and get exposure for your insights. Please contact us at DIDC@datacommunitydc.org if you’re interesting in participating as a panelist, speaker or sponsor.
