The Data Science Conference is returning to the University of Nevada, Reno, and it’s set to be an exciting event! This year, the conference runs from February 18 to 20 at the Joe Crowley Student Union. After last year’s success with over 300 attendees, we’re ready for another inspiring experience.
During the conference, participants will dive into a variety of engaging activities. There will be panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and opportunities for networking. Some highlights include a crash course in Python, a workshop on mastering UNIX and command-line skills, and an introduction to version control with GitHub. Attendees will also get to meet representatives from Amazon Web Services and learn about creating automated data pipelines with Nextflow. Plus, there will be a panel discussion that explores different career paths within data science.
Juli Petereit, director of the Nevada Bioinformatics Center, shared that last year’s interactive sessions were the most engaging parts. Attendees loved the workshops and the poster sessions that sparked meaningful conversations.
This year, we have some fantastic keynote speakers lined up. Martin Krzywinski, a staff scientist at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, will present on February 18. His talk, “Data speaks for itself, but what is it saying? Crafting visual explanations of complex ideas,” will blend science and art in visualization. He’ll also lead a workshop on effective visual explanations.
The next day, Snehit Prabhu, chief data scientist at the Stanford Cancer Institute, will discuss “How data & AI are transforming cancer detection, prevention, and treatment.” He’ll share insights into innovative treatments and the role of enterprise data ecosystems in advancing this field.
Additionally, on February 19, Ankita Shukla, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, will speak on the importance of AI for science and social good, focusing on human health and wildlife conservation.
All events at the conference are free, thanks to support from the Data Science Initiative and other funding sources. If you’re interested in attending, make sure to register by February 10, 2025, by 11:59 p.m.
For any questions or more information, feel free to reach out via email at datascienceinitiative@unr.edu. We hope to see you there!
