WiDS Blog Archive

WiDS Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Supports and Inspires Women to Succeed in STEM

5/8/2022

Dr. Tanzila Saba, a Research Professor, Associate Chair of Information Systems Department, leader of Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics (AIDA) Lab and WiDS Ambassador at Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia for the past five years, supports and inspired women to pursue STEM careers in Saudi Arabia.

Tolúlọpẹ́ Ògúnrẹ̀mí: From WiDS London to Stanford PhD

4/11/2022

Tolúlọpẹ́ Ògúnrẹ̀mí’s involvement with WiDS began as a WiDS London ambassador, working with Stanford prior to getting accepted to the Stanford Computer Science (CS) PhD program. She has been able to combine a love of languages with her ability in mathematics and computer science and is now focused on Natural Language Processing (NLP) for low-resource languages, particularly in sub-Saharan African languages. Tolúlọpẹ́ came full circle with WiDS, attending and volunteering for the WiDS Worldwide event in 2022.

WiDS Helps Change Perceptions of What’s Possible for Women in Data Science

1/11/2022

Manvi Madan, a Data Analytics Specialist for the Ports of Auckland, New Zealand says WiDS has changed her perception about what’s possible for women in data science and has inspired her to become a leader in the space.

WiDS Ambassador in Jordan Empowers Women in her Region Through a Datathon Workshop

1/4/2022

Dr. Zaher Ali Al-Sai, a WiDS Ambassador in Jordan, says creating and leading a workshop for the WiDS Datathon expanded her skills and confidence by empowering women in her region.

Cindy Orozco Bohorquez: From Bogotá, to Stanford PhD, to WiDS Worldwide Speaker

12/15/2021

Cindy Catherine Orozco Bohorquez started her PhD at Stanford’s Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering (ICME) the same year that WiDS launched its first conference. Her involvement with WiDS started as a shy volunteer and evolved to fulfilling her dream of becoming a speaker at global and regional WiDS conferences, a WiDS workshop instructor, and a member of a thriving community of women data scientists.

First Time Kaggle Participant Team Earns WiDS Datathon Excellence in Research Honorary Mention

11/15/2021

The WiDS Datathon Excellence in Research Award is an opportunity for WiDS Datathon teams to write papers about their research. The papers are judged on their potential for real-world impact, rigor in scientific methodology, and clarity of communication. Team Parameters Patrol from the United States and the United Kingdom with teammates Natalie Pirkola, Elena Barbulescu, Stacy Forsyth and Kate Tereshchenko won an Honorary Mention for their research paper, Feature Engineering to Improve Performance.

Facebook’s Suzanne Valentine Helps Transform Data Science into Business Insights

10/12/2021

Suzanne Valentine, Facebook’s Director of Data Science for Global Marketing Solutions, has built her career turning data into business insights. Inspired by WiDS’ support for women data scientists, Facebook has become a sponsor, providing micro-scholarships for WiDS ambassadors.

Sulakshana Sreeram, WiDS Ambassador in Hyderabad, Brings WiDS Education Outreach to Public High School Girls in India

9/13/2021

Sulakshana Sreeram, Assistant Director of Corporate Relations & Initiatives at Sri Vishnu Education Society, is the WiDS Hyderabad Ambassador and a collaborator with the WiDS Education Outreach program.

Collaborators Who Met During 2021 Datathon Win Excellence in Research Award

8/16/2021

Maya Tadmor-Saghiv and Pavel Vodolazov teamed up to win third place in the 2021 WiDS Datathon and first place for the WiDS Datathon Excellence in Research Award for their paper on practices for handling missing data in ICU predictive modeling. They met during the datathon when they decided to join forces and then went on to collaborate on the prize-winning paper: Bridge Over Troubled Data – Practices for Handling Missing Data in Intensive Care Unit Predictive Modeling.

WiDS Africa Co-Ambassador Teaches Data Science to Empower Women and Girls Across Africa

6/15/2021

Mahadia Tunga is Co-Founder and Director of Data Science, Research and Capacity Development at Tanzania Data Lab (dLab). She is also the WiDS Dar es Salaam ambassador, WiDS Africa co-ambassador and a collaborator with the WiDS Education Outreach program.

Recent Stanford Grad Bianca Yu Discusses How Role Models Help Young Women Imagine Their Own Futures

5/10/2021

Bianca Yu, a recent Stanford graduate, talks about the importance of strong women role models in STEM and data science to help young women believe in what they can achieve. Before returning to Stanford to pursue her Master’s degree in Bioengineering, Bianca is helping educate younger women about data science through the WiDS Education Outreach Program.

WiDS 2021 highlights shared from Chaitanyasuma Jain

4/10/2021

Editors note: Chaitanyasuma Jain is a computer engineering student at Cummins College of Engineering for Women in Pune. She has been a WiDS Pune volunteer since 2018 and attended the WiDS Pune regional event organized by WiDS ambassadors at WiMLDS Pune. In this WiDStory written by Chaitanyasuma, she shares her thoughts and inspiring takeaways from WiDS conference sessions.

Data Science Evangelist Parul Pandey Describes How the WiDS Datathon Encourages Collaboration Between and Across Teams

1/5/2021

Parul Pandey, a data science evangelist at H20.ai and 6th place winner in the WiDS Datathon 2020, says the design of the WiDS datathon encourages learning and collaboration between the women competitors. She says this type of collaboration is crucial to help more women get into and succeed in the field of data science.

IBM's Susan Malaika Explains How WiDS Successfully Pushes Women Forward to Reach Their Potential Around the World

11/30/2020

Susan Malaika, a member of IBM’s Senior Technical Staff and part of the Open Technologies and Developer Advocacy team for Data and AI, explains how WiDS events and contests help women around the world gain confidence and skills to succeed in data science.

Srujana Kaddevarmuth of Walmart Labs Believes Diversity of Perspectives in Data Science is Vital to Solving the World's Pressing Challenges

10/26/2020

Srujana Kaddevarmuth, Director of Data Science and Value Realization at Walmart Labs, leads the data science team to create solutions with business value and impact. She has been actively involved with hosting regional WiDS events and shaping the WiDS datathon.

BBC Data Scientist Megan Stodel was Inspired and Supported by the London WiDS Community to Launch her Data Science Career

9/21/2020

Megan Stodel loved the arts and humanities as a student but a few years after graduation, she discovered that she enjoyed working with data and wanted to work in data science. After attending WiDS London in 2018, she found a supportive community and network that helped her prepare, search for jobs, and launch her data science career.

Iryna Ivanenko Explains How Her Love of Coding Competitions Led Her to the WiDS Datathon and a Second Place Prize in 2020

7/20/2020

Iryna Ivanenko, second place winner of the WiDS Datathon 2020, is a data science and machine learning developer and former WiDS ambassador from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Intersectional Data Science

5/11/2020

Women in Data Science (WiDS) is an annual conference at Stanford University that hopes to inspire and educate data scientists and support women in the field. I missed the opportunity to buy tickets because I was underground caving, but thankfully there were regional events planned to coincide, so I jumped at the opportunity to attend WiDS at UC Berkeley.

WiDS Ambassador Inspires Women Across Colombia to Learn About and Pursue Opportunities in Data Science

4/13/2020

As a WiDS Ambassador for three years, Joha Salinas has made a huge impact in women’s lives across Colombia, inspiring them to join together to learn about data science and pursue new job opportunities in the digital world. And after recently relocating to Sweden, Joha has found a WiDS community in her new home by joining in to help with the WiDS Stockholm team.

Wells Fargo Digital Leader and WiDS Advisor Believes Data Science is a “Generational Opportunity”

2/25/2020

Catherine Li, Digital Leader for Wells Fargo’s ATM and Branch Technology where she is responsible for digital transformation strategy and implementation, has been a trusted WiDS advisor and moderator over the past few years. WiDS has introduced Catherine to many inspiring women in data science and has provided a platform to promote the field of data science, inside and outside of Wells Fargo.

Twin Sisters, Inspired by WiDS Event in Mumbai, Become WiDS Ambassadors in Jersey City Where They are Currently in Grad School

2/17/2020

Dyuti and Dishti Dave, twin sisters from Mumbai, were inspired by the 2019 WiDS Mumbai event to become WiDS Ambassadors in Jersey City where they are studying computer science at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

The 2nd Place Winners of the 2019 WiDS Datathon “Full Fuego” Collaborated Across Countries and Generations

1/10/2020

Mother/daughter team Alison Davey/Laura Rico based in Spain and Maria Jimenez-Otero based in the UK collaborated across countries to win second place in the WiDS 2019 Datathon. Alison and Maria, who had met through an online course, both gained confidence and valuable new data science skills as a result of participating and winning the competition.

WiDS Enthusiasm in Japan!

12/9/2019

One year has passed since I discovered WiDS (Women in Data Science) and I have since become an advocate in Japan. The WiDS initiative aims to inspire and educate data scientists worldwide, regardless of gender, and to support women in the field. Since the 4th WiDS Tokyo@YCU workshop wrapped up, my motivation increased further. So in reflection, I decided to look back at the first time I encountered WiDS and chronicle my passion.

WiDS Ambassador in Kuwait Gains Professional Skills as she Pursues Her Passion to Empower Women in Data Science

11/11/2019

Aseel Al-Mesad is a WiDS Ambassador in Kuwait City where she is also the organization manager for the Women Data Community (WDC). Being a WiDS Ambassador has expanded Aseel’s skills, confidence and professional network, and deepened her commitment to empower women in data science.

A WiDS Conference in Israel Inspired Talia Tron to Join Intuit and Become a Leader in the Local and Global Data Science Community

10/7/2019

Talia Tron attended her first WiDS conference in Israel after hearing about it during a job interview with Intuit. Her experience at this conference sealed her decision to join Intuit and introduced her to a dynamic and growing community of talented female data scientists. She is now a senior data scientist and researcher leading Intuit’s work on explainable AI as part of the Intuit AI Technology Futures team and leader of Intuit’s Innovation Catalyst community in Israel.

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