On April 26th, the Kansas Data Science Consortium (KDSC) hosted their second annual conference at Wichita State University. Attendees came from community colleges, universities, government agencies, and businesses across the state. The event featured a keynote speech, panels, trainings, and poster presentations.
Anthony Muscat, dean of engineering at WSU, gave the opening remarks. Then, the morning sessions featured two options: a training session on how to use Power BI for data analytics and a panel conversation about data science pedagogy across grade levels.
Jeffrey Girard, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kansas and KDSC Co-Director, gave the keynote speech on big data and social media. Through two case studies–one analyzing smiling celebrities and another on instagram influencers–he demonstrated how social media is a treasure trove of information for researchers in psychology, business, and other human-focused fields.
Kansas State University Teaching Assistant Professor Safia Malallah shared a video promoting women in data science. She was recently appointed the Ambassador to the Women in Data Science Kansas Chapter.
Attendees divided into breakouts after lunch. One breakout option gave students from WSU, KSU, and KU the chance to meet with representatives from 11 partnering organizations. These partners contributed real-world data for the students’ class projects. These partners come from different sectors of the economy, including federal agencies FEMA and EPA, three city/county governments, the Lutheran Campus Ministries nonprofit, and a startup company Viaanix.
The morning sessions were held at WSU’s Barton School of Business in Woolsey Hall.
KU assistant professor Jeffrey Girard gives keynote speech.
Sergio Salinas Monroy, associate professor of engineering at WSU, kicks off the panel session focused on education & industry connections.
Business professionals share information about data science careers.
An afternoon breakout session focused on education and industry connections. It featured a panel of five professionals from several businesses. The conversation focused on how to navigate to a career in data analytics.
The daylong event concluded with students presenting posters about their data science class projects. This session was also a great way for businesses and other organizations to scout talent for high-demand jobs in Kansas.
Suzanne Smith (right), associate professor and department chair at Johnson County Community College, discusses data science class project with K-State student.
K-State students with Professor Lior Shamir (left) and Dr. Safia Malallah (right).
Wichita State University student with Janice Akao (right), professor of accounting at Butler County Community College.
The 2024 Kansas Data Science Conference was made possible through the input and direction of its committee members, who hail from WSU, KU, K-State, and Newman University.
The KDSC was launched in 2022 as a workforce development engine for Kansas. This hub spans multiple universities and colleges, and is a key educational pillar of the ARISE project, a $20 million initiative in Kansas funded by the National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) with matching funds from the Kansas Board of Regents. Through EPSCoR, NSF builds research and education capacity in traditionally underfunded states and jurisdictions — like Kansas. The ARISE team is in its second year of a five-year effort to build data science capabilities in Kansas.
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