Women’s Data Science Conference Scheduled For UCF, Stanford

Big data is reshaping industries from healthcare and aerospace to finance and cyberspace, and UCF is helping prepare some of the workforce that will help map the way.

On March 4, UCF will host the Women in Data Science Conference to educate the public about some of those industry changes and the role women have.

The conference runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Morgridge International Reading Center on the main campus. The morning will include a keynote talk and a panel discussion with industry representatives from around Central Florida. The afternoon will include speakers from Stanford University in California via live streaming. Stanford is coordinating the international program that will be held at more than 150 locations around the world.

“The Women in Data Science international event is the perfect showcase and networking venue for the Central Florida data science community. It opens a window to new concepts and ideas in a real-time and simulcast format,” says Susan Scrupski, founder of Big Mountain Data, who worked with the Women in STEM group at UCF to organize the event. She also sits on UCF’s Data Science Advisory Board.

Daphne Kis, is the keynote speaker. She is CEO of WorldQuant University, an international nonprofit advocating global education in data science and co-founder of Litmus Health — a company that manages data for health-related research.

Kis is an entrepreneur who has been at the forefront of identifying, chronicling and transforming trends in technology, health, education and business for decades. Her talk is “The Problem with the STEM Crusade: Bringing Data Science to Women, Not the Other Way Around.”

Kis co-founded a clinical data science platform focused on health-related quality of life. It uses data collected at the point of experience from wearables, smart devices, and home sensors to guide management and to inform trials.

Her talk will be followed by a panel discussion focused on how data science is reinventing business operations and processes. Panelists include:

• Kathleen Walker, Manager of Information Systems and Data Services for Orlando Health
• Sreerupa Das, Lockheed Martin Fellow
• Madeline Schiappa, a doctoral student in UCF’s Complex Adaptive Systems Lab.

The audience will also hear from UCF’s Research Information Systems Assistant Director Shafaq Chaudhry.

At noon, attendees can watch the live stream from Stanford. The featured speaker will be Hilary Parker, a data scientist for Stitch Fix, the online apparel company that lets customers try on clothes, purchase what they want, and return the rest.

The event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged by clicking here. The event is co-sponsored by the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Office of Research, College of Graduate Studies, and Faculty Excellence.