Data Science Updates is the University of Wisconsin-Madison's resource for news, training, events, and professional opportunities in data science, brought to you by the Data Science Institute, powered by American Family Insurance, and the Data Science Hub.
December 13, 2023
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Register for the Research Bazaar
UW–Madison’s Data Science Hub is hosting the 5th annual Research Bazaar on February 7 and 8, 2024 at the Discovery Building. With an overarching theme of Data in Action, the Research Bazaar is an inclusive, community-building event that encourages cross-pollination of ideas among researchers, data scientists, entrepreneurs, and community members, including students. The aim of this event is to foster a thriving data science community on campus and in the wider community, and to equip researchers from all career stages with the digital skills and tools required to do their work efficiently and equitably. Register by January 30. View the Research Bazaar schedule and register here.
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MadPrompts Spotlights the Creative Potential of AI
On November 29, five contestants competed in UW–Madison’s first generative AI prompt battle— MadPrompts—at the Discovery Building. They used a variety of text-to-image systems to create marketing materials for Babcock ice cream flavors, memorabilia for UW–Madison’s 175th anniversary, imagined photos of a dog on a dream vacation, and more. Audience members were able to experiment with AI image generating tools during the event. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Data Science Institute, who co-sponsored this event, wish to thank the contestants and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make MadPrompts a success!
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MadPrompts contestants James, David, Lauren, Audra, and Bryce with DSI Director Kyle Cranmer (far left) and WARF Accelerator Associate Lesli Mark (far right). Photo by Jeanan Yasiri Moe.
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Two Years of ML+X
Two years ago, the ML+X community launched with a clear mission: to bring together students, researchers, and industry professionals who share an interest in using machine learning (ML) methods to advance their work (X). As ML+X celebrates its second year anniversary, we reflect on our journey of fostering communal learning and collaboration in the realm of ML. Looking ahead, we discuss our future plans to further advance our impact. Read the Two Years of ML+X blog post here.
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Data and Software Carpentry Workshops
January 8-11, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., The Data Science Hub is hosting an online Ecology Data Carpentry Workshop. Data Carpentry develops and teaches workshops on the fundamental data skills needed to conduct research. Its target audience is researchers who have little to no prior computational experience, and its lessons are domain specific, building on learners' existing knowledge to enable them to quickly apply skills learned to their own research. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems. While this workshop uses ecological data, the skills learned can be applied to many domains. Learn more and register by visiting the Data Carpentry workshop page.
January 16-19, 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., The Data Science Hub is hosting an online Software Carpentry Workshop. Software Carpentry aims to help researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. This hands-on workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation using Python. Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems. Learn more and register by visiting the Software Carpentry workshop page.
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Happy Holidays!
Data Science Updates wishes all our readers a happy holiday season! This is our last issue of 2023. Our next issue will land in your inbox January 10.
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Software Training for Students: STS is Here To Help!
Need to learn a required software for class? Could use some extra guidance with a coding, data, or design project? STS can help! Software Training for Students (STS) is a free service on campus that helps UW-Madison students with their software questions relating to either course projects or personal interests. Their team of student trainers provide assistance with software like R/RStudio, Python, HTML/CSS, Excel, Photoshop, and Illustrator, among many others.
STS can help students at College Library via their:
- STS Office Hours at DesignLab where students can receive 1-on-1 help with assignments and general tech questions
- Workshops scheduled every Monday-Thursday at 5:30pm (Room 2257)
Learn more about STS services and register for workshops at the STS website.
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Have questions about anything data science-related? Come see the Data Science Hub facilitators at Coding Meetup on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. CT. To join Coding Meetup, join data-science-hubgroup.slack.com.
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SILO Seminar Series
Wednesdays, Join the Systems, Information, Learning, and Optimization (SILO) seminar Wednesdays at 12:30pm. These seminars are held in hybrid mode, where you can attend either in person at the Discovery Building (with pizza!) or via Zoom. For more information visit the SILO website, where you can join their mailing list and receive sign up information for in-person seminars and Zoom links.
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MadPy: Python at the Speed of C
January 11, 2024, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., MadPy is hosting an event called "Python at the Speed of C" at the Madison Public Library (Central). Python's flexibility and ease of use are excellent, but sometimes speed is essential. In January, join MadPy as David Hoese presents "Python at the Speed of C," discussing how to supercharge your Python code using Cython and the C Python API. They'll explore why Python is slow, provide an overview of the Python C API, and discuss why it's challenging to work with. The speaker will showcase Cython's capabilities through various examples. Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned Pythonista, this talk offers something for everyone, including a potential bonus on Python Rust extensions. Boost your Python skills with MadPy! Register for the event at the MadPy event page on Meetup.
David Hoese is a software developer at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from UW-Madison. Dave works on writing software tools to assist atmospheric scientists with a focus on analyzing satellite and ground-based instrument data.
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EVIL in Spring 2024
Spring 2024, Join us at EVIL to talk about AI and Ethics! The Ethics, Values, Information, and Law (EVIL) reading group pursues scholarship in the intersections of ethics, law, and data and information technologies. The EVIL Reading group meets every three weeks (roughly), Fridays, online, and is hosted in collaboration with the iSchool and ML+X. The first Spring meeting will be January 26, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
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phy-lunch
Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m., Sungsik (Kevin) Kong, a postdoc working with Claudia Solis Lemus, is organizing phy-lunch for the Fall semester in 1111 Biotech, which will be an opportunity for students and postdocs to informally meet and discuss phylogenetic topics and feel comfortable asking “basic” questions. If you’re interested in learning more, search for the group “phy-lunch” in Google groups (need to login with wisc account) and request to join.
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The Carpentries is seeking new members to bring additional diversity and expertise into its instructional community. Among other benefits, members have opportunities to advance their technical and teaching skills by attending computational workshops and participating in an optional instructor training program. Join the google group if interested in learning more!
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PROFESSIONAL
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Information Security Manager
Summit Credit Union is looking for an Information Security Manager that will have the primary responsibility for ensuring the security of the IR environment and systems. The manager reports on the cybersecurity program, material cybersecurity risks, and other responsibilities. Learn more and apply at the Information Security job posting.
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STUDENT
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CS/ECE 761 Teaching Assistant
Professor Ramya Vinayak is seeking TAs for CS/ECE 761 "Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning". Ideal candidates will have taken 761, but other graduate students who have strong mathematical and statistical backgrounds may also be qualified.
Please let Professor Vinayak know if you are possibly interested and they can provide further information. You can reach them at ramya@ece.wisc.edu.
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DATA VISUALIZATION OF THE WEEK
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Reposted from the Data Science Community Newsletter, an Academic Data Science Alliance project.
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The Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA) is a network of academic data science practitioners, educators, and leaders, and academic-adjacent colleagues, who thoughtfully integrate data science best practices in higher education. UW-Madison is a founding member of ADSA.
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Data Science Updates is a collaborative effort of the Data Science Institute and Data Science Hub.
Use our submission form to send us your news, events, opportunities and data visualizations for future issues.
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