Ohio State’s fourth annual Data Science for Women Summer Camp concluded July 16 with a record number of attendees.  Hosted by the Translational Data Analytics Institute, the camp—which is 100% free for participants thanks to donations and grants—introduced 58 young men and women from 38 schools in Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois to the field of data science. 

The week-long experience was held 100% online for the second year in a row, but included an array of activities including data collection; statistical analysis; data games; an introduction to coding and data biases; data visualization; and modeling of a human brain. The camp featured interactive talks about how data is leveraged in education, industry, government and non-profits; a panel discussion with college students about preparing for college; a panel on careers that leverage data, and conversations with women in STEM about racial and gender biases. Speakers for 2021 included experts from transportation, education, consulting, electrical and computer engineering, statistics, biology, diversity and inclusion, anthropology, medicine, biomedical informatics, design, and neuroscience and many more.   

“What makes our camp truly unique is that we focus on all areas of data science, not just statistics or computer science,” said Jenna McGuire, founder and co-director of the camp and associate director of TDAI. “Our speakers and volunteers represent the humanities, medicine, ecology, artificial intelligence, transportation, and more. By the end of the week, the campers not only practice real data collection but also analyze data from a fascinating array of perspectives.”

The 2021 camp was sponsored by Kroger Technology™, Women in Analytics (WIA), and Kendra Scott™.

TDAI created the Data Science for Women Summer Camp in 2017 to help build a data science pipeline for young women, especially those from underrepresented minority groups. Data science and analytics as a field lacks diversity; despite the increase in job postings for DSA-related careers, more than 82 percent of companies had difficulty finding “data scientists who are ethnically diverse and/or women” suggests a 2017 report from the Business-Higher Education Forum and PwC.

“A potential source of bias in many datasets is that most of the world’s data scientists who collect, organize, analyze data, and make decisions are men,” said Asuman Turkmen, co-director of the camp and professor of statistics at Ohio State. “The problem is worse in lower-income countries, where women are less likely to have access to the STEM education. Our camp aims to inspire and educate young women by creating opportunities that help give them the confidence and support they need to pursue careers in male-dominated STEM fields.”

Dionne Swift, principal statistician at Procter & Gamble™ and a speaker at the camp, was pleased to see young women engaging in data science. “It is encouraging to see the interest of these middle and high school students in learning and exploring data science and analytics,” she said. “Today, less than 20% of data scientists are women, and the number is even lower for women in senior positions. As recruiter and interviewer for my company, I am encouraged that number of women applying for our data science and statistics positions will continue grow, and the gap of those in senior positions will disappear.”

Rachael Giglio, an Ohio State post-doctoral researcher at the university as well as a camp speaker and volunteer, echoed the sentiment: “As a volunteer it was really wonderful to see the campers engage in various activities that introduce different types of research that use data science. I think the campers had a unique experience learning about the human brain, how diseases spread, and much more. I found the campers were excited about the topics covered, and it was incredibly rewarding to see their growth throughout the camp.”

McGuire and Turkmen were able to leverage the virtual set-up to expand this year’s camp from previous years, when attendance was limited to 25-30 women from central Ohio. In addition to more campers from a great geographical area, several young men also participated, stemming from a partnership with Upward Bound, a federally sponsored educational program that at Ohio State is directed by Laura Commodore. The number of volunteers who helped campers through data exercises also rose, to 23; they included Ohio State students, postdoctoral scholars, staff and faculty from four colleges, three centers, and two offices, plus alumna Shweta Ambwani, who works for Accenture.

Judging from their feedback, the campers’ perspectives were expanded, too. “I've learned that data science is much bigger, uses teamwork, and that it is used way more often than I thought!” said Naikya, a ninth grader of Career Prep Schools.

Plans for 2022 are already underway and may include on-site and virtual options to allow a greater range of students to attend. Get more information.

Data Science for Women Summer Camp by the Numbers

Additional Quotes from Campers

“I love how easy-going camp is; it lets me learn a lot while having fun.”
--Tanisha, Dublin City Schools ninth-grader

 

“I have a learned a bunch about the career opportunities and broadness of the data analytics field and how many options and different ways to apply it to a job, or just in high school. I also learned about the biases in data and graphs that are used to visualize otherwise confusing data."
--Vivian, Grandview Heights ninth-grader

 

“I have been learning about what data science is, data biases, and discussed what it is like being a women interested in data science.”
--Sophia, Mentor eighth-grader

 

“I've really liked getting to hear directly from data professionals and college students, as well as getting to work with and look at data ourselves.”
--Anna, Canfield Local Schools ninth grader

 

“I have learned more about the parts of the brain, their functions, and how different scans are used to collect data about the brain.”
--Evelyn, a ninth grader of Olentangy Schools, on the Data Brain and Imaging session run by Dr. Zeynep Saygin, Ohio State assistant professor of psychology

 

“I've learned that data science is much bigger, uses teamwork, and that it is used way more often than I thought!”
--Naikya, Career Prep Schools ninth grader

 

“While at this camp, I have learned about things such as Big Data, what data science is, the data life cycle, and more.”
--Alyssa, North Ridgeville City Schools eighth grader

 

“It was so interesting to see all of the different sections of the brain in differing colors and learn about how it all works together. Being able to visualize the brain and make it with my hands really helped me understand it. It was also very helpful to listen to the guest speakers about their experiences in the data science field."
--Elyse, Dublin City Schools eighth grader