WiDS Trinidad and Tobago 2024
Datathon 1 - JANUARY TO MARCH, 2024;
Datathon 2 - APRIL TO june, 2024
What is WiDS?
The Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative aims to inspire and educate data scientists worldwide, regardless of gender, and to support women in the field. The WiDS Datathon encourages women worldwide to hone their data science skills in a supportive environment.
Mission: To change the field of data science across the globe by elevating and empowering women and
helping the community reach 30% representation of women in education, innovation, and leadership by 2030
- The WiDS Datathon 2024 Challenges themed Equity in Healthcare is a predictive analytics challenge hosted on Kaggle. These challenges are designed for all data science enthusiasts who are discovering or building their data skills. Participants will develop a model to predict if the time for a patient to receive their first treatment for their diagnoses is within a certain length of time.
- These Datathon Challenges run from January to March, 2024 and April to June, 2024.
- Persons interested in data science are invited to participate in any of the challenges, including ABSOLUTE beginners.
- It is open to individuals or teams of up to 4; at least half of each team must be individuals who identify as women.
- Participants can be students, faculty, government workers, members of NGOs, or industry members.
- Participants have FREE access to data science skill-building resources, Modeling/coding tutorials and videos, Supportive mentors, Global networking opportunities, Local Prizes and Certificates, Team building for a good cause in local communities .
“WiDS Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) is independently organized by Dr. Letetia Addison, Ms. Riana Kandhai and team to be part of the mission to increase participation of women in data science and to feature outstanding women doing outstanding work.”
Also see WiDS Datathon Resources
Need to find team members as a datathon participant and/or volunteer to be a mentor or speaker?
Sign-up and get ready to be a part of WiDS Trinidad and Tobago 2024 Datathon Workshops and Regional Events.
WiDS Trinidad and Tobago
Datathon Workshop & Regional Events
The WiDS Trinidad & Tobago is hosting virtual workshops and regional events in support of the international WiDS Datathon Challenge 2024, using data to tell a story. The main goals are:
- to provide data science enthusiasts with the necessary knowledge, resources and tools to assist in the international WiDS Datathon challenge and beyond
- to promote awareness about data science experiences from the female perspective, featuring women in data science-related fields in academia and industry
Workshop 1 (Virtual) - Saturday 27th Jan 2024 - 1 00 pm AST
Title: Data Science Essentials: What? Why? How?
This interactive workshop will provide a beginner's guide to Data Science: What is it? Why is it used? How is it used?. Participants will also be given an overview of the WiDS 2024 Datathon Challenge “Equity in Healthcare.”
Presenter/s - Dr. Letetia Addison
Workshop 2 (Virtual) - Saturday 3rd Feb 2024 - 1 00 pm AST
Title: Data Science Tools - Where do we start?
This interactive workshop will cover the basics of data science software tools. Participants will learn how to apply various programming tools/data analysis software to a health-related data set, with references to R, Python, MATLAB, MS Excel, and IBM SPSS.
Presenter/s - Ms. Malini Ramberran
Workshop 3 (Virtual) - Saturday 10th Feb 2024 - 1 00 pm AST
Title: Data Visualisation Techniques - How does my data look?
This interactive workshop will cover the basics of effective data visualizations. Participants will learn how to clean data and create relevant charts and graphs to visualise a health-care related data set.
Presenter/s - Ms. Gabrielle Agrocostea, Ms. Gigi Kenneth
Workshop 4 (Virtual) - Saturday 17th Feb 2024 - 1 00 pm AST
Title: Data Analysis - How to build a statistical model?
This interactive workshop will cover the basics of data analysis. Participants will learn how to use statistical methods (classification and regression) to analyze data and interpret the results based on a health-care related data set.
Presenter/s - Ms. Julie Koon Koon, Ms. Shannon-Rae Hackett
Workshop 5 (Virtual) - Saturday 24th Feb 2024 - 1 00 pm AST
Title: Data Stories - How to present data for reporting?
This interactive workshop will teach participants how to present their data in a clear and concise manner. They will learn how to create effective presentations and how to communicate their findings to a non-technical audience.
Presenter/s: Ms. Kirstin Sylvester
WiDS Trinidad and Tobago
Regional Events
Fireside Chat - Saturday 2nd Mar 2024 - 1 00 pm AST
Title: Women In Data Science Inspiring Inclusion
International Women’s Day 2024 celebrated in March is themed ‘Inspiring Inclusion.’ This Fireside Chat is an interactive panel discussion which celebrates diverse women in data science-related fields in academia and industry around the globe, promoting awareness about their experiences and perspectives.
What can you expect?
- Insightful discussions on navigating the data science landscape, as well as challenges and triumphs faced.
- Practical advice on kick starting and advancing your career.
- Networking opportunities with like-minded professionals in the field.
Our amazing speaker list comprises women and girls from various fields
Ms. TAZKERA haque
dATA SCIENCE ARCHITECT, BOOZ HAMILTON, USA
DR. LETETIA ADDISON,
WIDS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AMBASSADOR,
PROJECT OFFICER,
THE uWI
MS. GABRIELLE AGROCOSTEA,
senior data scientist, ltk, usa
Ms. TONI-MARIE Noel
dATA QUALITY analyst,
CIBC FIRST CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL BANK. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
MS. riana kandhai
wids trinidad and tobago
co-ambassador
Ms. gigi ‘gift’ kenneth internal journalist, appsilon, nigeria
MS. MERCEDES QUAMMIE,
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH OFFICER,
trinidad and Tobago
MS. PRIYA RAMDIAL
wids trinidad and tobago
co-ambassador
Ms. AUDREY young ,
WIds AMBASSADOR, ASPIRING DATA SCIENTIST
MS. SARA
BERNARD,
DatA SCIENTIST,
trinidad and Tobago
WiDS Trinidad and Tobago
Face-to-Face Event Highlights
WiDS Up-skill Workshop 2024 Highlights
20 University participants interacted with current programming tools such as Python. Most participants were female (70%), aged 18-34, with Science & Technology backgrounds and beginner-level data science knowledge. The workshop content, instructor's expertise, and materials received high praise, especially for clarity, structure, and practical activities.
WiDS Next Generation 2024 Workshop Highlights
Twenty-two female students aged 14-18, mostly with a STEM background (85%), participated in a 2-hour data science workshop. The session covered data science basics, using MS Excel and Google Sheets for visualizations, and featured the WiDSTT Jeopardy game for engagement, with prizes, folders, and certificates awarded.
Data Science Forum 2024 Highlights
Hosted in collaboration with The University of the West Indies and PAHO/WHO, with 150 attendees, 80% of whom were women and girls. Approximately 45% of the females were students under 18 from all-female schools. Survey feedback indicated that participants appreciated the insights shared by speakers and highlighted the importance of initiatives to support women in data-driven fields - See more here.
WiDS T&T Archives
Highlights from Past WiDS Events
The Women in Data Science (WiDS) Datathon Challenge 2024 was themed " Equity in Healthcare". Participants were provided with a real-world dataset sponsored by Gilead Sciences, which contained information about demographics, diagnosis and treatment options, as well as insurance provided about patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 2015-2018.
🥇 1st Place: Team J3T (Johnny Tiu, Rainah Khan, Malini Ramberan & Riana Kandhai) - $1,000 USD 🥈2nd Place: Team Data Learners (Videsh Jaghai & Shannon Walker) - $600 USD 🥉 3rd Place: Team Kelvos (Kevin Baboolal, Nicholas Smith, Aliyah Hamid & Julie Koon-Koon) - $400 USD
Global participation involved over 25, 500 entries among 4,000 competitors spanning 100 countries. Locally 6 teams participated with a total of 21 Participants - 14 females and 7 males.
For more worldwide event highlights see here.
Subscribe to our YouTube page for more on past recordings and connect with us on
social media.
WiDS T&T Archives
Highlights from Past WiDS Events
The Women in Data Science (WiDS) Datathon Challenge 2023 was themed "Adapting to Climate Change by Improving Extreme Weather Forecasts". Participants were provided with data sets and tasked with improving sub-seasonal forecasts through the fusion of machine learning techniques and traditional physics-based forecast models.
Global participation involved more than 750 teams spanning 100 countries. Locally 6 teams participated with a total of 23 Participants - 13 females and 10 males. Our first place team placed in the top 10% globally :)
See our full 2023 Event Summary here.
Subscribe to our YouTube page for more on past recordings and connect with us on
social media.
Organising Committee
Dr. Letetia Addison
WIDS T&T Ambassador
Letetia holds the Ph.D. Mathematics and M.Phil. Statistics from the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus. She is currently a Project Officer and Statistical Consultant at the University Office of Planning at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus. She has over 10 years’ experience lecturing tertiary level courses in Mathematics, Probability, Statistics, as well as active involvement in statistical consulting, research and outreach. In addition to this, she builds data-driven models for Higher Education data and her research interests include multidisciplinary applications of mathematical and statistical models for sustainability in STEAM fields. Her team secured first place in the Growth & Resilience Dialogue (GRD) 2022 Climate Resilience Data Challenge, involving the development of AI application prototypes on key climate data issues in the OECS/ECCU region. She has also participated in the WiDS Datathon 2022 Challenge and is a current member of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and ASA GivesBack Leadership Team, using outreach to promote the importance of Statistics and Data Science in various fields. Letetia currently serves as the Women in Data Science (WiDS) T&T Ambassador as part of the annual WiDS Worldwide conference organized by Stanford University, featuring outstanding women in the field of Data Science.
Riana Kandhai recently graduated from The University of the West Indies (UWI) with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering (First Class Honours) and is currently pursuing her MPhil Mechanical Engineering. She works at the UWI, as a Teaching Assistant, in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and as a Lecturer at the School of Business and Computer Science Global Learning Institute (SBCS GLI) Limited. She is also a Volunteer and Team Lead for the MindWise Project. Her interests are in Women and Gender, Mental Health and Climate Activism. Riana is currently the WiDS T&T Co-Ambassador for the Datathon 2024 Challenge.
RIANA KANDHAI
WIDS T&T 2024
CO-AMBASSADOR
Priya graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus with a B.Sc. in Psychology, Minor in Criminology (First Class Honors) in 2019 and an M.Sc. in Applied Psychology (Distinction) in 2021. She has conducted research related to Social Anxiety and Depression as Predictors of Social Media Addiction and has over five (5) years’ experience in research methods, statistics, particularly using SPSS, and data analysis. She is currently a freelance researcher with interests in Health, Clinical and Sport Psychology and is also the President of the Sant Nagar Hindu Youth Group. Priya is currently a Women in Data Science Co-ambassador for the 2024 Datathon Challenge.
PRIYA RAMDIAL
WIDS T&T 2024 CO-AMBASSADOR
Malini is a current MSc. Data Science student at The University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus where she also completed her BSc. in Computer Science. Currently, she is a Web Developer at Webfx by day and a Research Scientist at TTLAB by night. Her research is focused on developing a classification algorithm to automatically detect the genus and species of plankton from images collected within the Caribbean Region. Her passion for Data Science drives her to develop her knowledge and skills to expand her expertise.
MALINI RAMBERRAN
WIDS T&T 2024 MENTOR
nicholas smith
WIDS T&T 2024 mentor
Nicholas Smith is a final-year student at the University of the West Indies, where he is pursuing the B.Sc. Computer Science (Special). In addition to tertiary courses, he has done his own independent study in AI. As a result, he applied to two udacity challenge courses in the field of machine learning and was selected to take part in a Nanodegree programme in Artificial Intelligence with Python using neural networks to create an image classifier as the final project. He enjoys looking for online courses that would offer a basic understanding of various technologies. He would create side projects to put his abilities and knowledge to the test after finishing these online courses. He participated in a Youth Speak Up initiative as a volunteer mentor. As a former club executive for the Computing Society at the University of the West Indies, he gave a presentation on the advantages of Git and Github. He is always seeking new ways to develop his abilities.
Kimberley Gillette graduated from the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Computer Ccience. Her thesis involved comparing the performance of different machine and deep learning models on images of Trinidadian foods. She is a skilled programmer and passionate about data science. Her interests lie in the areas of machine learning, deep learning, computer vision and data analysis.
kimberley gillette
WIDS T&T 2O24 CONTRIBUTOR
Julie is a highly accomplished professional with a First-Class Honors BSc in Computer Science and Management from the University of the West Indies. Currently serving as a Technical Analyst at a major Caribbean financial institution, Julie specializes in extracting valuable insights from large datasets and provides technical support to the organization. Committed to advancing her expertise, Julie is pursuing an MSc in Data Science, focusing her thesis on the "Optimal Placement of Online Banking Kiosks using Customer-centric Data Analysis." Simultaneously, she is actively participating in the D'Hub Challenge, a software development competition by the Ministry of Digital Transformation in Trinidad and Tobago. Julie's journey reflects a remarkable combination of academic excellence, practical experience, and a commitment to innovation, making her a standout figure in the data science field.
Kirstin is currently enrolled in UWI’s MSc in Data Science program. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in Physics with Mathematics and Optometry also from the UWI. Currently, she is working on her capstone project which combines Optometry and Data Science. She is utilizing AI for glaucoma detection in a Trinidadian population. Recently, Kirstin completed a Udacity Nanodegree in AI programming with Python, thanks to a scholarship awarded by AWS. Kirstin aspires to work in the field of Data Consulting.
KIRSTEN Sylvester
WIDS T&T 2O24 MENTOR
Videsh Jagai, a recent graduate of the University of West Indies with Upper-Second Class Honors BSc in Computer Science and Business Management (Special) from the University of West Indies. He was awarded a virtual PyData Global Impact Scholarship Program 2023 focusing on the Data Science/ Artificial Intelligence (AI) job market and the Open Source Contribution ecosystem respectively. Additionally he has been involved in various projects including ongoing mobile AI-based Picture Translation application that evokes Object Detection from Google Cloud vision API to recognise the object along-with Text detection from Google vision API to recognise the text respectively. He has an affinity for Data Science projects.
VIDESH JAGAI
WIDS T&T 2024 MENTOR
Shannon-Rae is a self-taught aspiring data scientist and M.Sc. Renewable Energy Engineering student at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. She has also obtained a B.Sc. in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of the West Indies. Her research is focused on increasing levels of energy efficiency and sustainable energy locally using photovoltaic energy. Her M.Sc. capstone project seeks to highlight Machine Learning applications to the Renewable Energy sector. She is currently a Data Science Intern at CIBC First Caribbean International Bank and an active member of the TTLAB organization.
SHANNON RAE-HACKETT
WIDS T&T 2O24 CONTRIBUTOR
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much of a data science background do I need to participate in the WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Datathon Workshops and Regional Events?
In support of the WiDS Datathon Challenge, WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Events are open to persons of all backgrounds, including absolute beginners in data science. Workshops are intended to peak interest in the field and to encourage a community of persons of all levels (Beginners and beyond) to network in a safe community space.
I do not identify as a woman. Am I allowed to participate in the WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Datathon Workshops and Regional events?
Yes, we encourage diversity and everyone is encouraged to participate. The main goal of the WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Datathon events is to support the international WiDS Datathon Challenge by empowering women (and others) to pursue data science related fields, with supporting material and community networking and engagement. Workshops and Panel Discussions will be presented by persons identifying as women and are both technical (discussing data science methods, applications) and non-technical (experiences in the field). We urge all aspiring and current data scientists (of any gender) to actively engage in these important discussions.
Do note that persons participating in the international WiDS Datathon Challenge must have 50% of the team identifying as females. Teams can be 1 to 4 persons maximum.
I am not entering the WiDS Datathon Challenge. Am I allowed to participate in WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Datathon Workshops and Regional events?
Yes! We would like anyone who has an interest in the field of data science to register for the WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Datathon Events.
I am not from Trinidad and Tobago. Am I allowed to participate in WiDS Trinidad and Tobago Datathon Workshops and Regional events?
Yes, we welcome data science enthusiasts locally, regionally and internationally.
What is the cost to attend WiDS Trinidad and Tobago Workshops and Regional events?
All events are free. There is no cost attached.
Do I need to register for WiDS Trinidad and Tobago Workshops and Regional events?
Yes, we encourage you to register for the specific events you are interested in. The links will be updated on the specific registration pages.
Who do I contact if I have any specific questions about the WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Datathon Workshops and Regional events?
Should you have any queries, you are welcome to contact your friendly WiDS Trinidad & Tobago Ambassador, Dr. Letetia Addison, at widsttgroup@gmail.com .
Contact
Here's how to reach us.
Email Address
widsttgroup@gmail.com
