The WiDS Datathon encourages women to hone their data science skills through an annual challenge focused on social impact, bringing people together across borders to work in teams. This year, the datathon was held from January through end of February, with nearly 4,000 participants (registered from 86 countries across 6 continents!) submitting 24,479 entries. The challenge focused on classification of patients in hospital intensive care units to identify those diagnosed with a particular diabetic condition.
The WiDS Datathon continues to attract beginner data scientists
Survey respondents shared more about their background and the value of the Datathon:
Overall, nearly 60% of survey respondents rated the datathon a 10 out of 10 when asked if they would recommend it to a friend; and over 84% rated the datathon an 8-10 out of 10.
Many respondents said that the datathon also increased their confidence in their data science abilities; provided access to datasets, tools and platforms; and increased awareness of ICU/ health data challenges and opportunities.
As first time participant I joined WiDS Datathon for multiple reasons. I was interested in the journey rather than the destination, meaning that the prize and win is not my personal motivation. I find the datathon is a really unique experience in terms of learning and cultivating data science skills outside work in a fun way. Apart from exposure to data science methodology, I also believe it’s a great opportunity to practice team working. — Avgi Mouzenidou, IBM WiDS Datathon participant
The WiDS Datathon fosters team collaboration and mentorship
WiDS Ambassadors hosted 30+ WiDS Datathon workshops around the world, fostering participation and providing mentorship opportunities, collaboration, and interaction amongst beginner and advanced data scientists, within their communities. A workshop attendee from Sydney, Australia says,
“It was my second mentoring session with WiDS. The sessions have been so insightful and enlightening with regards to the data science practice and process currently being implemented in the organizations. Thank you for providing us with this platform, inspiring us and educating anyone who wants to upskill their data science skills.”
WiDS Datathon Winners share results and tell their stories
Winners of the WiDS Datathon 2021 were announced during the 24-hour virtual Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide Conference on March 8, 2021. The three winning teams were:
1st Place: Dihydrogen Oxide from USA
2nd Place: EPFL from Switzerland
3rd Place: ScientificMind from Israel
Watch video interviews of the winning teams as they explain their approaches to the datathon.
The WiDS Datathon supports continued exploration in data science research
The winners above were among hundreds of teams that competed in this year’s WiDS Datathon. This year, 17 teams have continued to extend their participation, submitting research papers as part of the Phase 2 Excellence in Research Award. Submissions are currently under review, and winners of the Phase 2 will be announced near the end of the summer. Stay tuned in the coming months for more information about the Excellence in Research Award and the next WiDS Datathon competition!
In the meantime, continue to build your data science skills with WiDS Workshops, a series of 45-minute single-topic workshops on a variety of data science subjects, taught by outstanding female instructors. WiDS Workshops are free-of-charge and open to everyone. The initial set of workshops is now available, the next set of workshops will launch in the coming weeks. Sign up to be notified about the next WiDS Workshops.
Thank you!
A big thank you to all of the WiDS Datathon participants, and congratulations again to the leaderboard winners. Subscribe to the WiDS Datathon newsletter to get the latest updates and learn more about the continued success and growth of the datathon!