Although the school year is winding down for most high schools, students can get a jump-start on learning about the growing field of data science through the University of Houston-Victoria Online Data Science Boot Camp.
The free, two-day camp is scheduled for 12:30 to 5 p.m. June 10 to 11 through a conference app. The camp is for high school students who will be seniors in the fall.
“Even though there is so much going on in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to be here for our students and our community,” said Beverly Tomek, interim dean of the UHV School of Arts & Sciences. “This online boot camp is a great way for students to learn more about science, technology and math through data science and experience hands-on learning before beginning their senior year of high school.”
The camp will cover a variety of topics, including creating an understanding of data science and machine learning; identifying tools and technology related to the data science field; and examining careers in the field of data science.
The camp will be hosted by Hardik Gohel, an assistant professor and associate director of computer science at UHV. He is also the founder and director of the UHV Applied Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory. Gohel has extensive research experience in artificial intelligence, and his research projects have included cyber test automation and monitoring, big data for security intelligence, and trustworthy cyberspace for security and privacy of social media.
Gohel will give an introduction about artificial intelligence and provide an explanation about data science, as well as traditional learning with machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence that uses algorithms that learn from data without human intervention, and machine learning libraries. There also will be a demonstration of data science using machine learning through Python, a programming language used in software applications.
“Everyone is talking about data, and companies and governments are looking for people who know about data science and cybersecurity,” Gohel said. “There is a prediction that soon the job market will require people to have more knowledge about artificial intelligence and machine learning. The camp participants will be able to learn more about these topics, which could help them decide what field they would like to pursue.”
There also will be demonstrations using mathematics and data, and participants will get hands-on experience with data science activities using machine learning with Python. Participants will work on a minor project and present the project at the end of the camp. There will be prizes for first-, second- and third-place project winners, and all participants will receive a certificate.
To register for the camp, go to tiny.cc/hr8hpz. For more information, contact the UHV School of Arts & Sciences at 361-570-4202 or email Paula Edging, senior administrative secretary, at edgingp@uhv.edu.