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Broadening our reach: A week of networking and collaboration

Four people stand around a large vertical banner inside a brightly lit and somewhat busy room. On the far left is Leslie Joe, a long-haired short brunette woman wearing a Data Science Alliance (DSA) white shirt that reads “DATA SCIENCE ALLIANCE” in thin blue text. To the right is Czarina Argana, a woman with medium-length dark-brown and pink hair, wearing a navy-blue DSA shirt with white text. Both of them sport lime-green lanyards with purple badges. To the right of them and in the center of the photo is a banner that reads “SDxAI” in large dark-purple and white font, the background a shifting gradient of purples, and the bottom of the banner hosting a short list of brand names and logos. Those brands are the following: Qualcomm, UN San Diego, Keshif Ventures, EyePop.ai, gravityAI, and Launch Factory. To the right of the banner stands Kai Ni, a taller brunette man wearing a black DSA shirt with orange text and falling leaves on it. To the right is Daphne Fabella, a short-haired brunette woman wearing another navy-blue DSA shirt with white text. These two wear purple lanyards and purple badges. They all stand in a room with tall ceilings and many windows, the walls made of white plaster, tile, and wood, and gray concrete pillars.

The DSA team ready to welcome attendees at Innovation Day.

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Written by
Kallyn Hobmann
Published on
September 22, 2023
The start of September brought on prominent opportunities for DSA to grow our network and further establish a strong presence in the data science community. As exhibitors for Connect’s Innovation Day 2023—a day all about bringing together San Diego’s tech and life science companies—we had the chance to host an Innovation Week Community Event.
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Broadening our reach: A week of networking and collaboration
By Kallyn Hobmann

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On September 12, working professionals and students alike attended our Taco Tuesday with DSA event at the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute on UC San Diego’s campus. It was a celebratory happy hour honoring the hard work of our volunteers while highlighting our latest projects and efforts in promoting responsible data science (RDS) practices. 

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Attendees network during our Taco Tuesday with DSA event at UCSD.

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The evening was filled with zestful conversations, networking, fun raffle prizes, and, of course, tacos. Attendees had a blast learning about our RDS Game and our Framework, trying out the game themselves and giving insight on how its development could be further refined. We showcased our Food Bank Project as well, spreading the word about our predictive dashboard that is helping Feeding San Diego and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank efficiently serve those facing food insecurity.

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We also promoted our Data Science Nightmares and Data Science in Sports events happening in October and November, respectively. Excitement surrounding our work in responsible data science grew immensely and left DSA feeling energized for the second event of the week.

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Two days later, on September 14, the DSA team headed to Petco Park. The stadium wasn’t filled with baseball fans, but instead, VCs, Angel investors, CEOs, CTOs, DEI leaders, National Security leaders, and organizations from across the county. We were one of more than 200 exhibitors, showcasing our RDS projects, events, and efforts alongside nonprofits, corporations, and start-ups alike. 

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Attendees stop by the DSA booth to learn more about our RDS projects.

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It was a unique crowd for DSA. We spoke with start-ups, nonprofits, and corporations alike about potential ways they can apply our framework to their projects and how we could help them find RDS solutions to problems they’re facing. We discussed possible future partnerships with professionals from various industries like education and healthcare. It was an exciting day talking about the multitude of ways our organization can make a true difference in promoting responsible data science practices as the tech continues to grow and evolve.

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We’ve still got two more events in store for the data science community as we head into the final stretch of 2023. Needless to say, we’re ready to continue leading the RDS movement and making a positive impact in San Diego and beyond.