What ARE data science nightS?

Before the COVID19 pandemic, ​Data Science Nights were monthly hack nights on popular data science topics, organized by Northwestern University graduate students and scholars. Each night will feature refreshments, a talk on data science techniques or applications, and a hacking night with data science projects or learning groups of your choice.

At the present, ​Data Science Nights are monthly talks on data science. After the talk, people interested in coding can work on their own data science projects, be pointed towards interesting datasets, or join the group project based on the quarterly survey. The Fall 2021 topic was networks.

In the future, YOUR IDEAS ARE WELCOME! What do you think Data Science Nights may look like?
Take the survey! 

We are evaluating the possibility of expanding the types of events comprising DSN and determining the optimal frequency for different types of events. In order to best understand what the Northwestern community needs, we have prepared a short survey to guide our decision making.
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If you know anyone potentially interested in DSN, please share this survey with them.
Thank you for taking the time to help improve DSN!

Organizers
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​History of DSN: The initial idea of forming data science related co-working groups and the concept of DSN came from Luca Lonini (now machine learning scientist at Tempus Labs), Damiano Fantini (now principal scientist at Xilio Therapeutics, Inc.). Their good colleague and fellow member of Northwestern's postdoc association, Thomas Stoeger, who was also affiliated with Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO) then helped them realize DSN at NICO. With support from NICO, they were soon joined by other like-minded co-hosts. Repeated hosts of past events are: Ali Ehlen (graduate student), Andew Hall (now consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)), Ben Nelson (now at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative), Nicholas Wagner (now at Institute for Defense Analyses), Ramya Gurunathan (now at National Institute of Standards and Technology), Rebecca Harmon (graduate student), Sarah Ben Maamar (now at Weill Cornell Medicine),  Jenny Liu (MDPhD student), Huaxia Zhou (graduate student), Feihong Xu (graduate student), and Weihua Lei (graduate student). 

The most important people: you and others

Data Science Nights strive to build and promote community. We are deeply thankful to our past attendees and organizers. (See Archives). 

We are proud to be a part of Northwestern. DSN and its hosts have always been actively involved in further volunteer-led data science activities at Northwestern. Likewise, the DSN helped student and other organizations around campus to gain contacts, members, sponsorship, outreach, and a safe environment to create a sense of belonging, while allowing them to establish further data science events (e.g.: on careers in data science, or training courses).

Volunteer-led partners of past activities surrounding DSN:  Academics for Career in Data Science, Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Student group, Chicago Graduate Student Association, Northwestern Postdoctoral Association, Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers Student group, AI@NU. 

Basic institutional support: Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO), Northwestern Data Science Initiative. (Special thanks to Andrew Marfia and Justyna Gutowska!)

Institutional support of past activities surrounding DSN:  Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Integrated Data-Driven Discovery in Earth and Astrophysical Sciences, Northwestern University IT, The Graduate School.