On May 21st, 1-3pm ET Broad Institute's Data Sciences Platform hosted a virtual Women in Data Science (WiDs) regional event.

You can watch the recording of this event on our YouTube channel.  

First, Marissa Fisher from Broad Genomics will talk about the challenges of processing thousands of swab tests a day coming from a wide range of clinical facilities and providers, which involves tracking the physical samples, running high-throughput assays and returning results accurately and securely. 

Next, Katie Siddle from the Broad Institute's Viral Genomics research group will explain how they're analyzing the viral genome sequences isolated from tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients across the world to understand how the virus spreads, which helps public health officials formulate policies to keep us safe. This is the work supported by a Terra workspace that we've previously written about here. 

Finally, Lea Davis from Vanderbilt University will tell us about emerging collaborative efforts to harness what we know about the human genome to understand why some people infected with COVID-19 hardly show any symptoms at all, while others suffer from severe complications despite lacking any obvious underlying conditions. 

After the talks, there will be an optional mentoring session in which you'll have the opportunity to ask the speakers and several other volunteer mentors from the Data Sciences Platform about what it's like to pursue a career in biomedical data science. While the emphasis of the event is on highlighting the work of women doing impactful work in data science, persons of all genders are welcome to participate and ask questions. This event is subject to the Terra Community Guidelines.

The conference is free of charge and will be held over Zoom. To sign up, simply fill out this registration form; you will receive an email with the zoom link on the morning of the conference, May 21st. 

We hope to see you there!

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ABOUT WiDS

The Global WiDS Conference aims to inspire and educate data scientists worldwide, regardless of gender, and to support women in the field. This one-day technical conference provides an opportunity to hear about the latest data science related research and applications in a number of domains, and connect with others in the field. 

WiDS Cambridge@Broad is an independent event organized by the Data Sciences Platform at the Broad institute to coincide with the annual Global Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference held at Stanford University and an estimated 150+ locations worldwide. All genders are invited to attend WiDS regional events, which features outstanding women doing outstanding work.

DISCLAIMER

(i) organized by the Ambassador under a limited license from Stanford University to use its WiDS logos and marks, and (2) that Stanford University is not responsible for the event or any content and/or materials distributed at the event.