Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) Big Data, in conjunction with Technical University, Kenya, International Astronomical Union – Office of Astronomy for Development (IAU-OAD) and Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), is organising a five-day Big Data School and Hackathon event. The event will hold from the 12th to the 16th of July, 2021, on campus at the Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi.
The event will feature two days of programming, data science and machine learning tutorials, followed by a three-day hackathon where participants can develop their skills further and compete in teams of four for prizes. Hackathon topics will cover astronomy (searching for pulsars) and sentiment analysis (using COVID19 Twitter data).
Each day will run approximately from 9 am to 5 pm; participants must be able to get to and from TU Kenya during the week. In addition, participants must commit to attending each day in full. Catering will also be provided. Furthermore, participants must observe social distancing, mask-wearing and other safety measures on campus to keep tutors and participants safe. Consequently, the organisers shall provide masks and hand sanitisers.
Women, in particular, are encouraged to apply to take part as women are under-represented in the data science field. This event will be a safe and supportive environment for all, and several tutors will be present throughout to guide participants.
To take part in this event, you will need to have at least a basic knowledge of Python. There is no charge to take part in this event. However, there are very limited places available, and the organisers expect high demand. Therefore, the organisers shall use a selection process to award places; upon receiving a place or otherwise, applicants will be notified by the end of June.
Interested persons should register here. The deadline for registration is 5 pm (Kenya time) on Friday, June 18. For more information, please visit here
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