Ambassador, Women in Data Science (WiDS) Trinidad and Tobago

October 2022 to present

The Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative aims to inspire and educate data scientists worldwide, regardless of gender, and to support women in the field. In October 2022, I was named the first Women in Data Science (WiDS) Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador for the global Datathon 2023 Challenge themed: Adapting to Climate Change by Improving Extreme Weather Forecasts, which ran from January to March 2023. My team of mentors and I have hosted a number of independent events as part of the annual WiDS Worldwide conference by Stanford University, featuring outstanding women in the field of Data Science. In this role, I pioneered a strong collaboration among a number of departments in UWI, including the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DECE) and the Department of Computing and IT (DCIT), with support from campus Principal, Professor Rosemary Belle-Antoine and the Head of Department, IGDS (Institute for Gender and Development Studies), Dr. Sue- Ann Barrat. I also partnered with various organizations such as TTLAB Data Science Group, TTNIC through Professor Patrick Hosein and PwC Caribbean, to secure sponsorships for prizes for participants in the Data Challenge. I successfully used this platform to reach International data scientists from around the world including Australia, USA, Africa as well as the Caribbean for participation in virtual talks and workshops. These live, virtual events were featured on the global WiDS social media pages and attracted more than 100 views on one or more video recordings. Consequently, special invitations were extended to me to give keynote addresses, podcasts and panel discussions with such organizations including UN Trinidad and Tobago, UN Women and Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWIL). WiDS T&T has also partnered with IWD TechSummit, Google Techmakers, RSC (Restore a Sense of I Can) for Girls in ICT in the Caribbean to promote the importance of Statistics and Data Science to women and girls in the younger generation. I am keen on using leadership, creativity and determination to make the relevant connections to create a sustainable model for mentorship and support for persons in STEAM fields. In this way, it is important to me to foster an appreciation for Mathematics and Statistics as a foundation for progress and change in the region. I would also like to continue to build larger partnerships to create more opportunities for STEM research with emphasis on Mathematics and Statistics applications. My goal is to continue to build capacity as a WiDS Ambassador and Women in STEM to mentor and support upcoming trailblazers in the field. WiDS Trinidad and Tobago 2023 Webinars See the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Trinidad and Tobago YouTube Channel for recordings of virtual Tutorials, Workshops and talks related to Data Science facilitated by my team. https://www.youtube.com/@widstt