Applied Data Science students present their theses at first-time poster event
On June 30th, master’s students of the Applied Data Science (ADS) programme presented their projects and master’s theses to the public. It was the first time that all students, their supervisors and external partners were all together in the Minnaert building.
Real-world problems
These external partners, ranging from new startups to large governmental organisations, submitted real-world problems to be analyzed and solved in a period of ten weeks. This provided a unique chance for organisations to collaborate with students in an academic setting. In return, students were able to apply their newly gained data science skills to real-life scenarios.
10% of final grade
At the event, the students had to present their findings to their UU supervisor and the supervisor from the external partner. This was not just for fun, 10% of their final grade depended on this. Despite this pressure, some students even invited family and friends to witness their final presentation. Both lecturers and researchers from different departments and faculties were also present to see the work of the students.
Food waste reduction and insights into chronic diseases
The variety of topics showed the multi-disciplinary nature of the programme. Topics ranged from analyses of food waste reduction by companies to analyses of biographical dictionaries and longitudinal analyses of genetic markers in children with chronic diseases.
Albert Gatt, Programme Coordinator of the ADS programme concluded at the end of the event: “You have all risen to the occasion and I am proud of what you all have accomplished".
Gerard Barkema, chair of the Taskforce Data Science & AI said: “I am satisfied with the results I saw at the poster event. I do have one tip for the students: try to include the context in your presentation; not only explain what you did but also why you did it.”
For the students, the poster presentation event marked the conclusion of their multi-disciplinary fast-paced Master’s programme. Let’s hope they will receive positive results soon and we wish them a well-deserved summer break!
