Six students from the Computational Modeling and Data Analytics (CMDA) program were given the opportunity to attend the Women in Statistics and Data Science Conference (WSDS), hosted by the American Statistical Association in October 2024.

The goal of WSDS is to bring together professionals and students from academia, industry, and the government working in statistics and data science to exchange ideas and share their knowledge.

The CMDA program – part of the Academy of Data Science in the College of Science – sponsored student attendance at this year’s WSDS, aided by the generous donations of program alumni and friends to the CMDA Annual Fund. The sponsorship includes conference registration, hotel accommodations, and transportation.

Students are selected for the CMDA sponsorship through an application process. Open to all CMDA majors, consideration for the recipients is based on a variety of factors, including CV, record of engagement in the community, and justification for why the students wishes to attend the conference.

According to junior Saina Shibili: “I wanted to learn more about what working in this field looks like, and to connect with professionals who are currently working in the roles I would want to pursue; it helped provide insight into what my professional life might look like in a few years.”

In addition to receiving networking opportunities with industry professionals, students had the chance to develop mentoring relationships with Virginia Tech faculty who also attended the conference.

“The conference created an informal setting where [students and faculty] could connect on a more personal level,” said junior Namrata Hari. “Their insights into academia and industry were invaluable; hearing accomplished women openly discuss their challenges and triumphs was incredibly inspiring.”

Ultimately, conference attendance is a great benefit to students that may not have been able to attend without the support of the CMDA Annual Fund.

“These opportunities are very important for CMDA students who are early in their academic careers,” said Hari. “The conference provides exposure to applicable research and industry trends that extend beyond what we learn in the classroom. For young women in particular, these conferences serve as powerful motivation by providing visible role models and concrete examples of success in our field. The exposure to diverse perspectives and applications of CMDA skills across different industries helps students better understand the range of opportunities available to them.”