On Monday 3 September about fifty students from local high-schools started their “Alternanza scuola-lavoro” (a work experience week) in data science.
The work experience week, whose title is ‘So, you wanna be a Data Scientist?’ is organised by the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Trento with collaboration from Hub Innovazione Trentino (HIT), the STAARR network (network of Trentino schools for robotics) and Contamination Lab, which provides the location for the course, in piazza Fiera in Trento.
The participants learn about statistical analysis, data mining, machine learning and distributed calculus, to be able to design a data flow from the beginning to the end; with help from the University academic staff and experts in the relevant areas, they work on datasets provided by SpazioDati, U-Hopper and OpenDataTrentino and by local public organizations, which contain web and social network information and other open data. This is a unique opportunity to set foot in the sector of information and communication technologies.
In the future, in any case, workers will be required to have a very different set of skills from a range of discipline areas – from economics to sociology, from mathematics to physics, and in the area of engineering sciences – and to fully master the techniques and paradigms of computer science and computational thinking.
The students will attend lectures and meetings with representatives of companies that apply data science, and will collaborate in group work, both in laboratory and in other settings, to develop projects under the supervision of experienced mentors.
On Saturday, at the end of the work experience week, the participating students will present their achievements to their parents and teachers.