Maths ace to appear at DataFest tech event

Renowned mathematician and science presenter Dr Hannah Fry will address attendees at this year’s DataFest, organisers have said.

Dr Fry will appear at the Women in Data Science event, part of Stanford University’s global Women in Data Science initiative, as she returns to the tech event for the third year in a row.

The event will take place in Edinburgh on the 11^th March, and is being held to encourage Scottish schoolgirls to engage with STEM.

A nationwide Cyber Treasure Hunt competition has been underway at schools across Scotland since November, challenging S2 schoolgirls to use problem-solving skills to crack codes. The final part of the competition will take place live at the Women in Data Science event.

The Cyber Treasure Hunt was created by Turing’s Testers, a group of S6 schoolgirls Rachel Cooper, Catherine Fitzsimons and Amina Tahir and teacher Toni Scullion, of St. Kentigern’s academy in Bathgate.

Dr Hannah Fry will address attendees at Women in Data Science on her experience getting a career in STEM, encouraging girls to consider going down that path.

Key female figures in the Scottish tech industry are being invited to attend the Women in Data Science event to provide mentorship to the girls as they work on cracking the final code in the Cyber Treasure Hunt.

Jude McCorry, Head of Business Development at The Data Lab and Scottish Ambassador for Women in Data Science at Stanford University, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Hannah back for another year at DataFest19, as part of our effort to engage girls with STEM.

“Getting more women into STEM starts with collaboration between schools and industry to provide mentoring and encouragement. It’s very exciting to be hosting an event that is delivering collaborative hands-on engagement, mentoring and encouragement to 100 girls across Scotland.”

Financial Services data consultancy Mudano, who recently announced a new research and development facility in Scotland and is expanding its consulting team north of the border in 2019, are headline sponsor of the Women in Data Science event.

Ed Broussard, CEO of Mudano, said: “Scotland already has a flourishing pool of young talent in data science and engineering and it is fantastic to be part of such a great event supporting more young women with an interest in a career in STEM.”