Past Expanding Opportunities Workshops
2025, June 15-16 - Whistler, BC, Canada
The 2025 WNAR Expanding Opportunities Workshop was the second satellite workshop for students held in conjunction with WNAR, and it emphasized mentorship and belonging in data-related fields as well as introduced various career pathways over multiple days. For most of the 9 undergraduate student participants, it was the first time they had attended a scientific conference and a workshop focused on (bio)statistics and data science. Most of the participants were studying in British Columbia with a few studying in Alberta and Yukon.
The workshop featured advice from over 15 speakers during panels on mentorship, graduate school, career pathways, and computing in R. Students were also paired with an individual mentor to discuss career and professional development advice. Participants had the option to attend a pre-workshop orientation, group meals, and WNAR panel session showcasing graduate student experiences. At the conference, attendees could also participate in the WNAR Mixer, WNAR Plenary Session, and WNAR Student Pizza Social to engage with a wide variety of (bio)statisticians and data scientists.
The 2025 WNAR Expanding Opportunities Workshop was made possible by many WNAR volunteers, including the WNAR Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee and Leadership committee. Special thanks go to Natalie Gasca, Megan Othus, Hua Shen, Lisa Kanary, Prince Allotey, Elizabeth Juarez-Colunga, Maricela Cruz, and Jan Dasgupta for their planning and coordination efforts.
We are looking forward to continuing this program at the next WNAR conference, with a focus on promoting opportunities, mentoring, and sharing experiences with students from historically underrepresented groups. These types of workshops are critical to foster a welcoming environment for the next generation of diverse data professionals.
2024, June 9 - Fort Collins, Colorado (joint with Graybill Conference)
The 2024 WNAR Diversity Workshop was the first satellite workshop held in conjunction with WNAR for underrepresented students, and it emphasized the importance of mentorship and belonging in the health and science fields as well as introduced various data-centered career pathways over two days. For many of the 16 participants, it was the first time they had attended a scientific conference, and we received many positive comments about how the workshop was organized and facilitated. Most of the students (8 undergrad and 7 grad) were studying in Colorado, and we had many mentors (of the 14 total) who were affiliated with Colorado universities who joined us for our matched-mentorship program. The workshop featured panels on mentorship, training opportunities, career pathways, and graduate school experiences; over 20 panelists shared their advice, including some participants themselves. The workshop also included a “Disparities in Epilepsy” research talk by Dr. Sonal Bhatia and a “Fireside Chat with Rob Santos”, where the Director of the US Census Bureau shared his inspiring life story and advice to bring our whole selves, including our lived experiences and training, into our careers. Attendees had the chance to participate in the Diversity Workshop networking session, WNAR Mixer, and WNAR Student Pizza Social to engage with a wide variety of (bio)statisticians and data scientists.
The 2024 WNAR Diversity Workshop was made possible by many local and WNAR volunteers, including the WNAR Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee and Leadership committee. Special thanks go to Elizabeth Juarez-Colunga, Megan Othus, Jan Dasgupta, Natalie Gasca, Prince Allotey, Audrey Hendricks, and Lala Kaizer for their coordination efforts.
We are excited to continue this program at the next WNAR conference, with a focus on promoting opportunities, mentoring, and sharing experiences with students from historically underrepresented groups. These types of workshops are critical to foster a welcoming environment for the next generation of diverse data-focused professionals.