Women in Big Data Alberta (Edmonton) Canada Chapter

We are excited to report WiBD Alberta (Edmonton) hosted its first meetup on April 11, 2019 at Startup Edmonton. This was an opportunity to get engaged from the inception of the chapter and to help shape what it will be. The meeting was attended by a group of dynamic individuals from diverse backgrounds, all with a passion for big data and analytics…and the conversation flowed!

Dr. Diana Shaw, the WiBD Alberta Chapter Lead, provided information regarding how WiBD was conceived, its global spread and reach around the world, and the support of the sponsors, partners and members.

The attendees introduced themselves and the floor was opened for discussion about what we want our chapter to be, what its focus will be and, provisionally, how we might achieve our objectives of engaging, strengthening, mentoring and training. We decided we will aim to meet four times a year and to offer a variety of events, including presentations, panel discussions, training/education and networking opportunities. Based on the exchange of LinkedIn contact information, and to reflect our professional networking focus, we also chose to form a LinkedIn page for our chapter.

Everyone was encouraged to let their voice be heard—as evidenced by a follow-up message that the meeting “was the most interactive data science meetup I’ve ever been to and I’m looking forward to the next meeting.” While our official meeting ended, the animated conversation continued at the restaurant beneath Startup Edmonton…!

Our next meeting is planned for June, when we’re looking forward to maintaining the momentum and continuing the conversations we started in our initial meeting.