Data Science in Action
Machine Learning for Self-Driving Cars
The objective of the program is to introduce students to machine learning and programming through a project in which they program machine learning algorithms to recognize images and make a self-driving toy car. Our mission is to give young students opportunities to learn about AI/ML and to allow students from diverse backgrounds to have more opportunities to access quality education.
The course consists of lectures covering conceptual-level statistical, machine learning and programming components. Students will be introduced to various machine learning methods and algorithms as well as their applications in different fields including biomedicine. In parallel they will be introduced to the Python programming language, which will allow them to implement the concepts they have studied.
Students will participate in teams, working together on programming exercises that range from coding introductory tasks to image classification. Each team will receive a laptop, a Raspberry Pi, and materials to construct the toy car. Teaching assistants will be available to provide hands-on programming and technical support throughout the camp. Additional tutorials will also be available on our camp’s YouTube channel. For the final presentation demo, the students will take pictures of physical objects and train their own classification algorithms including neural networks to recognize these objects. Once they achieve high-quality performance, they will install their program into a toy car equipped with a camera which will self drive using their programmed neural network.
Lunch hours will include conversations with machine learning experts from academia and industry who will share their life experiences and perspectives on data science. Complimentary lunch will also be provided.
Daily Schedule: TBA
June 22, 2024
- Orientation Day
June 27 - July 3, 2024
- Bootcamp: Introduction to Programming/Python
- Programming Practice + Q&A
- Lunch Meeting with Guest Speakers
- Construction and Troubleshooting toy Pi Car
- TA hours for additonal help on programming
July 5 - July 10, 2024
- Lectures on Statistics/Machine Learning/AI
- Statistics/Machine Learning Programming Practice
- Lunch Meeting with Guest Speakers
- Programming and Troubleshooting toy Pi Car
Registration Deadline: May 1, 2024
Locations:Countway Library, 10 Shattuck St, Boston, MA
NOTE: This year, the summer program is a day camp only. The program is not able to provide housing. Also, anyone traveling to attend the camp will need to have a responsible adult staying locally.
Tuition: Tuition for the program is free. All materials for the camp will be provided during the event. Stipends are available for students from low income families (full attendance and successful completion of the course required).
Support the Community:
If you are able to sponsor purchase of materials for the camp, please consider making a donation to the CELEHS Data Science Summer Camp Fund. We encourage those who can help to provide opportunities to other students facing financial hardship.
To support the CELEHS Data Science Summer Camp Fund, please visit Harvard Medical School’s gift instruction page after reviewing the following instructions. If writing a check, please note ‘CELEHS Data Science Summer Camp Fund’ on your check. If paying with a credit card, under the drop down menu titled ‘Select a Fund’ please select ‘Other’, and for ‘Other Fund Name’, please type ‘CELEHS Data Science Summer Camp Fund’. Thank you for your support of future data scientists!
Eligibility Requirements:
- High school student (rising freshman - senior)
- Students from low-income backgrounds are encouraged to apply
- Interest in applying to college with a focus in STEM
- Basic algebra
- Completed application and release forms
- Resume
The program is hosted by the Translational Data Science Center for a Learning Health System (CELEHS) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. It is co-sponsored by PayPal and the Prediction Analytics Research Solution and Execution (PARSE), a non-profit research organization. It is taught by a team of data science researchers including faculty members from Harvard and the University of Toronto. Teaching assistants will provide hands-on programming and technical support throughout the camp.
For more information, please contact Amanda King (amking@hsph.harvard.edu) or Mohammed Moro (mohammed_moro@hms.harvard.edu).
Please note: Eligibility is not restricted on the basis of race or ethnicity, and race and ethnicity are not considered in the selection process.
Program Directors: Tianxi Cai, Jessica Gronsbell and Junwei Lu
Program Deputy Director: Vidul Ayakulangara Panickan
Program Staff: Amanda King and Mohammed Moro
Sponsors: Support for the program is provided by CELEHS, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, PARSE and PayPal.