Data Science uses statistical methods and computer programming to extract meaningful stories from data. Pretty cool, huh, considering the sheer amount of data that we are collecting these days? In this camp, students will learn about the importance of this amazing new field, one of the hottest in the world. Learn how to write simple code using R, how to tell stories using visualization tools, basic stats and machine learning. Designed and delivered by UBC professors and PhDs, leading experts in the field, specifically for kids in grades 6-9.
When and Where?
Monday August 17 - Friday August 21, 2026; 1:00-4:00pm.
Location: The Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology (VISST) - 1490 West Broadway,Vancouver, BC.
Note: This camp is similar to our “The World of Quantum Computing and AI” camp (August 24-28) for which you can register here.
Who?
This camp is for students going into grades 6-9.
Why should you attend?
Learn from the best: This camp is designed and delivered by leading Data Scientist in the field from the University of British Columbia.
Data Science is one of the fasted growing industries in the world. The sheer amount of data companies and organizations collect is mind boggling.
Data Science is an interdisciplinary field that combines statistics, math, programming, story telling and visualization: Perfect for those who like both science and art.
Earn a certificate of completion from the Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology.
What will you learn?
Basic programming in R: What is data science? Let’s write our first line of code in R and create mosaic art using programming (small individual project).
Data wrangling and visualization: What is a function? We will learn about story telling using histograms, scatter plots and bar plots.
Introduction to frequentist statistics: What is mean, median, mode and standard deviation? We will learn about sampling, bootstrapping and hypothesis testing.
Introduction to machine learning: What is machine learning? Students will select a data set to run KNN (K-Nearest Neighbours) with more than 2 variables.
Neural network and AI: What is AI? Students will play a physical neuron board games, ask a chatbot to write code and discuss the ethical ramifications of AI in society.
Program Requirements
Students should bring their own laptop.
Students should try to install R and R Studio (see: https://posit.co/download/rstudio-desktop/) prior to camp.
We recommend that parents create a free ChatGPT account in advance for the students to use, although this is not mandatory.
If you want to borrow a laptop from us, we have a VERY limited number available. Please email us to request one.
Camp Instructor
Sky (Kehan) Sheng
is a PhD candidate at UBC and an instructor for Master of Data Science. She is passionate about empowering students in gaining technical skills, and developing AI solutions to address real-world challenges. She conducts interdisciplinary research involving data science, AI fairness and animal welfare science. Her previous work focused on using data science to analyze animal behavior, health and welfare. Her research in recent years focused on evaluating the performance and potential bias in generative AI models. Her teaching philosophy centers on making AI and data science accessible to all, especially minorities and marginalized populations. She creates inclusive learning environments where diverse perspectives meet and strengthen our collective understanding of technology's impact on society. Through mentorship and critical thinking, she helps students become not just skilled practitioners who know "how to", but thoughtful leaders who ask "should we?", and recognize that ethical AI development requires both technical excellence and social responsibility.
Acknowledgement:
The materials of this workshop was designed based on “Girls in Data Science” workshop by Dr. Katie Burak, Jenny Lee and Mona Zhu, <Data Science: A First Introduction> written by Dr. Tiffany Timbers, Dr. Trevor Campbell, and Dr. Melissa Lee, and <ModernDive> written by Dr. Chester Ismay and Dr. Albert Y. Kim.
Questions: Please email [email protected].
