This article was written by Priya Pereira, an amazing Girl Geek and student from Rochedale High School who organised this workshop for her peers. Go Priya!
On Friday, 19 October 2018, a group of female high school students went to the State Library of Queensland for an AI and Machine Learning workshop. The seminar was very interesting and ran smoothly via Skype by Northraine, a machine learning production house.
Overall, it was fascinating to learn the origin of machine learning, design thinking, and fairness around machine learning in a number of case studies. We often don’t think about all the processes that are needed to get these new gadgets and systems running.
Our group of 14 believe it was a great workshop and has changed our outlook on the machine learning industry.
Below are some thoughts from fellow students who attended:
‘I thought today was really really great. The workshop was extremely informative and intriguing. I enjoyed hearing how machines have developed over the last few decades, and how they’ve been perceived. I also thought it was really amazing how much they consider fairness and ethics, as those things aren’t often discussed in technological industries (at least not to high school students). Overall it was amazing.’ – Neha, Yr 11
‘It was interesting to find out how much it is already implemented in our society, and how and why it was being used. I didn’t realise how much philosophy went into each phase, and how much work and effort gets put into each aspect of the design and application. I found it all very interesting and well put together.’ – Mikaila, Yr 12
On a personal note, I’d to thank you so much for giving female students at Rochedale State High School the opportunity to participate in such an eye-opening workshop. Many of them were unsure about their future path in STEM and this has certainly inspired and directed them. We went home buzzing with excitement for our future.