This past March, the Applied Data Science Lab (ADSL) concluded its seventh and final internship program. This milestone marked five years of Cybera offering aspiring data scientists real-world industry experience and fostering greater data science adoption in Alberta.
“We are thrilled to see Alberta at the forefront of data science,” says Dr Barb Carra, President and CEO of Cybera. “When we launched the Applied Data Science Lab in 2019, it was a new field and industry opportunities for degree holders to gain practical data science experience were few.
“Today, Alberta boasts a robust community of skilled data science professionals, with multiple organizations staffing dedicated data science departments that are critical to their operations. We believe the Applied Data Science Lab has played a major role in closing this skills gap and accelerating data science adoption at organizations throughout the province!”
Bridging the gap
With support from PrairiesCan and Alberta Innovates, Cybera developed the Applied Data Science Lab to cultivate a new generation of qualified data scientists and position the province as a leader in the burgeoning new field. Successful applicants were matched with Alberta-based enterprises keen to improve their business outcomes by leveraging state of the art data science tools and best practices. Interns included PhD researchers, engineers and scientists retraining to enter the field, and recent graduates from newly established data science degree programs.
The subsidized program allowed industry organizations of all sizes to test the viability of data science projects of their choosing in low-risk environments. This arrangement allowed many enterprises to leverage their data for the first time.
The latest internship cohort included industry partners like Genesis Solutions, a company specializing in predicting and mitigating materials and corrosion issues in oil and gas pipelines and other critical infrastructure, and VinoAI, which took advantage of this opportunity to improve its wine recommendation tool.
“In many ways, we were trailblazers in the data science internship space, providing industry training opportunities just as post-secondary institutions were developing their degree programs,” says Dr Byron Chu, Cybera’s Data Science Director. “Cybera has led the way in assisting local organizations in early adoption by pairing them with available talent looking for their first big opportunity.”
Since its inception, the ADSL has received thousands of applications, assisted over 80 interns in entering the field, and helped more than 20 Alberta companies leverage their data to streamline their operations or create product prototypes.
Many of these enterprises went on to experience enormous growth and success. One such example is the legal startup Painsworth, which, after participating in the internship program, was able to accelerate venture capital funding and win multiple awards and recognitions.
“This program has not only jumpstarted numerous careers but also contributed to the success of many Alberta-based startups,” says Byron. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished.”