STEM Student Spotlight: Kia Brownridge, Simon Fraser University
Welcome to our STEM Student Spotlight series, where we highlight the incredible initiatives and achievements led by STEM students in Canada. Our mission is to empower and inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators by celebrating the achievements of student leaders. In today’s spotlight, we’re excited to showcase Kia Brownridge! Kia is a student from Simon Fraser University, and they participated in our Work Integrated Learning opportunity.
Kia has been immersing themselves in the potential of data processing and visualization with NumPy and Bokeh. Through this blog post, we delve into Kia’s enlightening experience with these powerful tools and explore how they empower data-driven decisions, propelling them toward exciting career opportunities.
Kia elucidated the process by which they acquired a wide array of skills and knowledge in NumPy and Bokeh through their involvement in diverse projects spanning their time with the Work Integrated Learning opportunity program.
“I created a program that prepares data from a csv file containing data on water consumption by date, day of the week, cups consumed, cost, litres consumed, and filter type and generates stacked bar charts by group using Bokeh and Pandas.”
“I created a program that automatically finds the current date and displays the high and low-temperature prediction for the next week in several Canadian cities on a grid of stacked bar charts using weather API presented in the course.”
Ultimately, Kia reflected on how the skills they acquired contributed to both their personal development and professional advancement. They emphasized how engaging in data science coding equips young college students with the tools for success in data-driven professional environments.
“The [projects] have armed me with valuable Python skills applicable to various scenarios in my field and daily life. In the construction engineering industry, where I currently work, I could use information from the “Stacked Bar charts” project to analyze aggregate data and provide insights for optimizing resource allocation and improving sustainability. Additionally, the “Advanced Visualization using Widgets” project could allow me to create interactive graphs to gain deeper insights into project progress and resource allocation over time.”
Kia described the benefits of developing a data-driven perspective as a young professional:
“The Python skills acquired in this course offer immense benefits to young individuals like myself and society as a whole. By harnessing data for decision-making, I can drive positive outcomes both professionally and personally. Moreover, the demand for data-driven professionals in the job market makes these skills highly valuable, increasing my employability and adaptability in today’s rapidly changing landscape. Embracing data-driven methodologies not only secures my future but also contributes to the broader goal of using data for positive change in our data-centric world.”
Through these powerful data processing and visualization tools, Kia has unlocked the potential to make data-driven decisions that fuel innovation and drive meaningful change. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from our STEM Student Spotlight series!
