Each semester, the Massive Data Institute at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University sponsors technical data processing and analysis workshops to provide Georgetown University faculty, students, and staff the opportunity to be exposed to new methods, programming paradigms, and technologies.
This Fall’s workshops cover a wide variety of MDI research areas, including data collection, data analysis, and privacy. Learn more and register for four Fall 2024 MDI Workshops below (please note there is a separate registration for each month; you can join one or all of them). To learn more about the MDI Fellows who will be leading this semester’s workshops, please visit: https://mdi.georgetown.edu/mdi-fellows/
For more information on MDI events, check out our events calendar . Any questions, please reach out to mdiresearch@georgetown.edu
September 2024: Web-based Studies with Human Subjects with Brandon Waldon, Ph.D.
When: Monday, September 9 & Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (each day)
Location: Main Campus, Old North 205 — this event is only in-person
Register: https://bit.ly/MDIWorkshopSept2024
Abstract: Classic statistical techniques often assume independent observations, but many interesting datasets contain interdependencies. For network scholars, such dependencies between observations (nodes) are not simply a nuisance that needs to be “controlled for,” but rather the Web-based crowdsource platforms — including Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prolific Academic — have revolutionized human subjects research in the social and behavioral sciences. Because participant recruitment is nearly instantaneous, studies that might require weeks or months to complete in-person can be finished in a matter of minutes online. However, this paradigm also presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to response quality, data privacy, and the potential exploitation of crowdworkers. In this workshop, attendees will learn how to responsibly design and manage high-quality online studies involving human participants. We will also cover practical techniques for implementing effective online surveys and experiments, using widely-employed tools such as Qualtrics and JsPsych. Workshop attendees will deploy their own pilot studies on the Prolific platform.
September/October 2024: Exploratory Data Analytics & Visual Analytics with Dr. Helge Marahrens, Ph.D.
When: Monday, September 30 & Tuesday October, 1 2024, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (each day)
Location: Main Campus, Old North 205 — this event is only in-person
Register: https://bit.ly/MDIWorkshopSeptOct2024
Abstract: In the era of big data, the ability to explore and visualize data effectively is paramount for making informed decisions. This hands-on workshop aims to equip participants with the essential skills and knowledge needed to transform raw data into meaningful insights. We cover fundamental concepts of data exploration, including data cleaning, transformation, and summarization. Along the way, we explore useful Python functions such as the GroupBy operator, various plotting libraries, and packages to understand missing data. Moreover, we contextualize “Exploratory Data Analysis” (EDA) within the scientific method and research practice. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced analyst, this workshop will enhance your ability to harness the power of data visualization and exploratory analysis in your professional endeavors. Join us to unlock the full potential of your data and elevate your analytical capabilities.
October 2024: Prompt exploration for Vision and Language Models with Rupayan Mallick, Ph.D.
When: Monday, October 21 & Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (each day)
Location: Main Campus, Old North 205 — this event is only in-person
Register: https://bit.ly/MDIWorkshopOct2024
Abstract: With the recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs) and Vision Language Models (VLMs), understanding the prompts to generate these images are of utmost importance. The factors affecting the quality as well as the context of generation might lie on the quality of prompts given for the generation. Another factor for the generation can be the seed selection as well as the filters applied by the models. This workshop explores various factors associated with the generation of text or images for these models. Another aim of this workshop is to understand the responsible use of the LLMs/VLMs. During this workshop, we will perform some hands-on experiments to improve your understanding of prompt engineering. A basic understanding of Python is expected. Familiarity with deep learning will be helpful, but is not required.
November 2024: Privacy through Cryptography with Lucy Qin, Ph.D.
Date: Monday, November 11 & Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (each day)
Location: Main Campus MDI Offices on the Hilltop, Healy Hall Basement G-02 (please note this event is only in-person); Directions: https://bit.ly/MDIDirections
Register: https://bit.ly/MDIWorkshopNov2024
Abstract: As data is accumulated and consumed at an increasingly massive scale, it is important to consider what data should be protected from who and how. Cryptography offers a variety of techniques that are used for data protection and secure communications. This workshop will begin by exploring historical ciphers in order to build intuition about modern day cryptosystems. We will then shift our discussion to more modern cryptosystems, including secure multi-party computation. During the workshop, you will see how basic ciphers work, conduct cryptanalysis, and work with secure multi-party computation through a series of activities.
Any questions, please reach out to mdiresearch@georgetown.edu
About the Massive Data Institute (MDI): At Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy, the Massive Data Institute is an interdisciplinary research institute that connects experts across computer science, data science, public health, public policy, and social science to tackle societal scale issues and impact public policy in a way that improves people’s lives through responsible evidence-based research. For more information on MDI, please visit https://mdi.georgetown.edu/ To learn about additional upcoming MDI workshops and events, please visit: https://mdi.georgetown.edu/mdi-events/