Winners from Oxford University honored for triumph in data science competition
In a remarkable achievement, three postgraduate students from the University of Oxford have clinched the second prize in a global data science hackathon, pocketing a £5,000 reward. Natalia Hong from Keble College, Jiazheng Zhu from Lady Margaret Hall, and Munib Mesinovic from Jesus College, who are all in their first year of doctoral studies, impressed the judges with their innovative and resilient solution.
The annual Huawei Hackathon, which focuses on developing software to improve Wi-Fi services to be both sustainable and adaptable, attracted participants from around the world. The students' solution, which combines computer science and medicine in a responsible and ethical manner, aimed to alleviate health challenges of the 21st century, specifically the prediction of acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks).
Natalia Hong's family has been directly affected by heart attacks, making this project particularly personal for her. The students express their gratitude for the vital support they received from their mentors and loved ones throughout the competition.
Munib Mesinovic, who is also set to join the Global Leadership Initiative at the Oxford Character Project, wrote about their experience in a Student Spotlight. The Oxford Character Project, a prominent initiative based at the University of Oxford, is focused on fostering character, virtue, and ethical leadership among leaders and students. Although there is no formal "Global Leadership Initiative" by this exact name associated with the Oxford Character Project in current public records, its programs collectively embody global leadership themes and are aligned with international efforts to promote character development in education and leadership.
The students' solution was praised for its innovativeness and durability to testing. They completed second overall in the hackathon, demonstrating their commitment to addressing complex global challenges through interdisciplinary work.
In addition to their hackathon success, the students are also part of the Centre for Doctoral Training Health Data Science course. Natalia Hong is involved in co-founding the Oxford Diplomatic Society, while Munib Mesinovic is part of the Network and Collaborations of the Oxford Character Project, which includes partnerships with leading research and education institutions.
The students' work aligns with the Oxford Character Project's focus on virtue-based leadership education, contributing to new models like the Leaders of Character Program. The project supports assessment-driven approaches to ensure that character interventions are effective and can be scaled or adapted for different contexts.
The students' interest in the ethical considerations of AI is evident in their involvement in Mozilla Foundation's Working Group on Building Trustworthy AI. As they continue their studies and future endeavours, these Oxford students are poised to make significant contributions to the fields of data science, AI, and global leadership.
They incorporated elements of science, health-and-wellness, and technology in their innovative solution at the Huawei Hackathon, aiming to predict acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) using a responsible and ethical approach. With their focus on virtue-based leadership education, these students are partaking in the Centre for Doctoral Training Health Data Science course and are also involved in initiatives such as the Leaders of Character Program and the Mozilla Foundation's Working Group on Building Trustworthy AI, demonstrating their commitment to education, self-development, and global leadership.
