BisolaIbiwoye
commented
4 months ago MOTIVATION STATEMENT FOR INTERNSHIP WITH ERSILIA.
I am incredibly excited to write about my interest in joining the Outreachy program and contributing to the impactful Ersilia project. As a recent immigrant and aspiring data scientist, Outreachy presents an invaluable opportunity to hone my skills and gain valuable experience.
My tech journey began with completing two certifications in Data Analytics and AI Programming with Python on Udacity. My eagerness to apply these newfound skills and struggle to land any job/internship as an entry level immigrant led me to Outreachy, which offers an ideal environment for collaborative learning and remote mentorship in open-source software development. My first week contributing to Ersilia has opened my eyes to the vast and exciting world of open-source collaboration on GitHub, how to install Ersilia using WSL on windows, how to use Ersilia on docker desktop app and how to use Ersilia’s models to make predictions. This experience, coupled with my recent completion of the Udacity course on AI programming with Python, makes Ersilia's platform, featuring pre-trained AI/ML models for biomedical research, the perfect fit for me. Furthermore, Ersilia’s vision of creating a world with egalitarian access to healthcare is something I am passionate about as an African currently working in the healthcare sector. I want to use my skill to contribute to Ersilia's mission to equip laboratories in low- and middle-income countries with the state-of-the-art AI/ML tools for infectious and neglected disease research. Having experienced some of those infectious diseases that almost claimed my life; involving in this project is my way of giving back to society. I am particularly drawn to Ersilia’s scientific and biomedical approach to the use of artificial intelligence for the good of the society. These approaches can be used to develop tools to speed up experiments and reduce the cost of developing new drugs.
The Udacity course I took provided a strong foundation in Python, AI techniques including machine learning algorithms, deep learning frameworks, and utilizing pre-trained models. This knowledge allowed me to build an application with Python scripts for generating predictions (available on my GitHub: https://github.com/BisolaIbiwoye/Develop-Image-Classifier-for-Flowers-with-Deep-Learning ). I possess a strong work ethic, I am a quick learner, and I thrive in collaborative environments. My dedication to continuous learning and a results-oriented mindset will make me a valuable asset to the Ersilia team.
Feedback from past job applications often pointed towards a lack of real-world experience. This internship will bridge that gap by providing hands-on experience with ML and AI on real-world data, propelling my data science career forward. My commitment extends beyond the internship as I plan to continue contributing to Ersilia's open-source project. To further amplify Ersilia's impact, I plan to actively involve myself in various projects and utilise my social media platforms to raise awareness, promoting the valuable resources offered to researchers and scientists.
My technical skills, combined with my teamwork, communication, and collaborative spirit, make me confident in my ability to succeed in the Outreachy program and positively impact the Ersilia project. Thank you for your time and consideration.
GemmaTuron
DhanshreeA
Week 1 - Get to know the community
Week 2 - Get Familiar with Machine Learning for Chemistry
Week 3 - Validate a Model in the Wild
Week 4 - Prepare your final application