blog posts

content/blog/summer-hackathon-2022-winners/index.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ date: 2022-12-23
 <p style="text-align: left;">This past summer, Callysto hosted an online hackathon for Grades 8-12 students and K-12 teachers across Canada. Participants were challenged to use real-world datasets and Python coding to come up with data-driven ideas for building sustainable life on Mars.</p>
 <p style="text-align: left;">The free event ran from July 10 to August 18, and for the first time ever, teachers were allowed to participate (and compete).</p>
 <p style="text-align: left;">The hackathon was divided into two tracks: a beginner "Curiosity" track, and an advanced “Amal” track. In the Curiosity track, participants analyzed a dataset on common pet characteristics to determine which ones would be best suited to living in a colony on Mars. In the advanced Amal track, participants used advanced coding-based modules (Jupyter notebooks) to answer more difficult questions related to the colonization of Mars. Those who chose this track were encouraged to explore any dataset of interest related to sustaining life on Mars.</p>
-<h1 style="text-align: left;">Meet some of our winners</h1>
+<h2 style="text-align: left;">Meet some of our winners</h2>
 <h3 style="text-align: left;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5054 alignleft" width="254" height="300" src="Sonia.png">Sonia Lisboa</h3>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Prize category:</strong> Curiosity (student) track winner</p>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Sonia’s challenge:</strong> Which pets should we bring to Mars?</p>
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ Sonia excelled in the Curiosity track, successfully completing all seven challen
 “The main thing I learned from the hackathon was new data science skills, which I did not know before. I was familiar with the programming language used, Python, but I did not know about the specific commands you were able to use to read data. I learned how to manipulate the data and make it easier to understand by creating visuals such as circle graphs, and removing unnecessary information that would not be helpful in making decisions.”</p>
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 <h3 style="text-align: left;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5054 alignleft" width="254" height="300" src="Seung.png">Seung-Jun</h3>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Prize category: </strong><em>Amal (student) track winner</em></p>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Seung-Jun’s challenge:</strong> Seung-Jun hypothesized that the extreme weather conditions on Mars would be the biggest challenge for humans trying to live there. To support this idea, he analyzed data on Mars’s temperature changes over the course of four years, from 2012-2018.</p>
@@ -37,8 +36,8 @@ Seung-Jun did an excellent job coming up with a data-based question and explorin
 “I learned how to make a pie graph and also learned how to highlight a portion of a graph using matplotlib. I became more experienced in working with Jupyter Lab as well.”</p>
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-<h3 style="text-align: left;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5054 alignleft" width="254" height="300" src="andrew.png">Andrew McDonald</h3>
+
+<h3 style="text-align: left;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-5054 alignleft" width="254" height="300" src="andrew.jpeg">Andrew McDonald</h3>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Prize category: </strong><em>Curiosity (teacher) track winner</em></p>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Andrew’s challenge:</strong> Which pets should we bring to Mars?</p>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Andrew’s answer:</strong> After analyzing the data, Andrew determined that dogs, cats, and lizards would be the most suitable pets to bring to Mars. His decision was based on three factors: the weight of the animals and the impact on fuel consumption during transportation, the average life expectancy of the animals, and whether they were spayed/neutered or unaltered. Andrew concluded that bringing unaltered cats and dogs would allow for a more comprehensive study of the effects of the Martian environment on animals of different ages.</p>
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@ Andrew did an excellent job completing all seven challenges and showed great det
 “I enjoyed how using some data and coding, you can see some interesting outcomes.”</p>
 <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>What he learned from the event</strong><br>
 “I learned that with simple coding, lots of data, and patience, you can display data in a more meaningful way."</p>
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+<!-- <div class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 50px; text-align: left;" aria-hidden="true"></div>
 <h1 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Callysto runs free hackathons for students</strong></h1>
-<p style="text-align: left;">Callysto runs free virtual and in-person hackathons for Grades 5-12 classrooms in Canada. We help students solve data science problems by “hacking” or analyzing data. If you’re a Grades 5-12 teacher and are interested in having us host a hackathon for your students, email us at <a style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;" href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[email protected]</a>.</p>
+<p style="text-align: left;">Callysto runs free virtual and in-person hackathons for Grades 5-12 classrooms in Canada. We help students solve data science problems by “hacking” or analyzing data. If you’re a Grades 5-12 teacher and are interested in having us host a hackathon for your students, email us at <a style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;" href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[email protected]</a>.</p> -->
 <!-- <p style="text-align: left;">Learn more about data science hackathons <a href="https://www.callysto.ca/classroom-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> -->

content/blog/tidal-patterns-and-fish-traps-in-summer-math-camp/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+title: Exploring tidal patterns and fish traps in summer math camp
+date: 2021-09-10
+---
+<p>This past July, the Callysto team had the pleasure to join grades 9-10 students in Alberta as part of the PIMS-led math camp: <a href="https://www.pims.math.ca/educational-event/210726-dmhsmcis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diversity in Mathematics</a>. This week-long event was geared towards Indigenous students who are interested in pursuing careers in STEM, and are looking to develop their math skills. The event included instructors from Maskwacis Education Schools, the University of Alberta, Big River Analytics, and our own data scientist, Laura Gutierrez-Funderburk.<br>
+<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium" src="ezgif.com-optimize.gif" width="332" height="268"><br>
+Laura introduced students to our Callysto notebooks, and set them to work on the <a href="https://www.callysto.ca/2021/01/19/data-analysis-and-fish-traps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coast Salish fish traps notebook</a>. The Coast Salish people are based in the Pacific Northwest coast of Canada and the US, where salmon fishing has formed an important part of their culture and history. They have traditionally used coastal rock walls to trap fish when the tides are low.</p>
+<p><iframe loading="lazy" id="igraph" class="post-img-shadow" style="border: none;" src="https://callysto.github.io/Indigenous-culture-through-math-and-code/pictures/map.html" width="100%" height="600" scrolling="no" seamless="seamless"></iframe></p>
+
+<p>The Callysto Fish Traps notebook focuses on crescent-shaped fish traps (semi- or completely circular stone walls), and invites students to model how they work, and when is the ideal time to use them. Particular attention needs to be paid to tidal patterns, the slope of the shore, the height of the trap, and the proximity of the community to the fish trap.</p>
+<p><iframe loading="lazy" id="igraph" class="post-img-shadow" style="border: none;" src="https://callysto.github.io/Indigenous-culture-through-math-and-code/pictures/fish_trap_simulation.html" width="100%" height="600" scrolling="no" seamless="seamless"></iframe></p>
+
+<p>Students were also invited to model the fish traps in other locations in Canada.</p>
+<h3>A new way to practice coding</h3>
+<p></p><figure id="attachment_4669" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4669" style="width: 223px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4669 size-medium" src="Ben-Blatz-223x300.jpg" alt="" width="223" height="300" srcset="Ben-Blatz-223x300.jpg 223w, Ben-Blatz-762x1024.jpg 762w, Ben-Blatz-768x1032.jpg 768w, Ben-Blatz-1143x1536.jpg 1143w, Ben-Blatz-1524x2048.jpg 1524w, Ben-Blatz.jpg 1854w" sizes="(max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4669" class="wp-caption-text">Ben Blatz was one of the students who attended the Diversity in Mathematics 2021 summer camp</figcaption></figure><p></p>
+<p>Ben Blatz was one of the students who attended the virtual math camp. A 14-year-old living in Edmonton, he was looking to boost his math skills before entering high school.</p>
+<p>“I’ve done a bit of coding before, and really enjoyed it,” he says. “I’ve also seen my other friends do coding, and wanted to see how it worked. I think it would be a good job for me in the future.”</p>
+<p>Ben adapted the Fish Traps notebook to model fishing scenarios in Black Rock Point, Nova Scotia. He says he found the entire scenario very interesting, and enjoyed adapting his coding skills for a completely new experience.</p>
+<p>“It was really easy for me once I saw how it worked, then everything just clicked.”</p>
+<p>He also appreciated the opportunity to learn about how the Coast Salish people carried out their unique style of fishing.</p>
+<p>Ben hopes to continue building on his coding skills, and one day become a video game designer. He also says he will be looking out for future coding camps like this.</p>
+<!-- <p>For more information on Callysto’s Indigenous learning content, <a href="https://www.callysto.ca/indigenous-content/">visit our webpage</a>. If you are a teacher and are interested in organizing a data science learning event for your class, please contact us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p> -->