From Internship to Global Recognition: Patricia’s Journey with Data Science Nigeria
We had the honour of interviewing Patricia Ojonoka Idakwo, a PhD student at the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, who recently completed a seven-month internship with Data Science Nigeria. Patricia shared her insights as a Geospatial AI intern with DSN, highlighting the invaluable transformative opportunities the internship program provides.
Hi Patricia! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello everyone! I’m Patricia Ojonoka Idakwo, a PhD Computer Science student at the African University of Science and Technology in Abuja, a mom, and now a proud Geospatial Data Analyst.
Oh great. You recently wrapped up your internship with Data Science Nigeria. When did it all start?
I began my internship in July 2023 and wrapped it up in January 2024. The entire journey was profoundly enriching and unforgettable.
Nice! 7months sounds like quite a journey. What were you working on during your internship?
I had the opportunity to work on the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health & Nutrition (RMNCHN) project within the Geospatial Business Unit. This experience not only bridged the gap between my passion for Geospatial AI (GeoAI) and the formal training I needed but also provided me with hands-on experience. It allowed me to apply my computer science skills to real-world projects.
Wow! that sounds impactful. Was that all you worked on during the 7 months?
No that’s not all. I also had the opportunity to work in the Research & Innovation Unit, where I underwent various trainings on GeoNLP, worked with non-traditional data like Call Detail Records (CDR), learned how to write a research paper using the CRADIS approach, attended Natural Language Processing Masterclasses, and much more. The knowledge gained from these sessions culminated in my contribution to the “Generative AI Landscape” section of the Generative AI Possibilities white paper, as well as the research paper titled “Geo-parsing and Geo-Visualization of Road Traffic Crash Incident Locations from Print Media for Emergency Response and Planning”
What’s the highlight of the internship for you?
Every aspect of the internship was a learning experience for me, but the highlight was my research project: “Geo-Parsing and Geo-Visualization of Road Traffic Crash Incident Locations from Print Media for Emergency Response and Planning.”
That’s fantastic! Do you want to tell us more about this?
This project not only ignited my research passion but also earned global recognition. It won the Best Paper award at the prestigious AfricaNLP workshop, co-located with ICLR 2024, and was accepted to other top AI conferences, including Data Science Africa 2024, Deep Learning IndabaX Nigeria 2024 (where it won the Best Academic Poster Award), and has also been accepted for a poster presentation at Women in Machine Learning (WiML) symposium collocated with the International Conference on Machine Learning(ICML) 2024.
That’s quite impressive. How did it feel working on something that could have such a big impact?
It was truly rewarding, you know? The realization that something I contributed to gained global recognition and has the potential to positively impact countless lives in Africa was an immensely gratifying feeling.
I can imagine! Did you face any challenges during your internship?
As I mentioned earlier, there were many learning curves for me, but everyone I worked with during my internship was incredibly supportive. This support made a significant difference, even though my internship was fully remote.
Having a supportive team is invaluable. How was your experience working virtually?
It was an incredibly positive experience. Despite the remote work setup, I never felt isolated thanks to the digital work environment and regular meetup sessions. These platforms kept me well-informed about organization-wide developments and allowed me to forge meaningful relationships and networks with both my team members and the talented staff at DSN.
That sounds like an incredible experience. Any final words?
During my enriching seven months at DSN, every moment was a delight. I not only achieved my initial goals but surpassed them. Thanks to DSN, I now embark on my PhD research in Geospatial AI with confidence. My mind is overflowing with ideas for a purposeful career, bridging AI/Machine Learning with geospatial data analysis, all aimed at leveraging technology for social good.
