Google students club organises AI symposium

DSC Delft is the first of its kind in the Netherlands. Computer science student Roman Sirokov (21) from Estonia founded the Developers Student Club when the DSC programme opened up worldwide at the beginning of 2020. The idea of university-based community groups for students interested in Google developer technologies started in India in 2017. It quickly spread from there to hundreds of clubs worldwide. DSC Delft, as the club is called, has about 20 members, most of whom study computer sciences at the EEMCS Faculty. They love to talk about software development for the web or for mobile applications. Google provides experts who give talks or provides content for talks. “We are powered by Google,” says DSC lead Roman Sirokov, “but we are a self-sustained club with our own ways to manage and operate.”

Machine learning symposium

The DSC took the initiative to branch out to students from other faculties as well. At the founding meeting in November last year, about 60 people filled in a questionnaire on their interests. High on the list was machine learning, or artificial intelligence (AI). So the DSC chose that topic for the three-day symposium in March.

“On the first day, we’ll introduce the basics of how artificial intelligence works, and why it works,” explains Sirokov. “The second day will be more advanced and more practical as it will be on how to develop some machine learning models and applications. On the third day we’ll host workshops where people can choose the level of their interest and ability. Students from other faculties don’t need to learn to code machine learning products, but it would be useful for them to know how to communicate to developers on their needs and what exactly they want from an AI application.”

• DSC Delft AI Symposium

  
  

  17-19 March

  
  

  Aula Lecture hall D

  
  

  Room for 100-150 attendees

  
  

   

  
  

   

Communities and exposure

Is the club also a recruitment platform for Google? “I wouldn’t say so,” Sirokov responds. “Google developers, the organisation behind the DSCs, is a community of developers who are not Google employees. They just want to grow communities of developers who share knowledge about Google products. That does not necessarily include recruiting people.”

 

So what is Google getting out of this movement? “Exposure, I guess,” says Sirokov. “They genuinely want students to gain knowledge about Google technologies. But they don’t put any restraints on us.” 

 

Since TU Delft has declined to be an official partner in the programme, the club could not use the university’s name, and had to settle for DSC Delft instead.

 

DSC Delft AI Symposium

17-19 March

Aula Lecture hall D

Room for 100-150 attendees