LSE Summer School 2020: Dianka Alexieva

Tell us about yourself?

My name is Dianka, I am 22 years old from Sofia, Bulgaria. I studied environmental science in Amsterdam and am currently in my second year of an Master’s program in Data Science. My main interest is working at the intersection of these two disciplines, as I believe data science is a key component to understanding and solving environmental issues.

What motivated you to apply for the program?

The first thing I noticed was the essay question which we had to answer as part of the application process for the program – I quite enjoyed theorizing about how exactly I would apply data science to solve different issues. Of course, the opportunity to go to London and learn from some of the best professors worldwide also inspired me greatly.

Tell us about your experience on the program?

The program was supposed to be in person on the premises of LSE. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the course was transferred online. At first I was a bit disappointed, but this actually turned out to be a great networking opportunity – a few hundred people from all over the world were taking the course together with me, so I actually got in contact with more people than I would have if it were in person. The curriculum went over some key concepts necessary for data analysis, including statistics and data visualization. And although I had covered many of the subjects previously, it was extremely useful for me to go over these topics from a new perspective – that of management. What I liked most about the program was the practical aspect of it –each week we had practical assignments. Additionally, there was a discussion forum where we exchanged additional resources and generally expanded upon the topics covered throughout the program.

How are you planning to apply what you have learned from this course?

I am starting an internship where I will be applying various data-science related concepts and skills, including data analysis and visualization. So I will definitely be applying the knowledge I gained from the course on a daily basis. Additionally, as part of my Master’s thesis I will be using regression techniques to create a model of the environmental and socio-economic state of different neighborhoods in Sofia, Bulgaria – concepts which we also covered thoroughly in the course.