Google Developers Machine Learning Bootcamp 2023 Report

We are proud to announce the successful organization of the 2nd Google Developers Machine Learning Bootcamp in Turkey!

After a six-month journey that started on May 27th, we celebrated the graduation of over 80 brilliant participants on December 2nd! In partnership with Google Developers Turkey, we created a collaborative learning environment, enabling participants to delve into Deep Learning comprehensively and engage with experienced AI enthusiasts.

We received over 1500 applications and got through a tough evaluation process. The kick-off meeting took place on May 24th with 151 participants, from diverse backgrounds, spanning from engineering to social sciences! 127 of them managed to get through the 12-week Deep Learning Specialization track and advanced to the second phase, TensorFlow Certification. 106 participants dedicated themselves and qualified for the TensorFlow Certification exam.

93 participants who earned the TensorFlow Certificate, pushed their limits with two Kaggle challenges! In this final phase of the program, participants engaged in the Spaceship Titanic Challenge, followed by our private BI-RADS Score Estimation challenge. Remarkably, 63 participants achieved a position in the top 25% of the global leaderboard for the Spaceship Titanic challenge!

Through their dedication and hard work, 84 participants successfully graduated from this challenging 6-month journey! On December 2, we held our graduation with the participation of Barış Yesugey and Beyza Sunay Güler from the Google Developers team, Global ML Developer Programs Lead Soonson Kwon, our guides, bootcamp alumni, and inzva team!

MORE THAN A STUDY GROUP

Of course, the six months were not solely focused on lessons! Following the Deep Learning track, we had our first meeting in our brand new space in Taksim and got to know each other in games and activities! We got our dose of entertainment through games, meme challenge and a movie night. Additionally, we also organized Career Talks to talk about our future paths!

In the first Career Talks, we were honored to host our guests Aytül Erçil, Esra Duygun Doyman and Dr. Gülşah Yılmaz Benk. On September 13th, we organized another career talk attended by community members from academia and industry, covering a range of topics, including CV review, interview preparation, and graduate program application tips.

As graduation approached, we organized one final gathering! It was a pleasure to come together, share experiences, and play games. We bonded over an online meme challenge, attended devfest as a group, and cherished the community spirit!

SIX MONTHS JOURNEY

At the first phase of the bootcamp, we followed the DeepLearning.AI Courses for 12 weeks and discussed them in our study group with our guides Berkin Deniz Kahya, Emre Topçu, Enes Sadi Uysal, Gürkan Soykan, İrem Zırhlıoğlu, Onur Boyar, Rabia Eda Yılmaz, Sarper Yurtseven, Şafak Bilici, Tarık Can Özden, Yunus Serhat Bıçakçı and Zeynep Abalı. At the end of the 12 weeks and 3 exams, 127 participants managed to complete the Deep Learning Specialization track!

For the TensorFlow Certification part, we had 4 weeks of courses with Elvan Karasu, Gürkan Soykan, Pouya P. Niaz and Zeynep Abalı. Then, participants took the TensorFlow Developer Certificate Exam in three batches and 93 of them got their certificate! As the final step, we had two challenges this year. 

First, we get to know the Kaggle platform and try to improve our solutions for the Spaceship Titanic challenge. Each week, at least two participants share their ideas and lead the session to improve their solutions.

To further challenge the participants and give them a taste of industry-focused tasks, we designed the BI-RADS Score Estimation challenge with the invaluable help of Kerem Avcı. This challenge featured a curated set of mammography images from four well-known public datasets: CBIS-DDSM, CDD-CESM, CMMD, and KAU-BCMD. These images were re-annotated by radiology experts from Mogram AI, using the BI-RADS standards as a benchmark for their work.

84 Participants successfully completed the Deep Learning phase, received the TensorFlow certificate and honed their skills on Kaggle, making them eligible to graduate! On December 2, we held our graduation with the participation of the Google Developers team, Soonson Kwon, and the inzva team.

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

“Participating in the Deep Learning Study Group has been a transformative experience for me. The program masterfully blends the power of collaborative learning with practical industry insights, creating an educational platform that goes beyond the conventional. The carefully structured curriculum, coupled with consistent follow-ups, has not only deepened my understanding of the subject but has also cultivated a strong sense of responsibility and dedication.”

“As someone with no experience in machine learning, I enhanced my theoretical knowledge during the bootcamp and had the opportunity to apply what I learned in practice. Additionally, by drawing inspiration from the experiences of professionals in the inzva community, I have redefined my career journey.”

“ML Bootcamp will always stay with me as a delightful memory blended with friendship, collective hard work and humor. I'm lucky to be able to say I now have a broader understanding of engineering and AI and I'm looking forward to engaging more with the community!”

Overall, the 2nd Google Developers Machine Learning Bootcamp in Turkey was a success, equipping participants with Deep Learning, TensorFlow and practical skills, and creating a community of learning and collaboration!

All participants have to abide by our CODE OF CONDUCT  and LETTER OF CONSENT. 

A  BEV Foundation project inzva is a non-profit hacker community organizing study and project groups as well as camps in the fields of AI and Algorithm; and gathering CS students, academics, and professionals in Turkey.

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