Databricks Campus Connect: UCSD DataHacks Workshop
Join Databricks on Thursday, April 16, 2026 for hands-on workshop ahead of DataHacks 2026. Learn data and AI skills needed to get started on your hackathon project quickly.
Databricks Solution Architects will guide you through a session covering:
An overview of the Databricks platform
AI/BI Dashboards, Genie, Unity Catalog, and Lakehouse architecture
Hands-on demos and exercises
Who should attend?
This event is open to current UC San Diego students. Content is especially relevant for students studying computer science, engineering, information science, statistics, or data science, but all majors are welcome.
Advance registration is required; please use your ucsd.edu email for approval.
Why attend?
Build confidence working with Databricks
Learn practical, in-demand data and AI skills
Connect with Databricks engineers and leaders
What to bring?
Your laptop (required)
Speakers
Ben Novak is a Delivery Solutions Architect at Databricks, where he works with some of the most important players in manufacturing, energy, and utilities to turn complex data into real operational advantage. His customers include a $30B+ revenue infrastructure provider, a critical utility who provides power to an entire US state, and a ~$8B+ revenue innovator in semiconductor and AI data center infrastructure. Ben brings over 9 years of hands-on analytics experience and deep expertise in the Databricks Lakehouse, including Delta Lake and Unity Catalog. Prior to Databricks, he led high-impact data initiatives, building resilient pipelines, simplifying fragmented data ecosystems, and driving meaningful improvements in decision-making.
Anjana Sriram is a Solutions Engineer at Databricks in New York, where she works with financial institutions to bring efficiency and innovation to their data estate. Prior to Databricks, Anjana was a Data Scientist for Disney Streaming, where she worked on content forecasting for Hulu and D+. She completed her undergraduate degree at the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute @ UCSD (Go Tritons!), where she developed a passion for finding data-driven solutions to problems. Anjana is passionate about mentoring the next generation, and has mentored high schoolers and college students for the past several years. Outside of work, you'll find her crafting, dancing, or cooking up a delicious new recipe!