Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

From the Berkeley Haas, University of California - Certified Instructors
From June 21st to September 20th, 2026 (12 Weeks)

Register for this Course here

Join iStart Valley’s 12-Week Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Program, an immersive, hands-on experience designed especially for high school innovators ready to lead the AI revolution. Learn the most in-demand skills of the decade — from Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to Agentic AI — and build real-world projects guided by Berkeley Haas-certified faculty and industry experts. 

 This isn’t just another AI course — it’s your launchpad to becoming the next generation AI Engineer, Data Scientist, or AI Innovator shaping tomorrow. 

Earn a prestigious credential, supercharge your college applications, and step boldly into the future of intelligence. .

In this course, you will learn the fundamental concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how Data Science, LLM, Gen AI and Agentic AI plays an important role in the evolution of AI. This curriculum will provide an introductory overview of artificial intelligence techniques and place a particular emphasis on neural networks and machine learning concepts. The course will have three phases:

Phase 1: Understand and Explore Data Science and Visualization 
Phase 2: Building blocks of AI - Machine Learning, AI Techniques and Neuroscience
Phase 3: Gen AI, LLM and Agentic AI - Build use case driven AI applications solving real-world problems

Course includes hands on labs leveraging Jupyter Notebook. No prior Programming experience required.

The course entails an interdisciplinary approach to discuss past, present and future of AI, it’s power of disruption across the industries and multiple domains, compare and differ from how the brain works, and the way systems actually learn and work. We will provide you with real life use cases, examples throughout the course that will elevate your understanding and add context to the broader concept of AI and neuroscience.

Pre-requisite: Course is designed for high school students, Innovators, Creators, Startup Enthusiasts, anyone who want to go beyond the basic. Exposure to Linear Algebra and Statistics is preferred but not a requisite. No Computer Science or Programming is necessary. Whether you want to pursue Law, Business or Engineering, this is a must attend course.

Fees: Fees Total Fees is $600, payable in 2 installments, $400 and $200 after the first 6 sessions. Register at https://istartai26s.eventbrite.com

Schedule: This is a 12-week program, with 1 hour of hands-on session starting at 10 AM Central every Sunday, from June 21st to September 20th, 2026.

Meet the Instructors:

Industry Experts and Leaders in AI and Data Science: Course will feature leaders and experts Data Science and AI that working in Companies such as AirBNB, UBER and Space Engineering etc., Participants will have unique opportunity to connect and grow their network.

 MJ Charmani: is a Director at Accenture, a global consulting firm and #2 World's best company by TIMES. MJ is the founder of iStart Valley, the first business accelerator initiated by an Indian American. He has certifications in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence from Berkeley Haas, University of California. MJ earned an Executive MBA from the University of Texas Arlington and a Graduate Certificate in Global Business Studies. He has spearheaded various programs in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Development. MJ has been honored as one of the "Top Tech Innovators and Influencers" in Northeast Florida and received the "Outstanding Innovation" Award from D-CEO Magazine. He is passionate about teaching the next generation the latest technology based skills. MJ is also a certified expert in Large Language Model (LLM) and Generative AI.

Dr. Anwesha Banerjee is a Neuroscientist who has completed her doctorate from University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and currently working at Emory University, Atlanta. She is a Certified in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence by Berkeley Haas, University of California. Her other degrees include a Masters in Biotechnology from Bangalore University and a Masters in Neuroscience from UTD. She also has successfully completed certification courses in Business of Science from University of Pennsylvania. She has authored multiple publications in prestigious journals and presented at national and international conferences, around the globe. Here active interest involves exploring the world of artificial intelligence and how concepts of neuroscience can be applied to develop improved next generation AI. Anwesha recently spoke at TEDx event in Atlanta and leads the Human Capital Accelerator initiatives at iStart Valley.

Mithun Tiruvedula is the Lead Engineer at Leanovate Info-Solutions with deep experience in building an end-to-end AI driven data analytics pipelines. He has a strong background and has worked on various projects in the field of Big Data, Machine Learning, Data Science, and Data Engineering. His work in Data Engineering involves Ensemble models including CNNs, decision trees, GANs, Analytics, SARIMA models, Video streaming and analytics, Satellite imagery analysis, Sentiment Analysis, Hyperparameter optimization, and has published 2 journal papers and 2 conference papers on the same. Mithun with his 2 pending patents in IoT also has a solid background in full-stack Web development, cloud technologies, and core software development with contributions to the open-source platform OpenStack. His 3rd place in the All India Big Data competition held by IIT Roorkee compliments his lifelong love for teaching and working with children. Check out more at https://www.tmithun.com

 

Affiliations:

 

"AI Program has been a really informative and enlightening experience. I learned a lot!"

- Madhalasa Iyer, John Hopkins SET winner, US National Winner for Intermediate Brain Bee, Presidential Environmental youth award, Top 100 girls US chess player

 

"I really enjoyed the program, especially the Lab Work as it gave me proper insight into Artificial Intelligence. I was able to learn a lot and I enjoyed working on the Final Capstone Project. The Final Presentations were a great way to apply what we learned. Overall, I'm really glad I participated in the program."

- Adrija Kundu, Bronze Medalist at International Geography Bee, Berlin, July 2018, AMC8 Honor Roll 2019

"AI and Data Science taught me so much about the versatility of AI in today's world. It opened my mind up to the extensive everyday use and made me realize just how much the world is moving towards relying on AI in the coming years. Thanks, iStart Valley for such a great experience; you did it again!"

- Nithya Ganti, Principal oboe player for the Philharmonia in the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County, Top 20% in Math Olympiad, Girl Scouts Bronze Award

 

"The IStart Valley AI and Data Science Course gave me the opportunity to be introduced into the future of AI and Machine Learning, and how it is being applied today to solve the problems of this age. Starting from the basics, this program effectively teaches the process of how data scientists receive, interpret, and process data to be used in machine learning models, and then teaching the students how to create some of these models and implement them into real life situations. This program has inspired me to continue to learn about the vast and quickly growing world of AI and Machine Learning."

- Divek Patel, Provisional Patent Holder, Won National Conrad Challenge, FLL National Qualifier, Winner of the Tri-County Science Fair