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Goergen Institute for Data Science the Next Generation of Data Scientists GOERGEN INSTITUTE FOR DATA SCIENCE THE NEXT GENERATION OF DATA SCIENTISTS “What I'm learning here is helping me address a real societal need— getting more underrepresented youth interested in a STEM education. To do this, I’m mining Twitter, learning natural processing languages, and developing new software and analytical skills.” —Ling “Kelly” He ’17 The University of Rochester offers BA, BS, and MS a research project designed to promote STEM education to degree programs in data science. These are in keeping with high school students and, potentially, those starting their the University’s long tradition of preparing our students college careers. By mining data from Twitter and using well for success in the world, while capitalizing on our Python (a natural language processing programming distinctive strengths and harnessing technology in ways language), she hopes to identify students who would be that will inform a variety of fields. interested in a STEM education in college and others who could be peer influencers and mentors for them. BS in Data Science Students “It’s a great project because it feels like we are helping to Ling “Kelly” He ’17 solve a real societal need with data science,” says He. “I get Kelly He is a Xerox to learn a lot about software, data mining, and analysis in Engineering Research Fellow the process. It’s exciting.” at the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied She has had other unique experiences here, too. In the Sciences double majoring in spring of 2015, she participated in a leadership program math and data science and with Ernst & Young in New York City. By interacting with minoring in Spanish. Her professionals in its technology department, she saw how interest in statistics, data data science can be applied in daily life and in various fields, mining, and artificial such as banking and security. In the fall, she will represent intelligence fueled her the University at the prestigious Grace Hopper Conference decision to major in data science. In fact, she recently began for women in computing. working with Jiebo Luo, a professor of computer science, on coupling the data science major with an EES minor. “I like Lauren Kemperman ’17 concrete concepts, and I want to apply them to the renewable Lauren Kemperman has energy field,” Soderstrom says. “I’m reaching out to solar statistics in her blood. Her companies now for an internship because I want to analyze grandfather was Johanne energy market data, visualize energy grids, and understand Kemperman, a professor of how people’s energy choices affect the environment.” statistics at the University. “Mathematics and statistics Soderstrom is currently working in Cynthia Ebinger’s lab come naturally to me, but even as a research assistant. He is developing algorithms using if they didn’t, I would still Python and applying them to MATLAB to create 3-D models pursue them because of how of volcanic activity in East Africa. This creates a picture of practical they are—especially what is happening below the Earth’s surface, which can help when they’re combined with computer sciences. That’s what predict volcanic activity. “Having accurate models is essential the data science curriculum does, and that’s why I love it.” to this work,” he says. “Using data science is perhaps the only way to get there.” As a data science major with a minor in statistics, Kemperman is excited about the modern approach to the curriculum and how it combines her interests in computers, mathematics, and Tyler Trine ’16 statistics. She is also intrigued by the potential applications Tyler Trine knew the data of data science. “Data science—and mining for meaningful science major was for him as information—is so important in every field.” soon as he heard about it. And because he has always been Kemperman and fellow data science major Jean Chakmakas interested in how the brain ’17 have just started working with Wendi Heinzelman, a works, when he graduates professor of electrical and computer engineering and dean next year with a degree in of graduate studies for Arts, Sciences & Engineering, on a data science, it will be with a School of Nursing research project. They are designing an concentration in cognitive Android app to help people dealing with asthma. The app science. will ask questions about a user’s health and point them to local resources. “The data science major is the perfect marriage of my interests,” Trine says. “It is a beautiful intersection of brain “I’ll be able to use math and statistics to develop questions science, statistics, mathematics, and computer science. It for the users, and we will develop algorithms based on takes a completely interdisciplinary approach, which is a the data we collect,” she says. “This will ensure the app is huge Rochester strength.” relevant to the user.” Trine gained real-world experience when he was an intern with 1010data in New York City, a technology company Ulrik Soderstrom ’16 focused on delivering business intelligence to just about Ulrik Soderstrom started out as every kind of company out there. When a company cannot an Earth and environmental handle the amount of data it collects, 1010data’s powerful sciences (EES) major and then servers can, and they can provide actionable insight on switched to chemical the data that can improve marketing efforts and business engineering, but that still did performance. not feel quite right. He started taking computer science classes The team there chose Trine because of a background rich and then heard about the new in statistics and mathematics. “I’m confident that what data science major. “I got I learned there, coupled with what I’m learning at the passionate about it fast,” he University, will create a really strong foundation for my says. “All fields lead to data science.” career,” he adds. After graduation, Trine plans to head straight into industry. Soderstrom is interested in using data science tools to help the world become more sustainable. That is why he is MS in Data Science Students Careers in Data Science • Advanced • Health Information Andrew Straw ’17 MS Technologist Manager For the last three years, Andy Straw has worked at the • Analyst • Health Information Privacy Specialist University of Rochester • Analytics Consultant • Marketing Data Medical Center in the • Associate Professor Department of Biostatistics Analyst • Business Information • Marketing List and Computational Biology. Consultant He helps researchers manage, Analyst • Chief Analytic Officer integrate, analyze, and share • Model Validation data in support of multiyear, • Chief Information Analyst multimillion dollar grants. Officer • Patient Information Prior to that, he spent five years building and using tools to • Chief Knowledge Coordinator help manage and make sense of biomedical data to support Officer • Price Prediction drug discovery at a pharmaceutical company. • Clinical Data Analyst Specialist Straw has a master’s degree in computer and systems • Privacy/Security • Clinical Research Officer engineering, which included coursework in databases, Associate software engineering, computer graphics, and artificial • Product Manager, • Collaborative intelligence, but he has wanted to know more about statistics, Merchandising Filtering Expert machine learning, mathematical modeling, and parallel Metrics (Facebook, Netflix, • Project Manager programming. Amazon, Pandora) • Research Scientist • Consumer Research In his current position, he sees investigators struggling to Analyst • Risk Analyst make sense of large and diverse sets of experimental and clinical data. When the data science master’s degree program • Credit Risk Analyst • Scientific Programmer was announced, he jumped at the opportunity, knowing it • Data Analyst • Software Developer would give him the tools to help a broad range of users do • Data Integrity more with their data. Specialist • Software Engineer • Data Management • Statistical Data “Statistical and mathematical models are so important to Analyst Analyst our understanding of how diseases, treatments, and the • Data Manager • Statistical human body work,” Straw says. “I want to be able to go back Programmer to my department and contribute to the development and • Data Mining Analyst • Statistician application of these models to inform our research.” • Data Quality Analyst • Systems Engineer • Data Scientist • Technical Account Zach Taylor ’15, ’16 MS • Enterprise Analyst Manager Zach Taylor was a triple • Fraud Detection • Technical Consultant major at the University, Analyst • Technical Expert where he earned degrees in • Government economics, mathematics, Surveillance Expert • Terminology Asset and international relations. Manager • Health Informatics/ He intends to get a PhD in Information • Value Modeling economics or political Management Analyst science and then will pursue Director • Workflow Analyst a career in academia. Before • Health Informatics he gets his PhD though, he Specialist will earn a master’s degree in data science. Some have told him this is an unconventional step, but he knows the MS will benefit him. “Data science helps us to extract Taylor comments that economics and political science are understanding from large-scale data. fields that rely on highly quantitative methods. He also notes that data science is as applicable to these fields as it is It provides a pipeline that transforms to medicine and health care. “Social scientists today have a data to meaningful knowledge to action.” unique opportunity to harness the massive amounts of data —Henry Kautz
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