2018 Data Science Summit
In recent years, data science has emerged in industry and academia as a result of the so-called data deluge. Companies and researchers are inundated with data of many different kinds, from many different sources, and they have to make sense of these data for purposes such as policy- and decision-making, strategizing, marketing, and hypothesis testing. Researchers and developers have created numerous tools to work with new, complex datasets, and statisticians have advanced corresponding methods of visualization and analysis. Increasingly, people across academia and industry are using these tools and methods to the benefit of their research, products, and services.
The UC Merced Data Science Summit will bring together representatives from industry and academia to discuss the latest trends and issues in data science, and the variety of current and future career paths related to data science. The day will open and close with keynote presentations, along with six brief talks plus Q&A, and a wrap-up panel discussion. There will also be ample time for networking and small group discussions during meals, breaks, and a reception at the end of the day.
"Leveraging Data Science For Creating a Smarter World"
Dr. Sudha Ram
The phenomenal growth of social media, mobile applications, sensor based technologies and the Internet of Things is generating a flood of “Big Data” and disrupting our world in many ways. In this talk, I will examine the paradigm shift caused by big data and discuss how analytics and data science can be used to harness its power and create a smarter world. Using examples from health care, smart cities, education, and business in general, I will highlight challenges, industry trends, research opportunities, and methods for extracting value from big data.
"Data Science in 2018: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times"
Dr. AnnaLee Saxenian
Data science is creating opportunities for researchers everywhere. New approaches to data analysis, prediction, and optimization are transforming fields as diverse as medicine and urban planning, biology and astrophysics, and the humanities and the social sciences. The new tools and techniques are being adopted in the academy, industry, government, and nonprofits. In short, with knowledge of statistics and computational tools, current graduates are poised to transform research and practice across wide swaths of society. In that sense it is the best of times. At the same time, data science is in its infancy. As with all new technologies, there are risks and challenges when working with data at scale. This is especially the case when working with social data, and we are just starting to understand the legal, ethical, and policy problems posed by the practice of data science. This talk will be organized around a series of lessons for new data scientists entering the workforce today.
This event is co-organized by the Graduate Division, the Office of Leadership, Service, and Career, and the Data and Analytical Science graduate student organization: https://catlife.ucmerced.edu/organization/datascience.
