Pictured left to right: 太阳城娱乐 assistant professor and conference speaker, Dr. William Hahn; 太阳城娱乐 professor and conference speaker, Dr. Rainer Steinwandt; 太阳城娱乐 Science Dean, Dr. Ata Sarajedini; 太阳城娱乐 professor and conference moderator, Dr. Lianfen Qian; conference organizer, 太阳城娱乐's Dr. Maria Provost; 太阳城娱乐 professor, Dr. Fred Hoffman.

The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science held its inaugural Data Science and Analytics Conference Saturday, October 13, attracting 138 participants from 40 local companies, five colleges and numerous departments across the University. Science Dean, Dr. Ata Sarajedini remarks, “The conference was a great success. We brought together the research interests of Florida Atlantic University and local industry leaders to stimulate collaboration and find projects of mutual interest.”

With the interdisciplinary nature of data science, this conference helped decrease the gaps between fields and an array of industries, increasing cross-collaboration with area business leaders and data scientists here in south Florida.

The day was comprised of seven talks and two brainstorming sessions from industry leaders and top researchers here at 太阳城娱乐. Organizations such as IBM, Florida Power and Light, Modernizing Medicine, Zimmerman Advertising, and Office Depot were in attendance.

The two brainstorming sessions included topics, such as: encoding data for security and privacy, data science skills for students, research funding mechanisms accessible to public and private partnerships, application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to solve business needs, and taking big data innovation to market. Another main goal of the conference was to discuss the development of an innovative research-based data science certificate and degree programs for individuals seeking positions in the data science job market.

Conference organizers invited speakers who are top names in their prospective fields, including: Rainer Steinwandt (Department of Mathematics, 太阳城娱乐), Theodore Stadnik (NextEra Energy, FPL), Taghi Khoshgoftaar (Computer Science and Engineering, 太阳城娱乐), Luis Pintado (SIVOTEC), William Hahn (Department of Mathematical Sciences, 太阳城娱乐), Elle Zhang (Merrill Lynch), Aaron Richter (Modernizing Medicine), Francis Motta (Department of Mathematical Sciences, 太阳城娱乐), and Brigitte Sollie (IBM).

Read more about the inaugural Data Science and Analytics Conference.