草榴视频 State's School of Data Science and Analytics offers opportunity for all levels of students

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 26, 2021

草榴视频 State University student Alyssa Venn considers herself an early adopter of data science.

While working toward an bachelor鈥檚 degree in , she picked up an undergraduate minor in hoping to gain a bit of exposure in one of the nation鈥檚 fastest growing fields. At the time, she didn鈥檛 anticipate the amount of doors the minor program would open.

鈥淭he number of projects you can involve yourself in at the and the variety of industry sponsors it attracts has really shown me that data science is everywhere,鈥� said Venn, who is now working toward a . 鈥淏oth as an undergraduate and graduate student, I鈥檝e enjoyed the freedom that comes with finding answers to challenging questions, and it has caused me to reflect on my career path and to think critically about how I can apply my skills.鈥�

Today, Venn is one of 4,200 students who are served at the undergraduate and graduate levels by the School of Data Science in Analytics. Launched in January, the School is unique in that it serves all levels of students by offering a full range of academic programs, including the country鈥檚 first . The school also offers a master鈥檚 degree and minor in applied statistics and analytics, and three online certificates.

In addition to the range of industries represented among the School鈥檚 sponsors, there is also great variety in the background of its students, said Shashank Hebbar, who is nearing completion of the Ph.D. program. A native of India, Hebbar enrolled at 草榴视频 State with a background in engineering. After earning his master鈥檚 degree at N.C. State, he wanted to capitalize on a newfound interest in analytics and learned of 草榴视频鈥檚 Ph.D. program through his roommate and immediately applied.

鈥淢y experience prior to the program was very surface level, so I wanted an opportunity to take a deeper dive and invest heavily into research and push the boundaries of analytics,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith this being a growing field and with 草榴视频 offering a first-of-its-kind degree, I couldn鈥檛 have asked for a better opportunity.鈥�

Since arriving on campus, Hebbar's research has centered around using natural language processing to help speed the development process of pharmaceuticals, partially inspired by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He credits both his professors and classmates for helping grow his skills.

鈥淭he faculty have been incredibly supportive, and we have an abundant amount of resources at our disposal to aid our research,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y classmates are also very collaborative and always are willing to assist on projects. I consider many of them friends for life based on our time together.鈥�

Like Hebbar, Jacob Rybak found his way to the School of Data Science and Analytics despite having little background in the field. An and double major, the bulk of his undergraduate research has taken place through applied statistics and analytics minor under the guidance of Susan Hardy, senior lecturer of statistics. Rybak, whose research centers around prison reform and recidivism, has gone on to present at 11 different research conferences, including ones hosted by Harvard University, Virginia Tech and Stanford University, the latter of which invited him as a plenary speaker.

鈥淚 think the minor has really made me more marketable because potential employers can recognize that I have experience in building statistical models, analyzing data with statistics, using computer programs to query data and run analysis on it,鈥� Rybak said. 鈥淚f anything has come from this experience, it鈥檚 that I have become a more complete package and will be well-informed on how to make a difference in industry.鈥�

鈥� Travis Highfield

Photos by Jason Getz and David Caselli

草榴视频

草榴视频 State's School of Data Science and Analytics offers opportunity for all levels of students

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