Data Science Symposium draws record attendance, speakers
Eighth annual symposium featuring 19 influential data science speakers attracts attendees from industry, academia
By Larry Porter, UC Center for Business Analytics
The University of Cincinnati’s Center for Business Analytics held its eighth annual Data Science Symposium October 10-11, 2019, at Carl H. Lindner Hall. Attracting 265 business analytics professionals, data scientists, academics and students, the two-day symposium offered three keynotes and 16 tech talks/tutorials for data science knowledge and best-practice sharing.
“The Data Science Symposium is designed for the broad business community to learn about the technologies and methods used in the fast-paced analytics industry,” said Glenn Wegryn, executive director for the Center for Business Analytics. “This year’s symposium was hosted in the modern, hi-tech Lindner College of Business to maximize face-to-face learning and networking.”
Left to right: Lindner College of Business Dean Marianne Lewis, UC Center for Business Analytics Executive Director Glenn Wegryn, INFORMS Past President Nicholas Hall, OBAIS Professor Mike Fry, UPS Principal Scientist Ranga Nuggehalli, OBAIS Department Head and Professor Craig Froehle. / Photo provided by David Bauer and UC Center for Business Analytics.
At the close of the first day of programming, the Center for Business Analytics held a special reception to celebrate the Department of Operations, Analytics and Information Systems (OBAIS) winning the 2019 UPS George D. Smith Prize. Created by the professional development association INFORMS, the Smith Prize recognizes the OBAIS department’s innovative approach to curriculum that effectively prepares students to be successful operations research and analytics professionals after graduation.
“Industry recognition like the Smith Prize is a testament to how important it is for future business leaders — our students — to have the skillset and applicable experience to solve problems that matter using data science and analytics, and how seriously we take our role in preparing them to do so,” said Marianne Lewis, dean at the Lindner College of Business.
Udo Sglavo, division head and VP of analytics at SAS, gave the final keynote presentation on "SAS Ex Machina Doctrina" on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. / Photo provided by David Bauer and UC Center for Business Analytics.
Symposium keynote speakers included Wharton School of Business Professor Kevin Werbach, who discussed the ethical responsibilities of big data, Terry McFadden, principal at Datascente, who shared enduring insights from 40 years working in data and analytics, and Udo Sglavo, division head and VP of analytics at SAS, who presented the most recent developments in machine learning.
Tech talks covered topics ranging from the role of analytics in economic development, to using AI in product development to operationalizing a “schema first” philosophy. Attendees could also benefit from tutorials on specific technologies such as Neo4j, Power BI, SAS, Python, Tableau and Azure.
Jay Shan, assistant professor of information systems and analytics at Miami University, gives a tech talk on open-source tools for data management. / Photo provided by David Bauer and UC Center for Business Analytics.
Event sponsors included Lingaro, Result Data, SAS, g2o and Knime. The Center for Business Analytics will host its next event, the Analytics Summit 2020, on April 6-8. Details will be announced in the near future.
Featured image: 2019 Data Science Symposium attendees enjoy the final keynote presentation, “SAS Ex Machina Doctrina,” by Udo Sglavo, division head and VP of analytics at SAS./ Photo provided by David Bauer and UC Center for Business Analytics.
About the Center for Business Analytics
The University of Cincinnati’s Center for Business Analytics is a corporate-academic partnership that promotes the use of data driven analytical methods. The Center serves its’ members and the community through leadership development, presentation of two annual analytics events, professional analytics training using recognized expert instructors, connecting business organizations to Lindner College of Business MS Business Analytics and MS Information Systems students for research and projects, and managing analytics consulting projects using faculty and university resources. UC’s Center for Business Analytics is here to serve organizations-locally and nationally- to be best in class in analytics.
Read more about the center and the Department of Operations, Business Analytics and Information Systems, which recently celebrated 50 years of existence, in the lastest issue of Portfolio magazine.
About the Lindner College of Business
At the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, we are committed to developing the next generation of business leaders. Through personalized career coaching and experiential learning, our students graduate with a competitive advantage in the workforce and are strongly positioned to address a multitude of today’s global business challenges. For more than 110 years, we’ve not only served as a catalyst for innovation and cutting-edge research, but our programs have also earned national acclaim in several academic areas. The best is yet to come this fall of 2019, as we celebrate the grand opening of our new state-of-the-art building that promises to firmly position Lindner as one of the best business schools in the nation. We are Greater Cincinnati’s extraordinary college of business.
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