HDSI Celebrates 1st Year Accomplishments and Vision

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Capping the celebration of its first year in operations, the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI) has released a video that spotlights its role as a national leader in data science programs.

The video, which features a day-long symposium held on HDSI’s first anniversary, highlights leading figures in data science research, industry and academia, as well as current students. The focus of the symposium was on both first-year accomplishments, and discussions of the future of the data science field.

In its first year, HDSI demonstrated the historic vision of University of California San Diego by taking the lead on one of the biggest forces in modern life, noted Bob Continetti, UC San Diego Senior Associate Vice Chancellor. With the innovative HDSI approach, he said, “This is how were going to respond by the ever-increasing rate of change around us.”

The symposium was accompanied by another video summing up HDSI first-year accomplishments since launching March 1, 2018. Among the first-year achievements:

• Establishing itself as one of the largest academic data science programs in the nation
• Launched a full data science major and minor, drawing students from every class at the university
• Creating the Institute’s first postdoctoral scholar program
• Building a core of more than 200 faculty members affiliated across more than 20 academic disciplines, from mathematics to the medical school
• Attracted more than a dozen industry partners contributing to enhancing educational program, research opportunities and a job pipeline for students

Another leading academician in the data science field appearing on one of the symposium panels was David Culler, UC Berkeley Dean for Data Science and the former Department Chair, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Culler spoke on the urgent need for responsible data science taught and utilized in research under the guidance of experienced leading universities.

 “We’re in a moment where were trying to understand the complicated dynamics of the planet when we also have the ability to see every square yard of it through remote sensing and so forth,” said Culler on the challenges. “What we are seeing are the frontiers of knowledge in essentially every domain are integrated in character.”

The video features undergraduate Luyanda Mdanda accepting his prize for winning the best scientific poster among inaugural group of HDSI Undergraduate Research Scholarship winners.

Mdanda, a junior, was one of more than 40 undergraduates who won competitive scholarships to conduct data science research projects during the academic year. HDSI funded the scholarships that drew students from more than 15 different academic majors, from political science to computer science.