April 2017

A Path to Data Science

News Article by Adam Danz, PhD Candidate

Several recent alumni from the department of Brain and Cognitive Science have gone into the field of data science, which is an increasingly popular alternative to academia for people in our field. It is said that 90% of the world's data has been generated in the past 2 years, and it is a reasonable assumption that the same proportion of the world’s data scientists have entered the field in the same amount of time.  Here’s a summary I put together of the initial steps others have taken in preparation for getting a job in data science following graduation. 

The Spirit of Service in Trainee Scientists at the University of Rochester

News Article by Claire McCarthy, PhD Candidate

            Along with a history of advances in biomedical research, scientists at UR have established a legacy of outreach and service. Dr. William F. Neuman was a founder and Chair of the Department of Radiation Biology and Biophysics at UR, which stemmed from his work with the Manhattan Project. He was a world-renowned expert in the musculoskeletal field who made significant contributions into the understanding of bone matrix physiology and hormonal effects on bone structure. However, in addition to his work in orthopedics, Dr. Neuman believed that scientists should serve their communities and be “good people.”

Story of RDSS (The Rochester Data Science Society)

News Article by Shiyang Ma, Adan Z. Becerra, Huiwen Xu, and Zhengyuan Yang

The digital revolution, coupled with the availability of vast data systems, has helped human beings recognize the importance of using data to make informed decisions. This has stimulated the development of data science, an interdisciplinary field that seeks to create tools and systems to collect, process, and analyze modern data warehouses in order to solve real-world problems. That’s why we (Shiyang Ma, 3^rd Year PhD Student in Statistics, Huiwen Xu, 3^rd Year PhD Student in Health Services Research, Adan Z. Becerra, 5^th Year PhD Student in Epidemiology, and Zhengyuan Yang, 1^st Year PhD Student in Computer Science) decided to establish the Rochester Data Science Society (RDSS), the first ever student organization at the University of Rochester that serves all students interested in data science, statistics, computer science, engineering, health analytics, economics, or other related fields. Our varying interests and fields of study attest to the multidisciplinary nature of data science as well as its potential to impact the world.

Preparation Meets Opportunity

Career Story by Martha Harber, PhD (URMC MS 2003 and PhD 2006), Director of Field Applications at Unchained Labs

Some people arrive on day one of graduate school ready to tackle their favorite project, cure a disease, or solve an important problem. I got to graduate school without one idea of what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I loved learning science and I could keep doing that while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. Thankfully, my time as a graduate student at URMC was a transformational time of learning, not just science, but also about myself. Here are some of the lessons that I learned and helped get me where I am now: Director of Field Applications in the scientific instrumentation company, Unchained Labs.