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Pictured left to right: ����ý assistant professor and conference speaker, Dr. William Hahn; ����ý professor and conference speaker, Dr. Rainer Steinwandt; ����ý Science Dean, Dr. Ata Sarajedini; ����ý professor and conference moderator, Dr. Lianfen Qian; conference organizer, ����ý's Dr. Maria Provost; ����ý 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 ����ý 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 ����ý. 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, ����ý), Theodore Stadnik (NextEra Energy, FPL), Taghi Khoshgoftaar (Computer Science and Engineering, ����ý), Luis Pintado (SIVOTEC), William Hahn (Department of Mathematical Sciences, ����ý), Elle Zhang (Merrill Lynch), Aaron Richter (Modernizing Medicine), Francis Motta (Department of Mathematical Sciences, ����ý), and Brigitte Sollie (IBM).

��about the inaugural Data Science and Analytics Conference.