How can we best prepare our students for the working world? This is a question that Catherine Anderson, Director for Executive and Continuing Education, who managed the launch of the online MSDS program, asked herself, as she prepared to teach the second part of the Practice and Application course series to the first cohort of online MSDS students who will be graduating in December.

When Dr. Pelphrey, a renowned neuroscientist, came to the School of Data Science to meet with Dean Bourne, Catherine Anderson, Director for Executive and Continuing Education, at the School of Data Science, realized her worlds were colliding. Anderson connected with Pelphrey over a shared interest for creating a workforce development program for autistic young adults.

Innovate and collaborate. These are two key themes of the School of Data Science. Through the capstone project, students collaborate with clients and innovate through their work. But why capstones? What is the capstone project at the School of Data Science?

The School of Data Science is engaging in housing crisis research, especially in regards to the effects of COVID-19 on tenant protections. Luis Felipe R. Murillo, researcher and lecturer in the Center for Data Ethics and Justice, is a part of the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project (AEMP), which has created the COVID-19 Housing Protection Legislation & Housing Justice Action Map.

Before coming to UVA, Keith served as a military officer for the Navy for eight years. In this role, Wilson was trained in nuclear energy production, where he used data to make decisions. At the end of his military career, Wilson knew that he wanted to transition to the business world while also wanting to learn more about data. This drew him to the dual degree program. In May, he will graduate with an MBA and MSDS.

Megan (Stiles) Lyford, MSDS alum and double Hoo, spoke at the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest gathering of women technologists, which took place September 29 – October 3, 2020.

The experience Tyler Hutcherson gained from the residential MSDS program at UVA prepared him in more ways than one for his professional career. Now working at Skafos, Hutcherson helps redesign the way companies look at e-commerce.

Oretha Domfeh has a passion for the intersection of data science and business. She is a recent graduate from the McIntire School of Commerce and an incoming student in the MSDS Class of 2021. She is also a Gates Millenium Scholar and served in several leadership roles throughout her time at UVA. Looking to her time at the School of Data Science, Oretha is excited to learn about predictive analytics in making decisions for businesses.

After attending the Indian Institute of Technology, Menuka Jaiswal knew she wanted to learn more about data science. This interest took her across the globe, where she attended School of Data Science and graduated in the class of 2020. In June, she began a job at Facebook as a data scientist.

Prior to starting their coursework, the School of Data Science offers a tech bootcamp to each new cohort of students. This involves learning about computer software, basic coding and language programming, and a hackathon.