Data Science

A sampling of recent research projects include:

• Predicting the age range of a patient based on four different MRI images and exposures using conventional neural networks in collaboration with Rosalind Franklin University.
• Programming a computer to make decisions of uncertainty like a human does.
• Developing an advising chatbot for students in the mathematics and computer science department, using machine learning techniques. (Funded by the James Rocco Scholarship)
• Statistical analysis of the intensity and rate of helmet contacts in college football, a project collaboration with the Lake Forest College Football team and the NCAA
• Image-based classification of body language poses to emotions using convolutional neural networks
• Applying machine learning to predict tweet topics based on the sex of the tweeter and what region the tweet originated from. (Collaborating with Prof. Ta in psychology)
• Applying machine learning to predict if user comments will change the viewpoint of the original poster in the Change My View section of a Subreddit (a specific page on Reddit)** 
• Applying machine learning and statistical algorithms on the human genome to predict colorectal cancer. (Collaborating with Prof. Conrad in biochemistry and molecular biology) **

• Developing software, in collaboration with the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush University Medical Center of Chicago, that will provide an online simulation and data capture tool to assess the utility and effectiveness of various “pre-commitment reward strategies” in prompting and sustaining desired behavior change (such as smoking cessation and weight loss). The tool is intended for use by healthcare providers and behavioral scientists. 

  **Indicates funding by the James RoccoResearch Scholarship

The Data Science Minor is designed to allow easy entry for students with no prior exposure to statistics or computer science. It can be completed within the first two years of college study.  In this way, students with majors in the humanities, social sciences, and/or natural sciences can acquire data analytic expertise (particularly in the areas of statistics, statistical programming, and machine learning) that can be put to effective use in subsequent upper-level coursework. Data management, visualization, and analysis techniques, coupled with computer programming fundamentals, provide students with a skill set that is increasingly in demand by a wide variety of employers.

Students have participated in summer research internship programs in biostatistics and bioinformatics at the following universities:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• University of Iowa
• University of Minnesota-Minneapolis

Employers recruit our data science students for internships and jobs:

• Abbot Laboratories
• Accenture
• Airspace
• Wolverine Trading
• Vizient, Inc.
• WayUp, Inc.

• Actuarial Science
• Bioinformatics
• Biostatistics
• Business Intelligence Analytics
• Data Analytics
• Data Management
• Data Warehouse Architecture
• Financial Analysis
• Machine Learning Engineering
• Marketing Analytics
• Operations Analytics
• Quantitative Analytics
• Sports Analytics
• Statistician
• Systems Analytics