The Center for Data Science Analytics (CDSA) forms a diverse and vibrant data science community, creating an environment for multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation, alongside educating the next generation of Data Scientists.
We are now living in a data revolution. Cool, right?
Organizations have access to more data than ever before – and it is only just beginning. The demand for those who know how to harness the power of data is off the charts. Houghton College’s new Data Science degree is responding to this demand to create a new generation of data scientists – people who know how to make sense out of data.
This is where we fit in.
The CDSA is a focal point for Data Science at Houghton College. The CDSA brings students, faculty, alumni and industry together to form a diverse and vibrant data science community, creating an environment for multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation, alongside educating the next generation of Data Scientists.
Our goal is to connect students with new opportunities in data science.
The CDSA is a non-profit academic organization that acts as a focal point for coordinating data science activity at Houghton College. The CDSA brings together students, faculty, alumni and industry to create en environment for multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation, designed to generate data solutions that will make a difference locally, regionally and beyond.
The CDSA adopts a collaborative “learn by doing” approach.
To accomplish its mission, the CDSA develops co-curricular programs to support the next generation of data scientists, establishes new corporate and alumni partnerships for support, and through our student-led consulting program, generates data solutions that will serve our region and the world. We’ve targeted four domains to get started – sports analytics, business, health care and data science for social good.
Sports Analytics
Sports teams are using data science tools to reduce risk, improve performance and increase revenue. These tools are used in areas such as performance engineering, injury prevention, and in-game decision making.
Business
In business, Data Science is viewed as the source of competitive advantage. Data Science techniques are being used in business to increase productivity spark innovation and increase customer insight.
Healthcare
Doctors are using data science models and algorithms built from patient data to identify patients who are about to have a stroke or go into shock while in the hospital. This enables them to take actions that save lives.
Social Good
Data scientists are using their skills to help solve some of the world's most challenging problems like homelessness, poverty, and the spread of diseases.
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Projects
Hilton Head Golfweek
Domain: Sports Analytics
Client: Golfweek Amateur Tour
Service: Survey Design, Data Collection & Analyses
Date: October 2015
Students recently attended the Golfweek Amateur National Championships at Hilton Head SC. The project objective was to collect data from golfers and local businesses to measure the economic impact of the tour. This student-led data science team had the opportunity to collect data both on and off the most beautiful golf courses in the world. Results are already being used to improve the tour for next year.
NYC Day of Learning
Domain: Social Good, Sports Analytics
Client: Oakland Athletics, NYC City Hall
Service: Professional Networking
Date: November 2015
Houghton Data Science students travelled to NYC to meet with two leading data scientists in the areas of sports analytics and data science for social good.
Guest speakers included: David Jackson-Hanen, Sports Analyst with the Oakland Athletics, and Philip Martin, a Data Scientist in NYC.
Both presenters spoke about the importance of doing data science now and getting experience with a variety of datasets. They offered real-life examples of their work so students could understand how data science is changing the game of baseball as well as changing people’s everyday lives in NYC.
Super Bowl 50
Domain: Sports Analytics
Client: NFL on Location Experiences
Service: Project Scoping, Collection of Domain Knowledge for Sports Analytics
Date: February 2016
Data science students from Houghton College had a once-in-a-lifetime experience to work behind the scenes at the Super Bowl 50. Student travelled to San Francisco to observe how the NFL manages this event from a sports management and data science perspective. Students hope to travel again next year to the Super Bowl in Houston to apply their data science skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Data Science is all about making sense out of data. Some people also describe it as discovering insights from data or turning data into knowledge. Most organizations have a wealth of data, but few realize the full value of it. Data science combines both analytic skills and creativity to know what questions to ask about the data, to know how to collect and analyze the data, and then know how to visualize key findings in ways that people can truly understand and take action from it. Data Science is an exciting new field that brings people together to create data solutions that will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.
Microsoft
IBM
As of July 2017, the national average Data Scientist salary is $113,436, according to glassdoor.com.
Data Science at Houghton College
A study by McKinsey projects that “by 2018, the U.S. alone may face a 50 percent to 60 percent gap between supply and requisite demand of deep analytic talent.” The shortage is already being felt across a broad spectrum of industries, including aerospace, insurance, pharmaceuticals, and finance. When the consulting firm Accenture surveyed its clients on their big-data strategies in April 2014, more than 90 percent said they planned to hire more employees with expertise in data science—most within a year.
Houghton College has a unique Data Science Degree Program - one that will attract students who want to help organizations make sense out of data. The program includes core courses in software programming, data mining, statistical modeling, business, and science while emphasizing the ethical use of data. Students learn aspects of both written and verbal communications, story telling, and the visual art of presenting complex data discoveries. Students also choose an application area (e.g., business, biology, psychology, communication) to equip themselves with strong domain knowledge before entering the workforce.
Houghton's Data Science program is one of the first Christian liberal arts Data Science degrees in the USA. It is focused on hands-on learning opportunities around the world (our projects have included heading to the Amateur Golfweek Tournament at Hilton Head Island, a NYC Day of Learning, and Data Science at Super Bowl 50). Houghton has strong ties with industry and close connections to the data science community in NYC and Buffalo, enabling students to get connected with the people who innovate in the field of Data Science.