Monthly Archives

August 2016

Graduate programs in computational and data science — informational sessions Sept. 19 & 21

By | Educational, Events, News

Students interested in computational and data science are invited to learn about graduate programs that will prepare them for success in computationally intensive fields. Pizza and pop will be provided.

Two sessions are scheduled:

Monday, Sept. 19, 5 – 6 p.m.
Johnson Rooms, Lurie Engineering Center (North Campus)

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 5 – 6 p.m.
2001 LSA Building (Central Campus)

The sessions will address:

  • The Ph.D. in Scientific Computing, which is open to all Ph.D. students who will make extensive use of large-scale computation, computational methods, or algorithms for advanced computer architectures in their studies. It is a joint degree program, with students earning a Ph.D. from their current departments, “… and Scientific Computing” — for example, “Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and Scientific Computing.”
  • The Graduate Certificate in Computational Discovery and Engineering, which trains graduate students in computationally intensive research so they can excel in interdisciplinary HPC-focused research and product development environments. The certificate is open to all students currently pursuing Master’s or Ph.D. degrees at the University of Michigan. This year we will offer a new practicum option through the Multidisciplinary Design Program.
  • The Graduate Certificate in Data Science, which is focused on developing core proficiencies in data analytics:
    1) Modeling — Understanding of core data science principles, assumptions and applications;
    2) Technology — Knowledge of basic protocols for data management, processing, computation, information extraction, and visualization;
    3) Practice — Hands-on experience with real data, modeling tools, and technology resources.

Transportation Research Board symposium on transformational technologies — Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Detroit

By | Events, General Interest, News

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is sponsoring the “Partners in Research Symposium: Transformational Technologies” on October 31-November 1, 2016, in Detroit, Michigan.

Registration is open and Patron opportunities are available.

Additional details can be found under the “Program” tab in the symposium website.

New technologies have the potential to transform transportation as we know it. Public agencies are being challenged to facilitate the deployment of these technologies in a manner and timeframe that will lead to improved safety, reduced congestion, enhanced sustainability, and economic development. This TRB symposium will bring leaders from the public and private sectors and academia together to help generate research and innovations to enable agencies to meet this challenge. The symposium will lay the foundation for research roadmaps and partnerships.

Technologies that are expected to be addressed include connected and automated vehicles, shared-use mobility services, smart cities and the internet-of-things, unmanned aircraft systems, NextGen, big data and cybersecurity, and alternative fueled vehicles.

Raising the next generation of data scientists at the MIDAS Summer Camp

By | Educational, Feature, General Interest, News

This summer, 10 high school students from around the country gathered in Ann Arbor for the first annual Michigan Institute for Data Science Summer Camp on the campus of the University of Michigan.

The weeklong camp, titled “From Simple Building Blocks to Complex Shapes: A Visual Tour of Fourier Series,” drew students from as far away as Kansas City, MO, and as nearby as Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor.

The camp was organized by Raj Nadakuditi, assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Other U-M faculty instructors at the camp were Prof. Jenna Weins, and MIDAS co-directors Prof. Al Hero and Prof. Brian Athey.

The camp was well received by the participants, who ranged from high school sophomores to seniors. A total of 10 students attended, five boys and five girls. Students used the Fourier Series to make art, diagnose disease, and “play detective.”

“I’ve been looking to learn about what been going on with Big Data,” said Daniel Neamati, a 16-year-old from Ann Arbor who hopes to someday study deep space with NASA. “I was really surprised by this camp. Math is basically everywhere.”

Elizabeth Fitzgerald, 16, traveled from South Carolina to take part in the camp. She said she wants to study artificial intelligence and machine learning, but was interested to see what else data science can explain.

“It was enlightening to see all the different applications of data science,” she said.

U-M student group wins second-place in National Institute on Drug Abuse mobile app challenge

By | Educational, General Interest, News, Research

A group of U-M students has won second place in the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) “Addiction Research: There’s an App for That” challenge.

The project was called “Substance Abuse Research Assistant (SARA).” Tthe team was composed of undergraduates (Steven Zeng and Joshua Song from Computer Science, and Amy Afonso and Wan-Ting Lin from the School of Information) and led by a masters student (Andy Lee, SI). The faculty mentors were Pedja Klasnja, Susan Murphy, Ambuj Tewari,and Maureen Walton. Support was provided by the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS).

The second place award carries a cash prize of $25,000.

See the NIDA Challenges website for more information on challenges.

Transportation projects with MIDAS funding featured in “Urban Transportation Monitor”

By | General Interest, News

Research on connected and automated vehicles which recently received funding under the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS) Challenge Initiative was featured in “The Urban Transportation Monitor.” The projects featured are led by Pascal Van Hentenryck (Industrial and Operations Engineering) and Carol Flannagan (U-M Transportation Research Institute).

The article, available for download, begins on page 6.

The Urban Transportation Monitor (now in its 30th year) reports on the latest developments in urban transportation. Its circulation reaches thousands of readers across the U.S. as well as 30 countries worldwide. Subscribers include the most prominent organizations active in urban transportation. For more information, see www.urban-transportation-monitor.com/.