Michigan Tech Expands Data Science Programs to Meet Demand

by Cyndi Perkins, University Marketing and Communications

A professor writes equations on a whiteboard while a student looks on.

The first cohort of Huskies pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental data science begin their studies this fall. The new degree, housed in Michigan Tech's College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, is a collaboration between CFRES, the departments of Biological Sciences and Mathematical Sciences in the College of Sciences and Arts, and the College of Computing.

“Michigan Tech has a rich tradition of innovative cross-disciplinary programs, and environmental data science students will find themselves at the forefront of this exciting new field,” said David Flaspohler, CFRES dean.

Laura Brown, associate dean of data science initiatives in the College of Computing and director of its data science master’s and bachelor’s degree programs, said the possibilities for cross-collaboration and customization are as limitless as data itself.

“Now that we have all of this data to help us understand the world, we have to think about how we collect it, process it, manage it and how we can model the world with it to ultimately lead to insights and new knowledge,” said Brown. “Not everyone is going to major in data science, but I firmly believe that everyone on this campus could take a data science course and benefit from it.”

Learn more about the new bachelor's degree, which teaches students how to visualize, manage and understand data to find solutions for urgent global challenges, at Michigan Tech News.

In Print

Professors Bruce Lee (BioMed) and Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) are co-authors of a new paper published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The paper is titled "Utilizing Rapid Hydrogen Peroxide Generation from 6-Hydroxycatechol to Design Moisture-Activated, Self-Disinfecting Coating."

The paper describes the use of a novel biomimetic coating that could be activated to generate disinfectant when wetted, such as by moisture found in respiratory droplets. This moisture-activated coating was demonstrated to disinfect various strains of bacteria and viruses and can potentially be used as a self-disinfecting coating to limit the spread of various types of infections.

Ph.D. student Fatemeh Razaviamri (biomedical engineering) is the lead author of this paper. Additional co-authors are Sneha Singh ’23 (M.S. Chemical Engineering), postdoctoral researcher James Manuel (BioMed), Ph.D. student Zhongtian Zhang (biomedical engineering) and laboratory technician Lynn M. Manchester (ChE).

New Funding

Jill Olin (BioSci/GLRC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received an $82,917 research and development contract from Stony Brook University.

The project is titled "Defining foraging hotspots of finfish and sharks in the New York Bight: linking trophic dynamics with spatiotemporal trends in species distributions."

James Junker (GLRC) is a co-PI on this potential two-year project.

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Hannah Abbotts (CFRES/ESC) is the PI on a project that has received a $99,949 other sponsored activities contract from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service.

The project is titled "International/Domestic Climate Hub Science Delivery."

In the News

Tan Chen (ECE) was mentioned by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities as the recipient of a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award for the 2024-25 academic year.

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Michigan Tech undergraduate Dominic Wertz (electrical engineering) was mentioned by 95.5 WTVB-FM in Coldwater, Michigan, as a summer intern for the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities engineering department.

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The Keweenaw Report covered the Michigan Tech Research Institute’s open house, held May 17 at its newly renovated offices in Ann Arbor. The event was the subject of a Michigan Tech News story.

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech’s Student Development Complex as the venue for this year’s Houghton County VetFest, held yesterday (June 5).

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The Athletic mentioned Michigan Tech in a feature story on former Husky Matt Roy, an LA Kings defenseman set to enter unrestricted free agent status July 1. The story estimated the worth of Roy’s next contract and discusses NHL teams Roy might sign with if he leaves the Kings.

Reminder

Lean Higher Ed Americas Encore Event

 Register now for the Lean HE Americas Encore event next Thursday (June 13) from 1-4:30 p.m. ET on Zoom.

Lean HE is an international community of practice composed of lean and related improvement practitioners in higher education. The virtual mini-conference encore event will showcase presentations from the Lean in Higher Education International Conference held in San Diego, California, last October.

Presentation Lineup:

  • "Rapid Improvement = Growing Enrollment" by Julie Taylor and Janyce Fadden, University of North Alabama
  • "Reducing Resistance in Projects" by Candice Beckman and Tabitha Wiles, University of Texas-Arlington
  • "Low-Touch Touch-Time: Collecting Process Time Data on an Enterprise Scale" by Brad Sollenberger, University of California San Diego
  • "Lean HE International Conference 2024 Update" by Linda Spinks, University of Cambridge

Registration is free and open to all. Please share with interested colleagues and friends. We look forward to connecting and growing together in pursuit of organizational excellence.