Members of the business community learned about an educational program at George Mason University (GMU).
Nektaria Tryfona, Director of DataLab, presented an overview of the DataLab program at an Education and Innovation Committee meeting on June 4.
The Prince William Chamber of Commerce hosted the meeting in Manassas.
Tryfona discussed how GMU deals with applied data science and applied analytics, request from companies and how they work towards matching the request, and courses within the program.
DataLab provides students with applied research and development, practical training, professional development and executive education, and a network of partners and practitioners.
Students have completed applied projects for several local companies. They analyzed traffic patterns, trends, and performance of urban areas for the Department of Health and Human Services Fairfax County and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
They are partnered with INOVA for the Biomarkers Discovery project, as well. Together, the students and INOVA collect data from more than 2,000 infants to predict their future health. Innovative Discovery LLC tasks students with clustering litigation documents.
Enrolees in the program gain hands-on experience with smart environment, smart communities, and text mining assignments.
Tryfona continued her discussion about how innovate DataLab is by addressing the fear people have with Amazon scheduled to move into the Northern Virginia area.
She mentioned that people might fall behind if they do not have digital necessities, such as internet, and reassured attendees that DataLab is preparing students for the digital transformations of businesses.
Courses prepare students to enter the workforce within one year, eight months, or one semester.
This article was written by Staff Writer Amber Dunn.
