Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene will deliver the keynote at Columbia’s third-annual Data Science Day, discussing the promise of data science technologies as Big Data, artificial intelligence and cloud computing converge. In their fireside chat, Data and Democracy, Data Science Institute Director, Jeannette Wing and Columbia President Lee Bollinger will close with a discussion of the data revolution’s impact on U.S. law, policy and democracy.
The day-long program is an opportunity for Columbia students and professors to present their latest research to industry leaders and the general public, and to exchange ideas for using data science for the greater public good. It’s the last of three events, from March 26 to 28, bringing together data-science thought leaders at Columbia.
Amid growing concerns about the power of social networking platforms like Facebook to spread fake news, hate speech and influence elections, Wing and Bollinger will discuss which threats to American democracy are worthy worrying about, and whether the very notion of democracy may be changing. A former Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Research and chair of Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science Department, Wing took the helm of Columbia’s Data Science Institute last year. Bollinger is a member of the Columbia Law School faculty and one of the country’s foremost First Amendment scholars. Greene is a prominent enterprise-technology executive who before coming to Google, co-founded and sold three successful tech companies.
Columbia Researchers Discuss New Data Science Tools and Applications
In a series of short talks Columbia researchers will present new research on a variety of topics, from making self-driving cars safer to improving flu-prediction systems. The day is divided into three themes:
Data Science for Health Discovery
Panelists: Nicholas P. Tatonetti, Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics, and Director, Climate and Health Program; Using Electronic Health Records to Study the Heritability of Traits and Disease. Jeffrey Shaman, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences; Developing Real-time Nowcasting and Forecasting of Seasonal Influenza. Jacqueline Gottlieb, Professor of Neuroscience: Knowing What’s Important: How Humans Decide To What To Attend.
Climate + Finance: Use of Environmental Data to Measure and Anticipate Financial Risk
Panelists: Geoffrey Heal, Donald C. Waite III Professor of Social Enterprise in the Faculty of Business; Professor of International & Public Affairs: Evaluating the Risks of Sea-level Rise on Property Values and Coastal Infrastructure. Lisa Goddard, Director of International Research Institute for Climate and Society: Using Data to Help African Farmers and to Forecast Financing for Humanitarian Aid. Wolfram Schlenker: Agricultural Yields and Prices in a Warming World.
Machine Learning: The Good, The Bad and The Law
Panelists: David Blei, Professor of Statistics & Computer Science:  Designing a Model to Show How Customers Choose Products. Junfeng Yang, Associate Professor of Computer Science: Effective Testing and Verification of Deep Learning Systems. Joshua Mitts, Associate Professor of Law: The Effect of Cybersecurity Breaches on Financial Markets
Data Science Day will include hands-on demos of new research and conclude with a networking reception. Highlights from last year can be viewed in this Columbia Data Science Day Video. Registration and more information: COLUMBIA DATA SCIENCE DAY 2018.
Data Science Leadership Summit: March 26
On Monday, more than 60 data science leaders from about 30 colleges and universities will attend a summit organized by Wing and supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
“Our goal is to explore how we can together advance the field of data science,” said Wing. “We will share best practices and discuss common challenges.”
Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub Annual Summit: March 27
On Tuesday, the Northeast Hub will hold its annual meeting at Columbia. Based at Columbia, the Northeast Hub is one of four U.S. research networks established by NSF to spur new ideas for addressing societal problems. The event is open to the public and will feature lightning talks from academic and industry researchers, and breakout sessions on data literacy, ethics, and health. The head of Google Research in New York, Corinna Cortes, will deliver the keynote address, discussing her team’s data-driven approach to fighting fake news. A panel of leaders from academia and industry will also discuss the challenges of rapidly advancing digital media.
— Robert Florida