Data Science
- Department Interdisciplinary
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Minor
We live in a world increasingly driven by data. Data science is a rapidly expanding, multidisciplinary field that draws on statistics, computer science and math, with applications in a wide variety of academic disciplines and industries. We extract meaning from data to learn more about the world and society.
Data Science
The data science minor allows students to complement discipline-specific skills and knowledge with a deeper understanding of how to analyze and extract meaning from data to learn more about the world, society and their discipline. We prepare students to be excellent data analysts in their major disciplines and to be prepared to effectively work with data after graduation. Students:
- Collect and analyze data in a reproducible and ethically responsible manner
- Obtain data through searching, scraping, mining or experimental methods
- Parse, transform and generate wide-ranging data sets for analysis
- Statistically analyze data to summarize, draw inferences and make predictions
- Identify patterns and relationships in datasets using visualization and algorithms
- Communicate data methods and conclusions to diverse audiences
Students trained in data science can apply their skills in a wide variety of ways including serving as central operations manager at Uber (Holley Beasley ’15), working as executive vice president at Microstrategy (Rich Cober ’96), and serving as head of industry at Google (Ames McArdle ’02).
DataCon
W&L hosts DataCon, where people from all corners of industry come to discuss the impacts of data science on industry and the world. Students from all over the university, from biology to sociology to business, participate in the Data Science Program to learn from each other and discover how to ethically learn from data.
Mentorship from his major and faculty adviser has helped Saalfrank challenge himself academically and professionally.
W&L Outcomes: Caroline Christianson ’24
Christianson will be working as a research coordinator studying autism in infants and young children.
W&L’s Trip Wright ’25 Awarded Prestigious Beinecke Scholarship
The scholarship will support Wright’s future studies in urban sociology.
Five W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
W&L’s Tanajia Moye-Green Among 2024 Class of Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Moye-Green ’23 is the university’s first Knight-Hennessy Scholar.
Ben Bankston ’25 is finding opportunities at W&L to challenge himself in and out of the classroom.
W&L’s Sarp Sahin ’26 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Sahin is W&L’s first sophomore to receive the scholarship since 2009.
Alicia Simmons to Deliver Lecture on Polling and the 2024 Election
The professor and pollster will discuss applied sociology methods in her March 19 talk.
Sybil Prince Nelson is the Next Speaker in the Anne and Edgar Basse Jr. Author Talk Series
Nelson will deliver a lecture on “Where Math Meets Imagination” on March 19.
W&L Student Receives Venture for America Fellowship
Josh Rassin ’24 will begin his two-year placement with a startup company following graduation.
W&L Outcomes: Lauren Shelby ’23
Lauren Shelby ’23 will be pursuing her master’s degree at New York University.
W&L’s James Dixon ’23 Awarded Fulbright to Taiwan
Dixon has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Taiwan.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Dan Johnson
David G. Elmes Term Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science
Johnson’s courses include Psychology Mythbusters and Introduction to Data Science: Mind Analytics. His lab uses computational models and empirical data to investigate the mechanisms underlying creativity processes like the generation of novel ideas. In the Computational Cognition and Creativity Lab, he and students use computational models and empirical data to investigate the mechanisms underlying creativity processes like the generation and selection of novel ideas.
Jeff Barry
Associate Professor and Associate University Librarian
- P: 540-458-8641
- E: barryj@wlu.edu
Barry teaches courses listed under digital culture and information, journalism and writing. His research interests include digital storytelling, the evolution of literary magazines and social network analysis.
Cody Watson
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
- P: 540-458-4872
- E: cwatson@wlu.edu
Watson teaches applications of deep learning in software engineering and the progression of software 2.0. Has recently been exploring the applications of software methodologies to deep learning-based solutions.
Jonathan Eastwood
Department Head, Sociology and Anthropology; Professor of Sociology
Professor Eastwood is a social theorist who also has a strong interest in quantitative methods. He teaches seminars on classical and contemporary theory as well as a series of courses that train students how to use quantitative and computational tools to answer sociological questions.
Lingshu Hu
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
- P: 540-458-8383
- E: lhu@wlu.edu
With a PhD in journalism focusing on computational methods and a graduate certificate in AI and Machine Learning, Professor Hu’s primary teaching interests include making data analytics accessible to students in the social sciences and helping students master storytelling skills with data analytics and visualization.
Keri M. Larson
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
- P: 540-458-8601
- E: larsonk@wlu.edu
Larson teaches courses that help students learn to understand and use data in areas of management. She has researched the analytics of unstructured textual data to support organizational decision making.
Sybil Prince Nelson
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Prince Nelson ’01 teaches courses in calculus, probability and statistics. Her research is focused on creating tree-based models for classifying and predicting outcomes from complex data.
Holly Shablack
Assistant Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Science
Shablack’s courses include Heath Psychology, Introduction to Data Science: Trends over time, and Emotions, Language, and Culture. Her research examines how our language and various socio-cultural factors influence our attitudes, emotions, physical and mental health, and behavior.
Natalia Toporikova
Associate Professor of Biology
Professor Toporikova’s courses include Biological Clocks and Rhythms, The Architecture of Living Systems, Dynamics of Biological Systems and Pregnancy: A Kiss in Time? In her research, she applies methods of computational modeling to study a wide range of biological systems. Some recent projects include neural control of breathing, pregnancy initiation in rats, and daily circadian cycle.
Gregg Whitworth
Associate Professor of Biology
Whitworth’s courses include Data Science: Visualizing and Exploring Big Data and The Molecular Mechanics of Life.