Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz spoke to Dr. Ahalt about his excitement for the new School of Data Science and Society and how its impact will benefit the futures of UNC students. Chancellor Guskiewicz discussed the roadmap being built for the School, which includes long-term plans for differentiating it from other data science schools, hiring world-class faculty, and bringing in social sciences to examine how society uses data to make informed decisions. He shared that he’s spoken to UNC alumni and graduates who are eager to know more about the School as it develops. Every industry needs to know how to handle data, and the committee behind the new School is in conversation with leaders from fields such as banking, healthcare, and smart cities. Given UNC’s presence in the Research Triangle, it will be imperative that the University elevates its data science education in order to attract new industry partners and companies to the area. To accomplish this task, Chancellor Guskiewicz spoke on focusing on cybersecurity and AI, and encouraging an environment of collaboration between disciplines. He emphasized Carolina’s position as a leader in research tasked with addressing grand challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. These challenges will require the capture, analysis, and interpretation of data, which will be aided immensely by the new School. The Chancellor ended the conversation with a note about how the School will help students, faculty, and staff at Carolina become good consumers of data.
Click here to view the talk on YouTube. *Please note that there is a loss of audio from the 12:00-12:25 minute mark.
Kevin Guskiewicz, Chancellor
Department: Office of the Chancellor | Faculty Profile
Featured on: September 12, 2022 (Event Page)
Session Title: LIVE: School of Data Science and Society (Event Recap)
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