Center for Data Science Events and News

 

Talks

  • Title: Assessing AI-Generated Clinical Summaries: Applications of Data Science in Healthcare
  • Speaker: Emma Croxford, '22, PhD candidate in Biomedical Data Science at UW Madison
  • Date: Thursday, November 6 at 2 pm, Martin Hall 307, L/P Credit available

The growing use of AI in healthcare raises important questions about the reliability and interpretability of machine-generated clinical documentation. 

This talk will examine research on evaluating AI-generated summaries, focusing on methods to assess their accuracy, clarity, and clinical relevance. It addresses the challenges of interpreting AI outputs in complex medical contexts and identifying sources of error or ambiguity. 

The research highlights how data-driven evaluation can inform the safe and effective integration of AI tools into clinical workflows.

  • Title: Data Science Observations with Mr. Lancette
  • Speaker: Mr. Steven Lancette, University of Indianapolis
  • Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 1pm, Martin Hall 305, L/P Credit available

 

Join us as Mr. Steven Lancette, Math Instructor at UIndy, shares some self-contradictory observations based on three decades of working with data (and the people who create, curate, and consume it) from a full-stack data scientist.

  • Title: Introduction to Knots, Surfaces, and 3-Manifolds
  • Speaker: Dr. Dan Rutherford, Associate Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Ball State University
  • Date: Wednesday, February 21, Martin Hall 307, L/P credit available

 

This talk will provide an accessible introduction to knot theory highlighting some of the connections between knots and spaces of dimension two (surfaces) and dimension three (3-manifolds).

For mathematicians, a knot is a simple closed curve in 3D space. To produce one of your own, you can start with a length of rope, tie your best knot in it, and then connect the loose ends. Starting back in the 19th century, mathematicians have developed a rich theory of knots with applications in chemistry and biology. Moreover, knots are fundamental in the wider mathematical area called low dimensional topology, and they are the objects of study in much current mathematical research.

  • Title: Pitch Perfect Timing: Analyzing the Pitch Clock Impact in the MLB
  • Speaker: Bethany Gonzalez, UIndy Mathematics Major
  • Date: Thursday, November 30 at 4 p.m., Martin Hall 310

 

In the 2023 MLB season, the introduction of the pitch clock has ignited discussions on whether this new rule was a wise decision. My curiosity led me to wonder about the effects of the pitch clock on pitchers - questioning whether it has improved, worsened, or shown no significance on their performance. Through statistical testing, I have explored whether this rule change has significantly influenced the quality of pitches, and if so, whether certain pitchers are more susceptible to these effects. The findings from these tests aim to provide insights into the significance of the pitch clock as a potential game-changer for pitchers in the scope of Major League Baseball.
  • Title: An Extreme Learning Machine-Based Method for Computational Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) in Higher Dimension
  • Speaker: Dr. Yiran Wang,  Golomb Visiting Assistant Professor, Purdue University
  • Date: Wednesday, October 25 at 4 p.m., Virtual, L/P credit available

 

Motivated by the universal approximation property of randomized neural networks, both methods extend the extreme learning machine (ELM) technique from low to higher dimensions. The performance of these methods are more cost-effective and more accurate than the physics-informed neural network (PINN) method.

  • Title: Using Your Mathematical Mindset in the Workplace
  • Speaker: Abigail Hale,  Senior Financial and Business Analyst, University of Indianapolis 
  • Date: Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 4 p.m., L/P credit available

 

Using her experience working over 20 years in half dozen industries, Abigail Hale will present some observations of what to expect in the workplace if you have a Mathematical Mindset.

  • Title: Does Parking Matter? The Impact of Parking Time on Last-Mile Delivery Optimization
  • Speaker: Dr. Sarah Reed, Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at the University of Kansas School of Business
  • Date: Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 5 p.m. via Zoom, L/P credit available

 

Parking the delivery vehicle is a necessary component of traditional last-mile delivery practices, but finding parking is often difficult – particularly in urban environments.

This talk will explore the impact of parking time on optimal routing decisions for last-mile delivery.

About Dr. Reed

  • Research interests in transportation logistics.
  • Current research agenda focuses on challenges and opportunities in last-mile delivery. She completed her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the University of Iowa in 2021.
  • Title: I Need Math for That? How Data Science and Statistics Are Used in the Therapy Clinic
  • Speaker: Dr. Ed Jones, Associate Professor, University of Indianapolis
  • Date: Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 at 4 p.m. in Martin Hall 310 or Zoom, L/P credit available

 

Data Science and analysis plays a role in the daily operations in our therapy clinics. Patient reported functional outcome measures inform our clinicians and management of the overall progress of our patients as individuals and clinics as a whole. Using these outcomes and participating in a nationwide database of clinics and clinicians allows therapists to monitor effectiveness and compare to others. It also helps establish a prognosis to share expectations with our patients. We will explore these tools and our data management and how they are used in determining our effectiveness and value in our PT clinics.

About Dr. Ed Jones

Board-Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and Associate Professor in the University of Indianapolis Krannert School of Physical Therapy

  • Title: Introduction to Sports Analytics
  • Speaker: Dr. Hassan Rafique, Assistant Professor, University of Indianapolis
  • Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 4 p.m. in Martin Hall 310 or Zoom

 

In this talk, we discussed the use of data and analytics in sports. Data is used in various sports avenues, including player evaluation and drafting, play evaluation, player injuries, and ticket sales and entertainment. We will look at data analytics applications in sports such as baseball, basketball, American football, etc. In addition, we will look at the different opportunities available for working in sports analytics and how to prepare to give yourself a good chance to land a career in sports analytics.

About Dr. Hassan Rafique

Assistant Professor at the department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Indianapolis. He is the lead instructor for the undergraduate data science program and director of Center for Data Science on campus.

  • Title: Un-stacking the Deck: Redistricting, Voting Rights, and Math
  • Speaker: Anthony Pizzimenti, Data Scientist at MGGG
  • Date: April 19, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in Martin Hall 104 or Zoom

 

In this talk, we discussed the conjoined history of voting rights and redistricting, using math to help reveal gerrymanders, and the redistricting outlook for 2022. Redistricting, or cutting up jurisdictions into equally-populated pieces for the purpose of electing representatives, is a staple of electoral systems across the United States. Gerrymandering — redistricting to disadvantage one group in favor of another — is an eminent threat to the integrity of our democracy, and has only become easier with more powerful computers, bigger datasets, and nefarious legal and political tactics. But we can fight back with math. Using mathematical tools old and new, we can better understand redistricting and its human impacts.

About Anthony Pizzimenti

Data Scientist at the MGGG Redistricting Lab, working at the intersection of mathematics and civics. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa and will be attending graduate school this fall.

  • Title: Multiple Solutions: Finding a Career as a Math Major/Minor, with focus on Data
  • Speaker: Dr. Steve Hussung, Senior Data Modeler, Department of Transportation
  • Date: March 25, 2022 at 4 p.m. in Martin Hall 107 or Zoom

 

The process of finding a job and starting a career can be intimidating. As a math major or minor, you have some real assets for many different positions--but those positions will probably not have math in the title or job description! This talk helps you figure out if a job in data is something you want to pursue, and give you a good sense of how to find one. We talked about what my current job is, and how it fits into the broader "data pipeline". We also talked about how learning mathematics helps me in my current position with approaching problems, using set theory and logic, communicating, teaching myself new techniques, and troubleshooting issues. We also went over what to prioritize in the job hunt, and some specifics of how mine played out.

  • Title: Opportunity Knocking - It is all about DATA
  • Speaker: Mark Knecht (Alumni), Business Executive
  • Date: November 18, 2021 at 2 p.m. in Martin Hall 305 or Zoom

 

Mark discussed today’s data challenges, solutions and opportunities for large (and small) organizations. He talked about the competitive advantage harnessed by companies investing in their data assets. Mark majored in Mathematics and graduated from UIndy (then Indiana Central College) in 1973. He completed an MBA at the Wichita State University. Mark has vast experience of working in industry and has held executive level positions in multiple companies. He had a 45 year long career in computer, software, and information technology industry. The talk was followed by a panel discussion with Mark Knecht and the data science faculty.
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