Big Data/Data Science Programs at NSF

Chaitan Baru
Senior Advisor for Data Science, NSF CISE Directorate
10-11:00am Thursday 28 January 2016, ITE 459, UMBC
postponed

This talk will provide an overview of current programs and activities related to Big Data and Data Science at NSF, and also highlight NSF’s inter-agency engagements in this topic area. The talk will also discuss future directions for Data Science research, education, and infrastructure. Considering that Data Science is a rapidly emerging, evolving field and discipline, ample time will be provided for Q&A and discussions about where the field ought to be going, given what we know today.
Dr. Chaitan Baru is currently a senior advisor for data science in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation. He is a Distinguished Scientist and Associate Director of Data Initiatives at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), UC San Diego where he works on applied and applications-oriented research problems related to data management and data analytics.

Dr. Baru has participated in a number of “data cyberinfrastructure” initiatives, including as Principal Investigator of the OpenTopography project; Cyberinfrastructure Lead, Tropical Ecology, Assessment and Monitoring network; Co-Investigator of the Cyberinfrastructure for Comparative Effectiveness Research project; Member of the founding Senior Management Team of the National Ecologial Observatory Network and Co-PI of the NEON Cyberinfrastructure Testbed; Co-PI of the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information Systems; Director, NEES Cyberinfrastructure Center; PI/Project Director, Geosciences Network; and member of the How Much Information? project.

Baru leads the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Development Group at SDSC and is also Director of the Center for Large-scale Data Systems research. Prior to joining SDSC in 1996, Baru was at IBM, where he led one of the development teams for DB2 Parallel Edition Version 1 and at the University of Michigan, where he served on the faculty of the EECS Department. He received his B.Tech in Electronics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and M.E. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida, Gainesville.

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Name: Daniel Kozlowski

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Schneider Electric

Position Title: Sales Intern 

Major(s)/Minor(s): Chemical Engineering 

Expected Graduation Year: 2019 

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I interned at Critical Systems by Schneider Electric.The work I did there involved manufacturing control panels for building automation systems,HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems, and security and monitoring systems. During my internship, I made many panels for a large contract with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as smaller jobs for the Carol County Courthouse and office complexes in Washington, D.C.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I got really lucky. I had no idea about this internship opportunity until an employee, who my father knew, mentioned that there were some openings for summer internships. After I found out, I immediately submitted my resume and was soon contacted for a phone interview. I was actually in the middle of my UMBC orientation when I got a call back, saying that I got the job.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Critical Systems has a very friendly office environment. A lot of the other interns and employees are UMBC alumni, so I felt at home pretty quickly. They treat interns like actual employees, and my duties consisted of actual involvement and contribution to real engineering projects. I was involved with manufacturing, but there were plenty of other opportunities. Some interns did estimating, while others did actual designing of the panels.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

With Maryland weather being so unpredictable, the HVAC panels I have made are going to be making quite an impact for the residents of numerous office buildings. When it's a humid 98 degrees or dry 15 degrees and they walk into a building that's a moderate 70 degrees, they'll know who to thank.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

If an opportunity presents itself, don't put it off. Keep your resume updated and be ready to send it out at a moment's notice. Also be sure to document the work you do and the experiences you have at your internships, you can use them later when applying for jobs.

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!