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PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Five years after an $11.5 million federal grant launched the COBRE Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease at Brown University, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $10.8M in new funds to Brown to build on the centers early success.

The center a federal Center of Biomedical Research Excellence funded by the NIHs National Institute of General Medical Sciences uses sophisticated computer analyses to advance research aimed at understanding and fighting human diseases.

Director David Rand, a professor of biology at Brown, said the renewal funds will enhance the centers research infrastructure, enable strengthened collaboration among scientists working with computational and bioinformatics tools, and support four new research projects. Rand said there is a computational revolution happening in the biomedical sciences, as researchers need computational analyses to help them make sense of massive amounts of available data.

Even those working in wet labs or clinics who dont use computers in their daily work will at some point need assistance in analyzing complex data sets, he said.

Rand compared the current moment to the molecular biology revolution thats been changing science since the 1970s, when DNA cloning and sequencing became standard tools used by researchers across diverse fields. Computational analysis is bringing groups together today in a similar way, he said. For example, people working in engineering, computer science, basic biology and medicine will face situations where they need to convert data sets into information that can help them find solutions and answer questions. While their research projects are highly distinct, he said, the data analysis work shares common themes.

In addition to helping researchers with individual projects, we view the Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease as a vehicle for raising the level of computational ability for researchers in the community overall, Rand said.

To provide that service to COBRE project leaders and researchers across Brown, the center is home to a Computational Biology Core a group of four scientists, data analysts and software engineers who support data-intensive research. With the renewal grant, center leaders will work to build sustainable support for the group through continued funding to its scientists and support to ensure that four members are at the Ph.D.-level (past budget included support for two Ph.D.s and two masters-level scientists).

Everyone has large data sets and needs to convert these into useful information, and we aim to help people achieve that goal, Rand said. The center brings together researchers in the lab and clinic with exceptionally skilled and creative data scientists to turn data into information.

Funds from the grant will also support the research of junior faculty investigators and help position them to earn additional, longer-term funding for their work enabling them, Rand said, to build upon discoveries and continue their research while freeing up center funds to seed innovative new projects. With the initial $11.5 million from the NIH in the centers first phase, faculty projects at the Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease generated an additional $17.9 million in grants in areas of research such as human genomics, immunology and infectious disease, microbiome and machine learning approaches to complex genetics.

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NIH awards Brown $10.8M to expand data-informed research to fight human disease - Brown University

1 Students talk with a recruiters and prospective employers at their information booths during the fall Career and Internship Fair. Photo by: Bryce Richter

2 Student Camryn Ballweg (left) speaks with a recruiter from Duluth Trading Company. Photo by: Bryce Richter

3 Student Justin Crawford (right) speaks with a recruiter. Photo by: Bryce Richter

4 Student Amira Elsafy (center) talks with a recruiter. Photo by: Bryce Richter

5 Student Bekka Ginzburg (left) talks with a recruiter. Photo by: Bryce Richter

6 Student Thomas Collins (left) talks with recruiters from Wurth USA. Photo by: Bryce Richter

7 Student Ziyu Huang (left) was among the students exploring opportunities with the companies at the Career and Internship Fair. Photo by: Bryce Richter

8 Student Ben Risseeuw (right) present a recruiter with his resume. Photo by: Bryce Richter

9 Students fill out name tags before meeting with recruiters. Photo by Brian Huynh

10 AiJing Wu, a junior majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science, talks to a recruiter. Photo by Brian Huynh

11 Masters student Ruiao Jiao speaks with a recruiter from Wurth. Photo by Brian Huynh

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Photo gallery Career and Internship Fair: Opportunities for the future - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Since 1947, when the transistor was successfully demonstrated at Bell Laboratories, the world has experienced a data boom. It has achieved unprecedented computing power and other advancements in technologies such as mobile communications, transportation, genetics, medicine and space exploration.

By 1996, we could produce, alter and keep information beyond just paper. Digital storage, now cost-effective, has only grown more diverse since.

Today, our smartphones are practically an extension of our arms and we cannot work without laptops, generating and transmitting 59 zettabytes the equivalent of 59 trillion gigabytes in 2020.

For businesses and organisations, there has been no point in history when there has been so much information to know about customers, marketing as well as product and service development. A Bloomberg Businessweek Research Services survey found nearly 97% of respondents say their companies have adopted analytics.

If you plan to join this explosive field, youll need a qualification from a respected institution such as these below:

Source: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

If you seek a future-forward & high-quality data analytics education in a thriving, innovative city surrounded by scenic mountains, rivers and lakes, head to The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Located at the centre of the regions technology corridor, the university is home to a Master of Science in Data Analytics (MSDA) programme that nurtures todays students into tomorrows experts who possess the business and technical knowledge to help organisations make better business decisions by collecting, analyzing and interpreting relevant internal and external data.

Students in this joint computer science and business programme can expect to reap many benefits from the collaboration between The University of Tennessee at Chattanoogas Gary W. Rollins College of Business and College of Engineering and Computer Science. This STEM-designated programme draws on the faculty expertise of both colleges and its students can choose from a computer science or business track. Students also will learn relevant skills and knowledge from a programme shaped by the insights of its corporate advisory board, which includes analytics leaders from some of the regions largest companies.

At The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, learning does not end at the classroom door. The university and the MSDA programme are strongly connected to the regions business community which includes companies in Chattanooga, Huntsville, Birmingham, Atlanta and Nashville, as well as large U.S. and international companies such as Amazon, Volkswagen, Delta and Nissan. This translates to customized opportunities such as internships, company practicum projects and networking events resulting in strong employer demand and high-paying jobs for graduates.

Beyond academics, the city of Chattanooga offers the fastest internet service in the hemisphere and a growing downtown. Just a short drive away are two major cities New York of the South Atlanta and Music City Nashville. With The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, youll achieve personal and professional growth, with plenty of fun throughout your MSDA journey.

(UTC is an EEO/AA/Titles VI and IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution.)

The University of Florida offers a Data Science programme that fuses combines computer science (programming, databases, and algorithms) and statistical methodology. Source: University of Florida Facebook

The University of Floridas 2,000-acre sustainable campus is home to some of the nations top academics, attracting over US$900 million in research each year and fostering the uniquely collaborative environment that transforms potential into actual results.

At the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the largest college on campus, youll find more than 10,000 undergraduate students pursuing a variety of disciplines. Over 40 majors and 49 minors are offered here, including a Data Science programme that fuses combines computer science (programming, databases, and algorithms) and statistical methodology.

Both have strong mathematical foundations to apply to diverse areas in ethical ways. As an undergraduate, youll forge an intellectual foundation from this well-rounded and comprehensive education designed for an increasingly technological and rapidly changing society.

Undergraduate students who qualify academically can get both a bachelors and masters degree through the Combination Degree programme. This means they get to take graduate courses throughout the junior and senior undergraduate years.

UF graduates are ready to work in the increasing digitisation and networking of society and in many areas, including business, economics, medicine, epidemiology, agriculture, environmental sciences, sports, and all aspects of government.

Fordham University offers a part-time and full-time Master of Science in Business Analytics. Source: Fordham University Facebook

Wisdom, experience, morality, critical thinking, creative problem-solving define Fordham University graduates. The school has one mission: to foster the intellectual, moral and religious development of its students and prepare them for leadership in a global society. This is achieved through their rigorous curriculum, dedicated faculty members and multinational society.

Fordham academics are boosted by its ecosystem of innovation. At the Gabelli School of Business, students choose from undergraduate or postgraduate programmes that develop leaders poised to create opportunity in any environment.

Across programmes, the goal remains the same: to broaden minds and advance careers. Another contributing factor to outstanding outcomes is immersion. Through Graduate Student Organisations, Fordhams business students make friends, have fun, and build their rsums enjoying events, club site visits, and leadership opportunities.

The university offers a Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) that provides the analytics and data science skills for students to be competitive in the 21st-century workplace.

Students can choose between an accelerated, one-year full-time programme or a part-time programme. The latter spreads over a longer time frame, such as two years, so professionals dont have to leave their job while they pursue a degree.

The curriculum is flexible, allowing students to curate a programme that meets their goals and provides the depth of knowledge and skills a potential employer will value. They develop T-shaped skills a depth of technology hard skills and breadth of communication and soft skills. There is an option of a joint MSBA-MSIT programme too.

All core courses include a real-world project. There are also experiential learning opportunities with the Centre for Digital Transformation and two research labs the Design Lab and the AI Lab.

*Some of the schools featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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Prepare for a robust career through business and data analytics - Study International News

Molly Urbina did not want to join Girls of Steel.

I was very opposed, she said about the youth robotics team, which her mom had suggested she join back in 2012. I was like, I dont want to go to this. Im not gonna do robotics.

But she did, and by the end of her first year, she knew she wanted to pursue engineering in college. Shes now a mechanical engineer at Lawrenceville-based IAM Robotics.

Over the last decade, youth-centric pathways into Pittsburghs tech industry have become more common, with courses in public and private schools alike aiming to bring early experiences in coding, 3D modeling and other skills to students. But school resources and funding can be limited, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present basic remote learning challenges. So other Pittsburgh youth organizations in STEM remain to pick up the slack.

The hope is that early exposure to STEM will result in an increased likelihood of entering the field later on and a more diverse pipeline for a predominantly white, male industry. By giving more students a chance to have hands-on experiences in robotics or coding or other STEM disciplines, the programs not only broaden youth ideas of what a career in tech could look like, but create a more robust local talent pool for the immense volume of tech jobs that go unfilled.

One such program is Girls of Steel, founded in 2010 out of Carnegie Mellon UniversitysField Robotics Center.

The vision I had was to get more girls engaged in robotics, cofounder Patti Rote told Technical.ly. She launched the first program with the help of fellow cofounder George Kantor, a research professor at the CMU RoboticsInstitute. What started as an idea to form a team to enter FIRST Robotics competitions and challenges soon became a chance to build a community of mentorship and support. While the first cohort had just over 20 high school students, Rote said that within two years, we saw something else that we could grow this and get more kids involved and also teach them other skills, so its not just about building a robot.

Girls of Steel team member at work in February 2020. (Courtesy photo)

Soon, Girls of Steel expanded to offer co-ed programs to grade school students, and set up mentorship for the younger students from the high school team. After one of Girls of Steels teams first qualified for the world championship competition in 2011, it just seems like people wanted to know what we were doing, said Theresa Richards, the Girls of Steel outreach program manager. The success of that first year brought attention to the program, which has attracted students from over 20 different schools, including public, private, cyber and homeschool options.

And there are signs that Girls of Steels approach is working. The program reports a 100% high school graduation rate and 100% post-secondary school attendance rate. Perhaps thats not notable because the girls who opt to participate in such a program are likely more academically inclined in the first place. But what is notable? That 80% of alumnae major or work in a STEM-related field.

Pragna Mannam is another grad who entered STEM. Now pursuing her Ph.D. in robotics at CMU, she joined Girls of Steel during high school in the programs first year. Shed previously participated in STEM camps and other programs in grade school, but my first real exposure to robotics was Girls of Steel, she said. I really just liked the interdisciplinary aspect of it, working on software and hardware.

She went on to study electrical engineering as an undergraduate at CMU, followed by a masters degree in robotics at the university after volunteer work at robotics labs. But Mannam credits Girls of Steel with the initial inspiration to pursue a career in the field, and remains in contact with the organization and other alumnae today.

Molly Urbina. (Photo via LinkedIn)

For IAM Robotics Urbina, competing with Girls of Steel allowed her to see the potential end results of working in STEM beyond classes, which helped her see beyond some of the tougher classes for her degree.

One thing that got me through college was like, I know this class is terrible. I know Im not doing so great, she said. But I know I love what the end result so Im going to keep going to get there.

Since Mannam and Urbina were part of the program, Girls of Steel has grown to the point that it now often receives more applications than it can accommodate, meaning some students are turned away. And though the organization benefits from some grants, sponsorships and other donations, there can be a barrier to entry via a participation fee for students (though this was eliminated for the 2020-2021 season). The time commitment outside of school to participate can be a barrier for some, too.

But Girls of Steel is far from the only option for students interested in robotics or STEM anymore. The organization is part of Remake Learning, a network established in Pittsburgh in 2007 to bring together people and institutions to foster collaborations in innovative education.

The initial days of Remake Learning, there really were just organizations coming together and sharing what they are working on, as it pertains to educational innovation, said Director Tyler Samstag. And Remake Learning has kind of thrived and grown to over 1,200 people, projects and organizations.

Samstag, who also works as the director of instructional innovation for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, supports local school districts with establishing computer science curricula.

The main thing to emphasize is that the availability of computer science has grown significantly within schools over the last five years, he said, pointing to programs like the PAsmart initiative and other sources of funding that have supported new computer science or STEM courses in area school districts from kindergarten through high school.

Tyler Samstag. (Photo via LinkedIn)

The number of out-of-school opportunities like Girls of Steel has increased over the last decade too, with such programs becoming common at places like the local Boys and Girls Clubs. And for many of these initiatives, Samstag said, equity is the focus.

Despite Pittsburghs tech prowess, the local industry is sorely lacking in diversity, with a workforce thats not reflective of the citys population. Those failings have significant consequences. Earlier this month, Technical.ly published local high-earner income data from 2009 to 2019, indicating that while tech is driving new wealth in Pittsburgh, its only doing so for certain populations.

Part of the solution to that gap will come from increased accessibility in entry pathways to tech, but Samstag notes youth organizations alone cant fix all of the issues behind those income inequities.

Thats a huge challenge, and if we want to address that, its not going to be a single organization, and it has to be different organizations coming together, he said, adding that prioritizing equity in those communities is one of Remake Learnings main goals.

That goal is shared by Rec2Tech, a City of Pittsburgh initiative in collaboration with Baltimore City and the Digital Harbor Foundationto make recreation centers a destination for STEM and tech education.

We dont close our doors to anyone, said Rec2Tech Coordinator Max Dennison. But I would say 80 to 90% of the students that we serve, both in person and online, come from some type of public school, and they usually frequent one of our recreation centers.

Dennison sees a two-pronged issue for youth access to the tech industry: opportunity and exposure. He sees the latter as the one Rec2Tech can best address. Often, in panels or community meetings he attends, he notes that the average person doesnt know what it means to code, or what it means to program, or what computer science is or what artificial intelligence is, he said. And thats a problem, given those are some of the driving forces behind Pittsburgh tech.

By providing free and easily accessible tech instruction at recreation centers, paired with mentorship programs and regular talks with adults work in tech, Dennison hopes that students will become more aware of the possibilities in the field. But, like other community leaders, he thinks that there should be more going on to get people of all backgrounds involved with the field. Awareness of education and career pathways should be constant, he said, because a need for those skills will soon be omnipresent in the global economy.

For Pittsburgh, he wants to see that recognition of tech reach local sports-level fame.

Its just going to dominate the way we live, he said. So although there are some really good programs now, and I salute everybody thats working tirelessly to kind of make this a norm until its as normal as we talk about the Steelers, we still have work to do.

Girls of Steel team members at work in February 2020. (Courtesy photo)

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Technical.ly Pittsburgh Diversity in tech requires a diverse tech pipeline. Pittsburgh youth programs are filling opportunity gaps - Technical.ly