UVA School of Data Science

Hannah Bako, Assistant Professor of Data Science, studies how visualization shapes public understanding, from mayors allocating resources to ICU nurses responding to rising heat risk. Her research also examines the flip side: the same design choices that clarify can mislead if used carelessly.

For Bako, responsible visualization is about building trust and broadening participation in evidence based decision making. Third in our series on 10 ways UVA data science is changing the world, responsibly. Full story here: https://bit.ly/3Odzohc

Come join us during UVA Northern Virginia's upcoming career fair 💼

Students register here: https://bit.ly/4vMyS9I

Alumni register here: https://bit.ly/4bTWYbc

Students and Alumni from several partnering Virginia Universities are invited to UVA Northern Virginia on Thursday, August 13, from 4–7 PM for the Virginia Universities second-annual Career Fair.

This career fair brings together employers from a variety of industries with students and alumni
from participating Virginia colleges and universities. Whether you're searching for your first job,
considering your next career move, or simply looking to make new professional connections,
this event offers an opportunity to connect with employers from across the region.
Participating Universities include:

- University of Virginia
- George Mason University
- James Madison University
- Marymount University
- Norfolk State University
- University of Richmond
- Virginia Tech
- William & Mary

📅 Thursday, August 13
🕓 4–7 PM
📍 UVA Northern Virginia Fairfax Campus

Why do some children with autism communicate more easily than others, even when they hear the same words?

Researchers from the University of Virginia believe the answer may lie in the brain’s electrical activity. In a new study published in Scientific Reports, they found that subtle patterns in brain activity while children listened to speech were linked to how well autistic youths communicate in everyday life. Read more: https://bit.ly/4wZEzC5

Whether you're exploring data science major or already interested in data science, we'd love to meet you. Come chat with our team, ask questions, and grab some Data Science T-shirt while supplies last!

Upcoming Orientation dates: July 28, August 20.
South Meeting Room, Newcomb Hall

Whether you're exploring data science major or already interested in data science, we'd love to meet you. Come chat with our team, ask questions, and grab some Data Science T-shirt while supplies last!

Upcoming Orientation dates: July 24, July 28, August 20.
South Meeting Room, Newcomb Hall

Can machines learn to think like scientists, not just recognize patterns?

Stephen Baek, Quantitative Foundation Associate Professor of Data Science, is exploring that question through his research on physics aware deep learning. Rather than simply fitting curves to data, his work embeds real scientific principles into AI systems, pushing them toward genuine reasoning.

As Baek explains, the goal is not for AI to replace scientists but to act as a collaborator, augmenting human intuition with data driven insight. Second in our series on 10 ways UVA data science is changing the world, responsibly. Full story here: https://bit.ly/3Odzohc

Khalid Bakhit, a member of the inaugural cohort of Stephenson Bicentennial Scholars and a B.S. in Data Science student at the UVA School of Data Science, built an interactive dashboard comparing more than 1,000 AI models across performance, pricing, development pace, and energy consumption.

He did it independently, pulling from six data sources, writing his own data pipeline, and deploying the final product online for anyone to explore. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ffTt19

Lucas Rayder did not set out to be a data science student. As an Astronomy-Physics major, his eyes were fixed on the stars, namely, the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy around 200,000 lightyears from Earth.

But data science started calling to him. First when fellow students' coding projects piqued his interests and later when he realized that the work he was doing could benefit from a solid foundation in the field.

Now, as he prepares to join the Space Force, Rayder credits the M.S. in Data Science in-person, residential program with getting him there. Read more: https://bit.ly/4wIaWFc