UC Berkeley will celebrate its first class of data science majors in a commencement ceremony on May 19. One hundred students will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Data Science in the College of Letters and Science, a degree that became available last fall.
“Many of our graduates have helped to envision and build this remarkable program from the ground up,” said David Culler, Interim Dean of Data Sciences. “So we are thrilled to be celebrating with them and excited to see what path-breaking endeavors they will take on next.”
Kate Johnson, President of Microsoft U.S., will deliver the commencement address. As the lead of Microsoft’s largest commercial organization and a 7,000-person sales team, she’s focused on driving transformation and is a continual champion of diversity and inclusion. “These graduates are the future thought leaders of the industry, and they carry a supreme responsibility in the ongoing transformation within technology. I’m honored to have the opportunity to address this powerful group at the launch of their careers.”
Faculty from across campus have contributed to the data science major, which was created to equip students to meet emerging workforce and societal demands in California and beyond. It incorporates three core features that invest students with the capacity to engage capably, critically, and responsibly with data: technical depth; an understanding of the human and social implications of data; and a specialization in a selected field of application, from mathematics, to ecology, to social welfare.
“This is a transformational moment for UC Berkeley,” said Cathryn Carson, a professor of history and faculty lead in building the data science program. “We’ve moved from gleam in our eyes to a hundred graduates heading out into the world. We’re proud that they will carry Berkeley’s lessons, hopes, and values with them, and we hope they can help society see around the corners ahead.”
The cohort includes graduates who aim to work in a range of fields, from brain science to fintech to sustainable development.
Among them is Derek Topper, who found his path to sports analytics after taking the foundational course, Data 8 his sophomore year. “I knew as soon as I started taking Data 8 that I wanted to work with data for the rest of my life,” he said. “When I saw the data science major was coming out, I was just thrilled.” Topper, who has been feverishly tracking sports statistics since he was a boy, started a popular Sports Analytics Group on campus and has had the chance to consult for professional teams including the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Cavaliers. He plans to work for the New York Islanders hockey team when he graduates.
“I knew as soon as I started taking Data 8 that I wanted to work with data for the rest of my life,”
After serving as a UNICEF National Council Representative in high school, Melissa Ly arrived at Berkeley with a drive to leverage technology and promote social good. She found her niche at Berkeley in the Data Scholars program. “It can be hard to find a community as a STEM major,” she said. “With Data Scholars, I felt so accepted and welcomed. We were all learning from each other and I felt like I had something to contribute. I was able to feel valid and confident in my own data analysis abilities.” During her time at Berkeley, she has helped to create data science curricula for a module on energy and environmental decision-making, and worked with a start-up that matches veterans with fellowships. She graduates with a double major in data science and public health.
I felt so accepted and welcomed. We were all learning from each other and I felt like I had something to contribute.
Advances in computing, new approaches in statistics, emerging discoveries in machine learning, and the abundance of data on nearly every aspect of our world, from personal health to climate change, are profoundly transforming society and our lives. To meet this once-in-a-generation transformation, Berkeley has created an innovative data science Division to bring together world-leading faculty from across disciplines to propel research and discovery and empower a diverse range of students to engage as leaders, creators, and change agents.
For more information, please contact:Jill Hodges, Communications Director, UC Berkeley Division of Data Sciences.
Click here to stream the Data Science Commencement on May 19 at 2 pm!