Events

On September 9th, the Data Science/Database Student Club (DDSC) hosted its Grand Opening Event to kick off the new academic year. Under the theme Closer to Industry, the event introduced our club’s mission:

• Explore emerging technologies

• Exploit practical tools

• Extend the boundaries of the knowledge base in data science, database systems, and intelligent information technologies

Honorable Advisors Dr. Weiyong Zhang and Acting Advisor Dr. Larisa Bulysheva shared their support for the club’s mission of fostering inspiration and curiosity. Officers also introduced an exciting semester lineup featuring guest speakers from NASA, the U.S. Navy, international research institutions, and industry leaders.

The event was a success in welcoming new and returning members, building momentum for our upcoming Industry Series — beginning with the ITS Data Center Visit on September 26.

This Friday, members of the Data Science & Database Student Club (DDSC) had a unique opportunity to step behind the scenes and explore the ODU Data Center, located in the Engineering & Computational Sciences building.

Thanks to the generosity of our hosts, John Pratt, Executive Director of Research & Cloud Computing, and Elbert Porteria, Manager of Information Technology Operations, we were guided through the secure facility and gained firsthand insight into the infrastructure that powers research, learning, and operations across campus.

During the tour, students observed the advanced technologies and systems that keep the university’s computing backbone reliable and efficient. This rare visit provided not only technical knowledge but also inspiration, showing how large-scale data infrastructure connects with our studies in databases, analytics, and cloud computing.

We were also honored to be joined by Sri Lankan Student Association President Akila Wijesinghe and Carlin Conaway from the Office of Intercultural Relations, whose presence highlighted the spirit of collaboration and community that makes ODU so special.

This event is part of our Closer to Industry Series, which brings students closer to real-world applications of data science and information systems.

The Data Science & Database Student Club (DDSC) proudly hosted Mr. Anthony Garverick, an Old Dominion University alumnus and newly appointed Comptroller for Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, for an inspiring talk on his career journey and lessons in leadership.

With an engineering spirit that guided his path toward becoming a financial leader in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Garverick shared how his journey began as a graduate student at ODU and evolved into a distinguished career in federal financial management. Drawing from his experience as both Deputy Comptroller for Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and now a command-level leader, he emphasized the importance of depth of learning and interdisciplinary application.

“Any discipline can be powerful,” he encouraged students, “when you learn deeply and apply it to solve problems others cannot.”

His message resonated strongly with attendees, inspiring students to follow their passions and leverage their academic backgrounds to make real-world impact. The event concluded with enthusiastic applause, reflecting the appreciation of students for Mr. Garverick’s genuine insights and motivational words.

DDSC thanks Mr. Garverick for returning to his alma mater to share his experiences and wisdom—reminding Monarchs that the journey from classroom to leadership begins with curiosity, persistence, and purpose.

The Data Science & Database Student Club was honored to host Dr. Kedong Chen, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Analytics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, for a highly engaging seminar this afternoon. His talk, “Machine Learning Application in Data Analysis,” brought energy, clarity, and inspiration to students across campus.

During the seminar, Dr. Chen guided the audience through the evolution of machine learning, providing a clear comparison between traditional statistical approaches and modern ML methods. He then offered an accessible breakdown of the mechanisms behind today’s large language models, helping students build a deeper understanding of how these systems learn, generate information, and support decision-making.

One of the highlights of the session was Dr. Chen’s discussion on prompt engineering. His explanation illuminated how the structure and intent of human input can shape model behavior, improve output quality, and enhance human–AI collaboration — a topic that resonated strongly with students who are beginning to integrate LLM tools into their academic and professional work.

The seminar delivered both conceptual depth and practical insight, leaving participants energized and motivated to further explore the fast-growing world of machine learning.

The DDSC sincerely thanks Dr. Chen for his generosity, enthusiasm, and contribution to our community. His visit aligns perfectly with our mission to connect, educate, and inspire students as they navigate the expanding fields of data science and analytics.

We look forward to welcoming him back for future events.

The Data Science and Database Student Club (DDSC) was honored to host Dr. Yuming He, Assistant Professor at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School, for a seminar titled “Stop Chatting. Start Managing: The Rise of Agentic AI in Business.”

Dr. He introduced the concept of Agentic AI, or AI agents—systems that go beyond traditional chatbots by autonomously planning, reasoning, and executing multi-step tasks. Unlike conventional chatbots that primarily respond to prompts, Agentic AI can operate within dynamic environments, manage workflows, and support managerial decision-making processes.

During the seminar, Dr. He compared the strengths and limitations of traditional chatbot models and agent-based architectures. He also demonstrated, through pseudocode, how to build an agent environment, outlining key components such as goal setting, perception–action loops, memory updates, and tool integration.

The seminar generated substantial engagement and discussion among attendees, particularly around the real-world implications for business analytics, strategic management, and enterprise data utilization. Students reflected on how Agentic AI could enhance data-driven decision processes, optimize operational efficiency, and redefine human–AI collaboration in organizational settings.

As data science continues to converge with management science and enterprise systems, the emergence of Agentic AI signals a new trajectory for interdisciplinary innovation. DDSC is honored to provide a platform where emerging technologies intersect with academic inquiry and professional development.

We sincerely thank Dr. He for bringing cutting-edge research insights to our community and for inspiring students to explore the evolving frontier of intelligent systems in business.

DDSC remains committed to connecting students with leading scholars and practitioners who are shaping the future of data science.

The Data Science & Database Student Club was honored to host Daniel Kaufman from NASA Atmospheric Science Data Center for an engaging seminar on data transformation, scientific data evolution, and current NASA data programs.

During the seminar, Dr. Kaufman introduced the challenges and opportunities involved in managing large-scale satellite data and highlighted two major NASA missions:

• TEMPO — monitoring air quality and atmospheric pollution across North America

• PREFIRE — measuring heat loss and energy balance in polar regions

During the seminar, Dr. Kaufman introduced the challenges and opportunities involved in managing large-scale satellite data and highlighted two major NASA missions:

• TEMPO — monitoring air quality and atmospheric pollution across North America

• PREFIRE — measuring heat loss and energy balance in polar regions

He explained how NASA is advancing cloud-based scientific infrastructure through virtual datasets, enabling researchers to interact with large collections of satellite files as unified analytical data structures without downloading massive raw archives.

A major focus of the presentation was how scientific data access is shifting from traditional file downloading toward cloud-native analytics, allowing more efficient querying, integration, and scientific reuse.

Dr. Kaufman also emphasized that technological innovation alone is not sufficient. Successful adoption depends heavily on:

• strong scientific communities

• collaboration across institutions

• open science practices

• accessible metadata standards

The seminar concluded with an introduction to NASA’s data access ecosystem, including Earthaccess, which allows researchers to search and access Earth science collections efficiently without complex permission barriers.

This seminar offered students valuable insight into how modern scientific data systems support environmental research, policy development, and future data-driven discovery.

We sincerely appreciate Dr. Kaufman for sharing his expertise and joining our academic community.