Events

The Data Science/Database Student Club at Old Dominion University welcomed Dr. Yang (Jack) Lu, Professor of Computer and Artificial Intelligence at Beijing Technology and Business University, as a guest speaker on Wednesday, October 14. He joined the club’s Grow with AI series via Zoom and gave a talk titled “AI and Your Life.”

Dr. Lu earned his Ph.D. at ODU in 2020. Since then he has built an international academic career, with more than 11,000 citations. He has appeared on Stanford’s list of the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists every year since 2019, and he is an IEEE Senior Member. His research covers AI and machine learning, blockchain and FinTech, IoT security, and Industry 4.0.

A grounded view of AI

Dr. Lu offered a measured view of artificial intelligence. One of his central points was that AI has no physical body. Because of that, he said, communication and relationships between AI and people may not be as promising right now as popular hype suggests. He also said that the consequences of AI development in the near future remain unclear, and that people will need to accept real uncertainty in the years ahead.

Dr. Lu also described how AI is developing in China, drawing on his experience in academia in both countries. For many attendees it was a rare firsthand look at that landscape.

The “secret” to high citations

Near the end of the talk, Dr. Lu shared what he jokingly called the secret to becoming a highly cited scientist. The key, he said, is an experienced, well-considered advisor and a proper prompt. He spoke warmly of the guidance and education he received from Dr. Lida Xu and Dr. Ling Li during his time at ODU, and credited their mentorship with shaping his path as a researcher.

Looking ahead

The club thanks Dr. Lu for sharing his time and perspective with students, and hopes to welcome him back in the future. The Grow with AI series continues this semester. Check odu.campusgroups.com/ddsc for upcoming events.

The Data Science/Database Student Club (DDSC) at Old Dominion University hosted Dr. Hong Chen, Associate Professor at Indiana University East, for a virtual seminar on Zoom this afternoon. Her talk, "Generative AI and Student Learning," was the first featured presentation in the club's Fall 2026 "Grow with AI" seminar series.

Dr. Chen, who earned her Ph.D. from ODU in 2019, presented her research on how students engage with AI tools in their studies. One of her key findings drew particular interest from attendees: AI use did not show a clearly significant impact on students' learning outcomes. The result prompted members to rethink common assumptions about AI in education and highlighted that the value of these tools depends largely on how they are used, not simply on whether they are used.

The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session in which members discussed how to approach AI from both the educator's and the student's perspective. While participants agreed there is not yet a clear best practice, the discussion reached a shared conclusion: humans must remain the final step in decision-making. When tasks are delegated to AI, users need the knowledge and judgment to determine whether the results are reliable.

The club extends its sincere thanks to Dr. Chen for sharing her time, research, and insights with our members.

The "Grow with AI" series continues later this month with Dr. Yang (Jack) Lu of Beijing Technology and Business University, who will present "AI and Your Life." All students are welcome to attend. For updates on upcoming events, visit odu.campusgroups.com/ddsc.

The Data Science/Database Student Club (DDSC) at Old Dominion University launched its Fall 2026 semester with a Grand Opening event on Tuesday, September 22, in Constant Hall, Room 1055. About 20 students from across majors gathered over a Panda Express lunch to learn about the club and its new semester theme, "Grow with AI," and every attendee received a welcome gift.

Club President Andrew Li opened and hosted the event, sharing the club's mission and history, and Vice President Liuliu Qin introduced herself to attendees. Founded on April 12, 2017, DDSC has hosted a seminar series for nearly a decade, led by a line of Ph.D. student presidents, several of whom have gone on to faculty careers at universities including Susquehanna University and Appalachian State University. The club is guided by Acting Faculty Advisor Dr. Larisa Bulysheva, Teaching Professor in ITDS, and Honorable Advisor Dr. Weiyong Zhang, Professor and Chair of ITDS.

Attendees also looked back on highlights from the 2025–26 academic year, including talks on naval information systems, machine learning applications, and agentic AI in business, before the officers previewed this semester's lineup. The "Grow with AI" series brings three accomplished speakers to share how AI is reshaping learning, work, and everyday life: Dr. Hong Chen, Associate Professor of Informatics at Indiana University East and an ODU Ph.D. alumna, on "Generative AI and Student Learning"; Dr. Yang (Jack) Lu, Professor at Beijing Technology and Business University and an ODU Ph.D. alumnus, on "AI and Your Life"; and Dr. Mikhail Kataev, Professor at TUSUR in Russia.

The club thanks everyone who joined us for the kickoff and looks forward to a semester of learning and growing together. DDSC events are free and open to all students, with no AI or programming experience required. For upcoming events and membership, visit odu.campusgroups.com/ddsc.

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

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.

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 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 & 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.

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.

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.