Co-directors of newly launched Harvard Data Science Initiative discuss new era
Harvard University just announced the launch of its Data Science Initiative, a program to harness the vast expertise and innovations that are occuring in disciplines as diverse as medicine, law, policy, and computer science. Initiative co-directors Francesca Dominici, professor of biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and David C. Parkes, George F. Colony Professor and area dean for computer science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, are enthusiastic about the work ahead. In a Q&A session, Dominici and Parkes talked with The Gazette about their vision for the initiative and how data science can address serious challenges that confront individuals and society. GAZETTE: The term “data science” gets thrown around a lot, but what is it? PARKES: You get different definitions from different people. It is the “science of data.” It is doing science through data: How can we glean impactful new...