Adam Laiacano

NYC awards Columbia $15 million for new data-science institute

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Engineering professors Kathleen McKeown, at right, and Patricia Culligan have been named director and associate director, respectively, of Columbia’s new data-science institute. / Photograph by Jenica Miller

Researchers call it “big data”: the troves of digital information constantly being generated by the mobile devices in our hands, the GPS units on our dashboards, and the tiny sensors that monitor the air quality and weather all around us. They say analyzing it could improve nearly every aspect of our lives, from the way we exchange goods to the way we plan our cities to the way we manage our natural resources.

This summer, the University established the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering to support the acquisition and analysis of huge electronic data sets. The institute, which is overseen by the engineering school, is supported by a $15 million grant from New York City as part of its Applied Sciences NYC initiative, which aims to promote technology commercialization and economic growth.

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