Ellis Students Visit IBM and UPMC
The Ellis Data Jam Team visited UPMC Enterprises in Bakery Square and IBM in Squirrel Hill on Wednesday, January 24 to learn about the careers of data analytics professionals. Students heard how data fuels strategies and programs, and how UPMC and IBM integrates technology and innovation into their long-term vision.
Ellis students were particularly intrigued by the UPMC visit as they learned how big data applies to health care. Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Vice President of UPMC Enterprises, spoke about the ways UPMC is bridging together hospitals, health care professionals, and insurance companies through innovative methods like virtual reality. Through big data collection and analysis, UPMC identifies trends, patterns, and correlations to directly benefit their hospital and preventative care.
Data Jam is a competition run by nonprofit Pittsburgh Dataworks that introduces students to big data and analytics. Students learn how big data affects their lives and how it is changing the way they live in today’s world. The Ellis team is a group of eight Upper School students with a keen interest in science, math, and technology. Through Data Jam, students work on a data analysis project and gather, visualize, and analyze specific data to come to a conclusion. Students can then apply these analytical skills in the classroom to correlate and summarize trends for group projects, research papers, and in-depth analyses in a concise, meaningful way.
The Ellis Data Jammer’s 2017 project focuses on the correlation between air quality and green spaces in Pittsburgh. Students will compete against local high schools in this one-of-a-kind data analytics competition on February 23. Best of luck to the Ellis team!
Learn more about science and technology in the Upper School here.
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