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At the Speed of Byte
MTSU’s Data Science Institute and a new degree program could help meet middle Tennessee’s demand for data scientists
by Allison Gorman
Once you start thinking of ways autonomous vehicles could change our lives and landscapes, it’s hard to stop. The most-touted benefits—fewer wrecks and less gridlock—are just the beginning. Driverless cars could make commuters more productive, deliver food to the homebound, and all but eliminate the urban ritual of hunting for a parking spot.
The advantages could be endless—if people trust the technology. But if they don’t want to ride in or share the road with driverless cars, the larger conversation is moot.
MTSU’s Data Science Institute (DSI) jump-started that conversation on campus recently with a blue Tesla Model X named Blue Raider Autonomous Driving, nicknamed BRAD. By offering free rides in BRAD, recording video, and analyzing pre- and post-ride surveys, the institute studied how this promising but controversial technology can earn mainstream acceptance.
“Our real big pie in the sky is we’re interested in the mobility of human beings,” said Charles Apigian, co-director who founded DSI in 2018. “The truth is, my car could be picking up groceries for me right now if it’s self-driving. And if it doesn’t have to be parked right by the University, how much space does that alleviate? If you look at downtown Nashville, what percentage is parking lots?”
Driverless carmakers, like Google subsidiary Waymo, have been privately exploring the data too. But Apigian said he wants to bring this kind of research into the public domain. It’s not just about someone’s bottom line. “We’re not tied to Tesla. We’re not tied to Waymo. We’re . . . hopefully a trusted source for real passengers,” Apigian said.
At a time when corporate abuses of “big data” have given it a bad name, Apigian wants to use data for good. The DSI brings in interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students to analyze data for its own research projects, like BRAD, or to help government agencies and nonprofits operate more effectively, such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
At the same time, it’s providing highly marketable experiences in data science, a profession so sought after that supply can’t meet demand. Launching a Tennessee Data Initiative in 2020, MTSU now also offers a bachelor’s degree and a graduate certificate in Data Science; has proposed a new master’s program; already boasts a Computational Science Ph.D.; holds “data dive” real-world trainings; and is partnering with K–12 schools for hands-on data science education.
Driving the Conversation
Hytch, a recent Nashville startup, is tackling traffic in a different way: with a ride-sharing app. Through corporate sponsorships, Hytch pays users for every shared mile they log. It became the DSI’s first client and wanted to ask: How much should the financial reward be increased to encourage the use of the Hytch app?
The DSI looked at the data and said: “Wrong question.”
“They were convinced that if they gave people a couple of extra pennies per mile, more people would use it—and that makes sense,” Apigian said. “But the truth is, that’s not why people were using it. What we found is when habits were formed, people continued to use it.”
The number of Hytch users still using the app three months after their first ride jumped from 47% to 86% for users logging at least 20 rides—a milestone typically hit within three weeks. So the question became: “How can Hytch users be incentivized to get to 20 rides?”
That’s the way data science works, Apigian said. You have to analyze the data to know what you should be asking.
Using Data for Good
With its eco-friendly objective, the Hytch project fit with Apigian’s mission to use data for good. So do projects with local government agencies and nonprofits, both of which serve the public interest with limited means.
For example, the DSI staff and Data Science students are currently looking at the implications of “food deserts”— areas with limited access to affordable and healthy food—in Tennessee as one of several projects for the state Department of Human Services. Since 2019, the institute also has garnered over $1 million in external grant funding from national sources.
And DSI’s work with Second Harvest Food Bank is an ongoing partnership. At MTSU’s annual HackMT event, Apigian led a team of 25 students who analyzed the food bank’s data and streamlined its warehouse operations.
The nonprofit faces several challenges at once: Its budget is lean, its food is often highly perishable, donations can be unpredictable, and distribution is complex and time sensitive.
MTSU alumnus David Tinsley, a oneman department as Second Harvest’s senior manager of information systems and information technology, is bringing in
MTSU students as interns to understand where Second Harvest is and where it needs to be.
“Data science is a flashlight,” he said. “You can finally see what you’re looking at.”
Filling a Need
Businesses of all types have reached a similar conclusion. Data science has become critical to virtually every industry, from health and agriculture to journalism and linguistics, Apigian said.
That’s why both MTSU’s Data Science degree, housed in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, and the Data Science Institute are interdisciplinary. They reflect how far the use of data has expanded beyond traditional STEM fields.
“I want to create storytellers just as much as I want to create number-crunchers—people who can look at data and be able to convince somebody of something or just be able to tell the truth behind data,” Apigian said. “Employers tell us that’s just as important as understanding algorithms.”
Faker Zouaoui, chief analytics officer for Asurion, said companies are using data “from the back room to the boardroom” to continuously shape their products and strategies.
That’s why data scientists are in demand throughout the country, including in middle Tennessee where Nashville is a booming city with a fast-growing tech market.
“For every data scientist employed in the region,” Zouaoui wrote in an op-ed, “there’s at least one more open position that employers are actively seeking to fill.”
MTSU is building a pipeline to supply that need.
A Highly Marketable Degree
Data scientists are in high demand. MTSU’s new major in Data Science is the first undergraduate program of its kind in Tennessee—an important distinction, according to Professor Charles Apigian, who helped design the curriculum.
“The idea of an undergraduate degree is not to make data scientists. It’s to get students extremely excited for technology and data,” he said. “If they want to become data scientists, they can get their graduate degree. But this will give them the foundational skills to get a lot of different jobs.”
Created with input from Nashville’s top data scientists, the degree incorporates computer science, math, information systems, economics, and finance, among other disciplines.
“Middle Tennessee is well positioned to be a national leader in the field of data science,” added Brian Moyer, Greater Nashville Technology Council’s president. “ . . . MTSU will play a critical role in generating the talent required to fuel our future growth.”
