A picture of students’ actual final project for the CDS program at George Mason University
https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/computational-data-sciences
Beginning in the Spring 2021 semester, George Mason University Korea launched the ‘Computational and Data Science’ (CDS) program. The Voice interviewed Mason Korea’s Campus Dean Robert Matz and CDS program assistant professor Dominic White to learn more about the newest program on campus and what new opportunities may be available to students who are enrolling in the CDS program.
The Computational and Data Science is a Bachelor of Science (BS) program aiming to prepare the students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Professor White, who is currently teaching CDS 101 to Mason Korea students, explained the two main focuses of the CDS degree program: computational science and data science. Professor White mentioned, “I guess the program has two kinds of focuses. One of which is computational science, so how do we use computers to ask and answer scientific questions like programming but with a very practical application, so very much how we solve problems rather than just the theory of how computers work. There is also data science where you learn how to interpret data and learn useful information from data.”
Robert Matz, Campus Dean of Mason Korea, explained why Mason Korea launched a new degree program. “What we really liked about the Computational and Data Science is that it’s got one foot in the sciences but also one foot in the social sciences as well you can use the same methods in business or geoinformation, urban studies that you do for studying molecules or weather.” The establishment of the program was not without struggle though. According to Dean Matz, the process of launching this new Computational and Data Science required hard work. He explained that, first, Mason Korea “worked with Fairfax to coordinate what the recommended courses here would be what students would be taking in Fairfax. We worked with them to help us provide information about the program.”
Dean Matz and professor White both emphasized what students learn in Computational and Data Science would be very useful in today’s job markets and opportunities, and it fits with the era, the Fourth Industrial Revolution. “Another value we saw in the program is it really aligns with job opportunities nowadays. There are a lot of firms in various ways using data analytics, and the Korean government is very interested in supporting industry around data analytics,” Dean Matz said. Regarding the job markets, professor White mentioned that “both of those skills [computational and data science] are very increasingly useful in today’s world because everything is becoming more and more computerized.”
Students are encouraged to participate in the CDS program, regardless of the student’s current major by both Dean Matz and Professor White. Professor White said that “the things you would learn in the CDS program are useful, not just in science, but also in many other fields. The CDS program is a very good subject to study.” Moreover, he thinks Mason Korea students could especially benefit from the CDS program because, “technology plays quite a big role in many areas of Korean life, so people who are living in Korea are very interested in artificial intelligence and how computers can be an important part of the future.” Dean Matz expects that the CDS program “will have the opportunity to conduct research in the field with our faculty and with our students and contribute therefore to the use of data in Korea and elsewhere.” Overall, a new program at Mason Korea offers students the option to expand their studies and professional opportunities in the future.
Sunbin Kim, Staff Writer
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