Industry Collaboration

While research labs focus on advancing new knowledge and innovation, CDSA's project labs are designed to help organizations solve real-world business challenges while building a pipeline of future talent. Guided by faculty experts, student teams work on applied projects that deliver practical solutions, hands-on experience, and workforce-ready skills. Project labs provide companies with an ongoing partnership with KSU, access to emerging talent, and a cost-effective way to explore data-driven solutions to day-to-day operational and strategic needs.

Capstone classes are a terrific way to access graduate students and to contribute to their educational journey. Class sponsors provide data and a real business problem they would like explored through the analysis of that data. The sponsor kicks off the semester by explaining the data and business problem, and attends several classes with students to answer questions and provide feedback on progress throughout the semester.  and then reviews the final results that the students generate.

The final exam is a live presentation by each team to a group of the sponsoring company’s executives. Those executives then determine which team wins the award for best project for the semester. 

Analytics Day connects organizations with KSU's top data science and analytics talent through a unique reverse job fair and project showcase. Students demonstrate their technical expertise, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, while sponsors gain visibility, recruit future talent, and engage with innovative work addressing real-world challenges.

CDSA hosts networking events for professionals to interact with each other, as well as our faculty and students. A typical networking event involves an intimate group of professionals, faculty, and students meeting for a few hours of food, discussion, and a guest presentation. CDSA's Corporate Spotlight Series is specifically focused on having a company explain to the students what they do and discussing what a career at their company would look like.

Through our Data Science Perspectives webcast, industry leaders share insights on emerging technologies, career development, and the critical thinking skills needed to thrive and lead in the age of AI.

Organizations are also invited to participate in our Research Colloquium Series, where faculty, industry partners, and researchers share emerging ideas, applied research initiatives, organizational challenges, and project outcomes.

We all remember how tough it was to learn how things worked in the “real world” after we graduated. Our student mentoring program pairs individuals from industry with individual students to form a mentoring relationship. The mentor can provide career guidance and advice, as well as exposing the student to what a typical workday is like. From providing input on course selection, to assisting with resume creation, to providing feedback on mock job interviews, to helping assess job offers, mentors can have a big impact on students. 
As of Fall 2024, we have folded the CDSA mentoring program into the College of Computing and Software Engineering (CCSE) mentoring program. As both a student and a mentor, you can identify your background as being in data science so that you can be properly paired. Find information here on the CCSE program along with the registration forms.

In addition to our certificate programs, CDSA offers customizable employee upskilling workshops designed to help organizations build the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving, AI-driven business environment. Programs can be tailored to your organization's goals, industry, and workforce needs. Examples include:

• AI literacy and fundamentals for technical and non-technical professionals.
• Practical applications of generative AI in analytics, decision-making, and business workflows.
• Designing AI-enhanced data and analytics workflows to improve productivity and insight generation.
• Data and analytics literacy for business professionals.
  Effective data storytelling, visualization, and communication of analytical findings.
• AI governance, ethics, risk management, and responsible AI practices.
• Foundations of data science and analytics using Python, R, SAS, and modern AI tools.
• Prompt engineering and human-AI collaboration techniques.
• Data-driven decision making for managers and organizational leaders.
• Building a data-informed and AI-ready organizational culture.

CDSA works with organizations to develop customized learning pathways that can be delivered to multiple cohorts over time, helping teams continuously adapt to emerging technologies, strengthen critical thinking and analytical capabilities, and maximize the value of AI and data-driven decision making across the enterprise.