Mohamed Elbakary, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Coordinator of the Engineering Technology Program in the Department of Business and Technology, Elizabeth City State University (ECSU)

In an interview with Invest:, Mohamed Elbakary, professor and engineering technology program coordinator at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), discussed the university’s new data science degree, its interdisciplinary curriculum, and regional workforce applications. “Every industry can benefit from this new field,” Elbakary said.

Why is this the right time for ECSU to launch a data science degree?

Data science is a rapidly growing career field because decisions across nearly every field are increasingly driven by data. Data science collects and analyzes data, discovers hidden patterns, and helps decision-makers reach conclusions supported by the data.

The applications are all around us. Sports, healthcare, industry, government, education, and many other areas can benefit. A data scientist collects, cleans, manages, and processes data to identify information that would otherwise remain hidden.

How does data science differ from computer science or engineering?

Computer science often focuses on programming, writing software or applications, and deploying that software. Data science focuses specifically on data while still drawing on programming skills. A data scientist can create an application or use software to collect and analyze data, then provide patterns and insights that support a decision.

That focus means the graduate must understand more than one stage of the process. The work begins with collecting and storing data, continues through cleaning and management, and ends with analysis that an organization can use. Programming supports the work, but the purpose is to interpret the data and make its patterns useful.

The data science curriculum sits at the intersection of computer science, mathematics, statistics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Students need knowledge from all of those disciplines because the work combines technical tools with the ability to interpret complex information.

How broadly do you see demand for data science skills?

Every industry can benefit from this science. Data exists everywhere, and the amount is growing through cameras, social media, and other connected systems. The cost of storing data has also become relatively inexpensive, allowing organizations to retain much more of it.

Because data is present across so many activities, I cannot identify one industry with demand and exclude the others. Employers in many industries need people who can turn large amounts of information into useful answers.

What capabilities will employers expect from graduates?

Employers will expect graduates to interact with computers, write applications, collect and store data, retrieve it, clean it, and analyze it. They will need to apply statistical methods, artificial intelligence, and machine learning methods, identify hidden information and patterns, and answer questions related to the employer’s data.

Graduates therefore need to move among software, data collection, storage, cleaning, analysis, and interpretation. The program prepares them to combine those capabilities when answering an employer’s questions.

The work also involves using artificial intelligence and machine learning. A data scientist needs a broad spectrum of skills to connect those tools and perform the job effectively for an employer.

How will the program teach students to work with AI responsibly?

The curriculum includes a course on AI ethics. Students will learn how to interact with data responsibly and protect privacy. That provides an introductory foundation for data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence is a broad umbrella. Machine learning tools are part of that umbrella, and those algorithms learn from generated data and from the decisions they make. Their estimates, expectations, and interpretations can improve as they learn. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are one application of these technologies.

Students need to understand the relationship among these technologies, learn the ethics of working with data, and protect privacy.

Data science students will learn data-mining techniques, data management, cleaning, processing, and analysis. They will use methods such as classification and clustering and study the artificial intelligence techniques needed to interpret data.

How will the program connect classroom learning with regional needs?

We already have opportunities to interact with nearby industries. Organizations reach out to us, and groups of students work on their problems. We also offer assistance when we see an opportunity to help.

These projects allow students to apply what they learn to real questions. They also allow organizations to work with the university on problems that can be studied through data collection, management, and analysis.

The data science program can support the surrounding community and contribute to development in rural northeastern North Carolina. It can create additional ways for ECSU to assist businesses, local government, and community organizations. That new program also aligns with the university’s mission, including its service to minority communities, and with the university’s ASCEND 2030 strategic plan.

What would success look like in three to five years?

I expect growth in student enrollment and in the number of graduates hired. I also expect the program to produce visible effects in the surrounding community and its industries, including helping some industries grow and supporting local government. Its impact can extend locally and into other parts of North Carolina and Virginia.

Graduates can contribute to environmental and climate research, coastal and marine issues, public health, education, economic development, agriculture, cybersecurity, infrastructure, aviation, and the social sciences. These applications are especially relevant to rural communities and minority populations in our region.

The range of those applications reflects the breadth of the field. Graduates can make an impact in each of those areas by applying their data science skills.

ECSU already has faculty in computer science, mathematics, statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Faculty members hold doctorates in their disciplines, giving the degree a strong foundation. I believe the program is distinctive and will be successful.