At the New Jersey Big Data Alliance (NJBDA) 12th Annual Symposium, a group of externs showcased their work aimed at streamlining the data science transfer process between two- and four-year colleges in New Jersey. This initiative is part of a collaborative effort between the Master of Business and Science (MBS) Externship Exchange program, NJBDA, and New Jersey (NJ) Pathways to tackle one issue faced by many students: credit transfer between institutions.
The NJBDA aims to catalyze collaboration among New Jersey academia, industry, and government in building advanced computing and data analytics capabilities and expertise. At William Paterson University, attendees from industry, government, and academia gathered for the NJBDA’s 12th Annual Symposium focusing on “Empowered by AI: Innovation and the Rise of the Augmented Workforce.”
This event featured keynote speakers, research presentations, a student workshop, and a poster session. A group of MBS externs presented their work during breakout sessions.
The team of externs consisted of students from different colleges within the NJBDA, offering a variety of skills and perspectives. Externships offer students the opportunity to gain real-world work experience by completing projects sponsored by leading companies, organizations, and non-profits. Teams work together remotely in interdisciplinary groups, with one student serving as team lead, under the guidance of MBS advisors and external company mentors.
Externship Insights
Over the course of several semesters, teams of externs tackled different aspects of this issue. During this NJBDA Symposium research presentation, MBS team advisors Karen Bemis and Lori Dars, along with team mentor George Avirappattu, opened and provided an overview of the partnership and project.
The first team consisted of Suhani Patel, Shriya Singaraju, Saira Khan, Aryan Malik, and Sara Shareef. Read more details about this presentation in a previous blog post.
The second team consisted of Jessica Rippman, Aliaksandra Voitsik, Pranajal Karanjkar, Rebecca Feit, Simra Ahmed.
The third team included Ananya Rayapuraju, Rut Mehta, Thomas Ampadu, David Lopez, and Muhammad Zohab Paracha.
The teams each focused on different aspects of facilitating the transfer of more credits for students transferring from two-year institutions to four-year institutions when it comes to data science programs. This included analyzing existing programs, developing course outlines for data science-related courses and prerequisites that are most likely to be transferable, examining course compatibility, and more.
At the end of the presentations, students provided their own personal insights—highlighting the value of mentorship—and recommendations to ensure greater transfer success in the future.
Externs participating in this project also presented their findings at the NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities Summit.
The MBS externship has long emphasized leadership and mentorship. Since the program’s inception, the MBS Externship Exchange has served over 170 partners, including leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, start-ups, and small businesses. This latest collaboration with NJ Pathways and NJBDA demonstrates how student-driven projects can make a meaningful impact. To learn more about the MBS Externship Exchange program, visit our externship website.