Mars Melore ’30
Contributing Writer
On June 23, the College introduced a new Data Science major as an option for students who are interested in the field. The new major will allow students interested in data science to have a structured course of study specific to their field of interest.
It is relatively uncommon for NESCAC schools to offer a Data Science major: Trinity joins Bates and Connecticut College as the only two other schools in the conference to offer a dedicated study path for data science.
When discussing the motivations for developing the new major, Professor Ewa Syta, Charles A. Dana Research Associate Professor of Computer Science, who played an important role in the development of the major, spoke on the “importance of data literacy across disciplines.” She further expanded on this concept by explaining that “data literacy is no longer simply a specialized technical skill; it is a core competency. It’s really about being able to understand data, critically analyze it, and draw proper conclusions, and, importantly, communicate those conclusions effectively to broad audiences.”
Professor Syta further elaborated that an important goal was “to make the major relevant and accessible to Trinity students with a wide range of academic interests.” She also explained that they are “currently developing a B.A. pathway that would make the program accessible to an even broader range of students.”
When speaking on what she finds most exciting about the new major, Syta said the new major is “giving students another pathway through Trinity.” Her hope is that “it gives our students new ways to pursue their interests and goals and, ultimately, gives them the tools to succeed in all the different ways they choose to define success.”
In a conversation with the Tripod, Shivang Mathur ’28, a student interested in studying data science at Trinity, stated that he is “especially excited about the probability class that is required for the major.” Mathur expanded on the importance of this class to the data that goes into financial decisionmaking when he explained that “on the trading side, probability constitutes every decision, as every decision is backed by an algorithm that gives probability.” Shivang is particularly interested in going into the finance field of data science; probability, alongside other classes required for the major, will provide relevant preparation for his area of interest.
Mathur further expanded on the importance of Trinity having the major when he stated how he was “surprised that Trinity didn’t already have a Data Science major, since the Computer Science major already contain[s] most of the required courses.” Creating a specific major for the field will allow interested students to have a specific, narrowed-down selection of classes that will help them gain the skills in statistics, data interpretation and mathematics without having to take extra classes that are not related to their field of interest.
The major also contains a year-long capstone in the senior year, which includes a seminar in the fall and a project in the spring. The capstone project will allow students to reflect on the prior material learned in class and apply their knowledge to address a data-driven challenge. The projects may include the development of software tools or the design of data analysis pipelines. The College asserts this project is especially important to becoming a well-rounded individual, as Professor Syta stated, “experiential learning is key.”
The new major’s combination of coursework and hands-on application will give students a structured path to develop the skills needed to pursue careers in the growing field of data science.
