The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) was created in 2017 and was jointly established by TAMU, TEES, and AgriLife, operating under the Division of Research. Currently, the scope of TAMIDS includes Texas A&M University, its Galveston and Qatar campuses, TEES, TEEX, TTI, AgriLife Research, and AgriLife Extension. TAMIDS pursues new approaches to Data Science research, education, operation, and partnership. These approaches cross college boundaries to connect the STEM elements of Data Science to the humanities and inform wider social challenges. TAMIDS aims to increase data literacy and promote Data Science research and education in the Texas A&M community and beyond.
What is Data Science?
Data Science is the study of data to find meaningful insights that help make informed decisions using a combination of computer science and statistics. Data Science uses a multidisciplinary approach with methods from mathematics, computer engineering, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and many more to analyze large amounts of data. Data scientists use all of these skills and techniques to collect and visualize data, identify problems, offer recommendations, and find trends that could aid in strategic decision-making.
“Data science combines math and statistics, specialized programming, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning with specific subject matter expertise to uncover actionable insights hidden in an organization’s data. These insights can be used to guide decision making and strategic planning.”
– IBM
Data Science at Texas A&M
Texas A&M has long been known for being at the forefront of research and innovation. From the first-of-its-kind data processing center in the 1960s to leading the way in space exploration today, TAMU continues its legacy of groundbreaking advancements. Below are some important dates in TAMU’s journey to support data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence research and education efforts.
1960
The TAMU Data Processing Center (DPC) opened in 1960 after being approved for construction by the A&M System Board of Directors in 1958. At the time, the director of TEES, Dr. Aaron Rose, appointed Dr. Robert L. Smith as head of the center. They stated that the DPC would have four main functions: teaching, research in data processing, service in data processing, and fiscal and registration work for the A&M System. The center contained about $3 billion worth of equipment which was leased for use by IBM. When it was built, the DPC was home to the largest computer used by any university in the United States. The DPC is now the Computing Services Center.
1962
The fall of 1962 was the first semester at Texas A&M which offered a Master of Computer Science degree and was one of the first of its kind among southern universities. Dr. Robert L. Smith, the head of the Data Processing Center, was named Head of the Program. The program was created in response to the increased development and use of technology in many industries across the country. The curriculum included numerical analysis, computer methods, computer languages, numerical methods in differential equations, computer methods in applied sciences, and logic of information processing.
1965
Texas A&M was given a grant of $1.2 million by NASA and the National Science Foundation to build the TAMU Space Research Center (pictured right) which housed the Activation Analysis Laboratory. Their primary research focus was to “determine the chemical content of surface elements of the moon and other planets” as well as study “life sciences, the strength of materials for space capsules, space electronics, and chemistry research.” The Space Research Center is now the Olin E. Teague Research Center. Click here to read a publication from the Journal of Radioanalytical Chemistry from 1968 on the Activation Analysis Research Laboratory.
1972
The Zachry Engineering Center was built in 1972 and housed the departments of chemical, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and nuclear engineering. The center was named after Henry B. Zachry, Class of 1922, who served on the A&M Board of Directors and was the founder of H.B. Zachry Company, one of the largest construction companies in the country. In 2017, the center was renovated to become the Zachry Engineering Education Complex.
1986
In the mid-1980s, Texas A&M started developing artificial intelligence programs at TEES for clients like the U.S. military and Scott & White Medical Clinics. The director at the time, Dr. Richard Mayer, said AI “is one of the newest areas of research” that “will do the mental work of humans.” One program TEES developed, the fastener selection adviser, was used by Chrysler to help automotive engineers manufacture radiators. This program helped engineers choose the best fastener to use out of 3,000 possible options. This was a major improvement in manufacturing efficiency, as there were only 3 engineering experts in the process at the time. To read the research publication about their other program, Coolsys, used to design cooling systems, click here.
1989
In 1989, NASA created the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, a national network of universities dedicated to expanding space research and education efforts. Texas A&M was named a space-grant university that same year and today, interdisciplinary space research is happening across campus. A few Aggies have even been to space!
Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar (pictured left) joined NASA in 1978 and was selected to become an astronaut in 1981. She flew aboard five space flights, amassing over 50 days in space. Dr. Dunbar flew on the Challenger, Atlantis, Endeavour, and Columbia space shuttles and performed human medical studies on exercise and muscle performance. She is now a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
2002
The Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium granted the Departments of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering over $700,000 to increase the number of degrees in these fields in the state of Texas. These grants were used to recruit more freshmen and expand faculty resources. Dr. Chanan Signh, the head of the electrical engineering department at the time, also used this grant to collaborate with the Infinity Project, a project funded by Texas Instruments that was geared toward educating high school teachers on electrical engineering and computer science in the hopes of “giving more guidance to students, especially women, who are typically underexposed to computer science and engineering.”
2017
The Texas A&M Institute of Data Science (TAMIDS) was created in 2017 by TAMU, TEES, and AgriLife under the Division of Research. TAMIDS has multiple educational and research opportunities for the TAMU Data Science community. Through training programs, course development grants for faculty, student engagement events, and much more, TAMIDS aims to increase data literacy and promote DS/AI/ML research and education across campus.
