Ab Mosca, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science, Discusses New Data Science Major

Starting in the fall, Ab Mosca is one of the University’s newer faculty members. Prior to being hired as Assistant Professor of computer and information science, Mosca earned their Ph.D at Tuft’s University in computer science and then subsequently taught at Northeastern University for several more years. Their role at Westfield State is especially poignant, as the data science program on campus is new, with Mosca being hired to lead it.

“We’re fleshing out the major itself and figuring out how different classes fit within it and what new classes we want to introduce and add,” they said. “It’s exciting. Data science is very in demand as a skill set right now. It’s a quickly growing field. It relates to any subject that you can think of. Nowadays, we’re collecting and storing data differently. Companies want to be able to use that data and understand what it tells us. Being able to offer a program that gives students those in-demand skills is the main reason that data science started here.”

Interacting with cellphones, loyalty apps and accounts, and even grocery stores, falls under the umbrella of data which can be extracted, Mosca said. With businesses and organizations privy to consumer data, they’re more easily able to advertise and subliminally push products that will appeal to the buyer. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are good examples of this, due to their uncanny ability to promote products based on cellphones tracking the user’s activities.

They’ll give you very specific recommendations that they think will be effective,” they explained. “There’s a lot in the business realm where data science is leveraged to increase profits.” Furthermore, modern policymaking is now becoming based on data science, such as experts recommending products during the height of the pandemic to observe what people would invest in.

Students are highly encouraged to pursue and complete internships, as this field of study is rapidly growing in importance. Practical, real-world experience will help students develop soft skills as well, as often projects involve collaborating with team members, managing time and deadlines, and project planning. Students who complete internships will also be able to improve their portfolio, as data scientists are required to learn different programming languages.

Because data science involves both computer science and mathematics, students have the option of engaging in opportunities from both fields of study. “That’s a huge way that students are supported,” Mosca said. “There’s so many of us available to be there and support them. They’re going to be introduced to so many different styles of teaching, which is also advantageous to them… getting experience with different folks in different ways.”

As for Mosca, they’re more inclined to open-ended projects because it gives them experience with applying technical skills to real world problems. There’s emphasize on learning the material, but also how that material is then implemented. Smaller class sizes due to the newness of the program is another benefit, according to Mosca. “There’s a lot of one-on-one time that students could get with me or other faculty that they wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere. They’re getting access to great professors who have an incredible set of teaching skills and a ton of passion.”

With the creation and launch of this major, Mosca’s hope is that people outside of the discipline will be able to see how its impact is woven into all of the other “disciplines, levels, and aspects of society.” The same can be said of artificial intelligence, as Mosca said that it will be the students who study it working to make AI a more inclusive, positive aspect of society. “It’s an amazingly cool tool. Now, we just need students and people to come in and dream of what a better future can look like.”