The UW-Madison School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences, Wisconsin School of Business and American Family Insurance are bringing the Creative Design Lab to Madison.

Nine teams of University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty and collaborators have been awarded nearly $1 million through the American Family Funding Initiative, a research competition for data science projects.

It began with a question from a yoga instructor, sent to the inbox of horticulture professor Brian Yandell. Now it’s a major collaborative effort, housed at UW–Madison, that will help the world better understand and respond to COVID-19.

A major collaborative data science effort now underway at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to aid understanding and response to COVID-19 began with an email from a yoga instructor.

The UW System Board of Regents approved a new data science major within the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, opening the door for University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduates.

Surging student demand for data science skills and an abundant supply of jobs for people with related expertise have led UW-Madison to create a new school, add an academic program, and hire more faculty focused on data science.

A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW–Madison’s research in data science.