Collaborations with iNDustry Labs and industry partner, 1st Source Bank, have given undergraduate students with the Applied Analytics and Emerging Technology Lab (AETL) of the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society the opportunity to move beyond the classroom and apply machine learning and data processing to current industry needs.
Rick Johnson, associate professor of the practice and managing director of AETL, worked closely with Jeff Williams of 1st Source Bank to develop the student project convened within the ‘Industry and Community-Based Innovation Projects’ course at Notre Dame led by Jay Brockman, professor of the practice in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Notre Dame undergraduate students were invited to participate in the experiential learning course during the fall semester of 2022. After the success of the first semester, the course was offered again in the spring of 2023.
With the goal of identifying customer banking trends, students participated in workshops which introduced them to programming language tools and frameworks for machine learning. They then utilized their new skills to develop unique tooling and relational systems that could be used to efficiently analyze over fifteen years of deidentified financial data. Students gleaned insights from the data that were interpreted to suggest ways of deepening relationships between 1st Source Bank and the customers that they serve.
“This type of project experience is important for those entering the local workforce, since it’s indicative of the problem-solving, communication and results-oriented skills we look for in our colleagues,” expressed Jeff Williams, Vice President Head of IT Delivery at 1st Source Bank. “We were pleased to partner with Notre Dame and appreciated their openness and willingness to develop their students in this way.”
As an applied research lab, AETL has also partnered with CHaSE Manufacturing, AM General, Indiana Carton, and others to provide industry innovations. “Experiential learning offers not only the chance to solve real world problems but also the opportunity to create real world partnerships with industry professionals,” Johnson said. Johnson hopes that the network of Notre Dame alumni, student involvement, and faculty collaborations can have lasting synergistic effects with industry leaders that evolve with industry demands.
To learn more about AETL partnerships, please visit the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society website.
Contact:
Christine Grashorn, Communications Specialist
Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame
cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856
research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch
About the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society
The Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society is a hub for students, faculty, postdoctoral and visiting scholars, and staff to explore how data can be harnessed for societal benefit. We act as an incubator for data research as well as a liaison to the government and business communities. Our mission is to enable a positive impact on society and individual lives through innovative domain-informed and data-driven methods and applications.
About 1st Source Bank
1st Source Corporation, parent company of 1st Source Bank, has assets of $8.4 billion and is the largest locally controlled financial institution headquartered in the northern Indiana-southwestern Michigan area. The Corporation includes seventy-nine banking centers, eighteen 1st Source Bank Specialty Finance Group locations nationwide, nine Trust and Wealth Advisory Services locations and ten 1st Source Insurance offices. For 160 years, 1st Source has been committed to our mission of helping our clients achieve security, build wealth and realize their dreams. For more information, visit https://www.1stsource.com.