EMC Corporation has announced the world's first Data Scientist Summit to be held May 11-12 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. The inaugural event, hosted at EMC World 2011, brings together data scientists and leaders from industry and academia to exchange ideas and explore their potential to change business and society in unprecedented ways. Attendees will span today's preeminent and future data scientists to learn with -- and be inspired by -- their community of peers. Details about the Data Scientist Summit, including full agenda, are found atwww.datascientistsummit.com.

The rapid proliferation of digital information has spawned a revolution, often called Big Data. It also has resulted in a new professional role for data scientists, who combine the skills of software programmers, statisticians, mathematicians, storytellers and artists to extract meaningful insights hidden in the mountains of data found within and outside their organizations.

"Data scientists, and others doing similar work, are the new heroes of the Big Data era with the ability to imagine what's possible, posit the right questions, analyze massive data sets and, ultimately, tell illuminating and often strategically powerful stories," said Jeremy Burton, EMC's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Huge rewards await these change agents as they tap into and unlock the streams of value hidden within Big Data."

"The burgeoning new field of data science is altering everything from business to the way we live in dramatic and transformative ways," said Scott Yara, Co-founder of Greenplum and Vice President of Products for EMC's Data Computing Division. "These information alchemists are connecting dots and revealing relevant trend patterns like never before possible, uncovering startling new insights from mountains of ones and zeros. Anyone I've met who doesn't have a data scientist on staff, wants at least one immediately, or sooner."

In addition to keynotes from Programmer, Artist and Storyteller Jonathan Harris; Futurist, Educator and Author Thorton May and Code for America's Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka, other featured speakers include:
  • 23andMe - Chuong (Tom) Do, data acientist
  • Amazon Mechanical Turk - Sharon Frinks Chiarella, vice president
  • Bloom Studios - Jesper Andersen, co-founder
  • Booz Allen Hamilton - Paul Brown, lead associate and Dave Mattox, senior associate
  • Cloudscale - Bill McColl, founder and CEO
  • Deloitte Consulting, Analytics Institute - David Steier, director
  • EMC Consulting - Bill Schmarzo, National Competency Lead, Enterprise Information Management Practice
  • Factual - Gil Elbaz, founder
  • Google - Toby Segaran, data scientist and author of "Programming Collective Intelligence"
  • Greenplum (EMC's Data Computing Division) - Steven Hillion, vice president of analytics
  • Kaggle - Anthony GoldBloom, CEO and founder
  • LinkedIn - Peter Skomoroch, senior research scientist
  • Revolution Analytics - David Smith, vice president, marketing and community
  • Strickland Consulting LLC - Rob Strickland, president
  • UC Berkeley - Joe Hellerstein, professor
  • UC Santa Barbara - Joann Kuchera-Morin, director, Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology (CREATE)
  • Via Science - Colin Hill, CEO
  • Zementis - Dr. Michael Zeller, CEO
"Our ability to do great things with data will make a real difference in every aspect of our lives," said Jennifer Pahlka, executive director, Code for America. "This summit is a vital opportunity to exchange ideas and techniques in the emerging field of data science, and to better understand what is possible. We're thrilled to be a part of such a unique and important event."

This year's two-day Data Scientist Summit will present and explore new perspectives and challenge current theories on how to extract the most value from the world's data. Summit attendees will also learn how the industry can equip current and future data scientists with the tools, education and resources they need to succeed. The conference will address:
  • How data will impact markets and reshape the direction of multiple fields, including health care, government, financial services and retail
  • How data can help businesses simplify complex issues using inspiring interfaces and powerful storytelling techniques
  • What it takes to be a data scientist, focusing on the education and skills required to compete in this field
  • Real-world case studies on how deeply connected datasets can yield entirely new levels of insight
During EMC World 2011 and the Data Scientist Summit, EMC will reveal the winners of the Data Hero Awards 2011, a far-reaching program to honor those individuals and organizations exploring innovative uses of Big Data technologies and techniques. Nominations are being accepted through April 22, 2011. Winners will be chosen by a prestigious panel of independent judges, representing a cross section of the foremost Big Data thinkers and practitioners across business, academia and the media.