Paige Madden, an Olympic medal-winning swimmer from the University of Virginia, is coming to Furman University for a data analytics CLP.
Furman University is hosting two Olympic medalists and a world-class mathematician for a conversation about data analytics and how it shapes the world – from technology and artificial intelligence to elite athletics.
Students are invited to “Swimming in Data,” a CLP event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Watkins Room of the Trone Student Center at Furman. For Herman N. Hipp Professor of Computer Science Kevin Treu, “This my Holy Grail.”
Ken Ono, the Marvin Rosenblum Professor of Mathematics at the University of Virginia, will join a Furman University CLP to discuss how data analytics applies in a variety of fields, including world-class athletics.
Treu will wlecome mathematician Ken Ono and Olympic medalists Kate Douglass and Paige Madden of the University of Virginia. The CLP is part of Furman’s Data Science Visiting Scholar Series and highlights the growing influence of analytics in sports and beyond.
The connection began with Treu’s own background. A lifelong swimmer and current swim coach in the Greenville area, he often travels to Charlottesville to watch meets at Virginia, one of the most successful collegiate swim programs in the country. There, he learned about Ono’s pioneering work applying mathematical and data-driven analysis to elite swimming performance.
Over time, Treu built a connection with Ono and dreamed of welcoming him and his collaborators to Furman. The result is a rare opportunity for students to hear directly from a world-renowned mathematician alongside scholar-Olympians who have worked directly with him analyzing data to sharpen their performance at the highest level of competition.
For Treu, the visit reflects a larger moment for data science on campus.
“It’s so practical. It’s so applicable,” he explained.
Olympic swimmer Kate Douglass will share how data analytics helps top athletes improve their performances at an upcoming Furman CLP.
At Furman, interest in data analytics has surged as students realize how widely the discipline applies across fields of study.
“You can fill in the blank,” Treu said. “Data analytics is in business, philosophy, theater – just about anything.”
By bringing researchers and Olympic athletes together in one room, Treu hopes students see data science not as an abstract concept but as a powerful tool for discovery and one that can shape careers, research and performance across the liberal arts.