![[CANCELLED] SEMINAR SERIES: Susan Sanchez | Fall 2019](https://ise.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/seminar-series-susan-sanchez-09-06-2019-1920x1080-01.png)
Come join ISE’s faculty and fellow students as they welcome Susan Sanchez from the Naval Postgraduate School as she discusses how new experiments can establish causal
relationships within data, in contrast to data mining which can only find correlations.
As always refreshments will be served from 10:30 – 10:50 am in room 428 Daniels Hall.
The term ‘big data’ has become intertwined with ‘data mining’ in the minds of many people. Modern computing can generate massive amounts of data via simulation studies, but a key drawback to the data mining paradigm is that it relies on observational data and thus limits the types of insights that can be gained. We can do much better with ‘data farming,’ a metaphor that captures the notion of purposeful data generation from simulation models. Prospective designs of experiments can establish causal relationships, in contrast to data mining which can only find correlations. The use of large-scale designed experiments lets us grow simulation output efficiently and effectively, and is a game changer in terms of the power and flexibility it offers analysts and decision makers. When combined with modern simulation tools and cluster computing, it allows studies to focus on much broader questions and obtain much richer insights. In this talk, I discuss some key methods behind the data farming and data mining metaphors, show how data farming can yield better data (not just big data), and describe some recent applications and advances in large-scale design of experiments.
Professor Susan M. Sanchez (PhD Operations Research, Cornell) Research Focus: Simulation, Data Farming, Design of Experiments, Military Operations Professor Sanchez teaches courses in simulation analysis and applied statistics. She is Co-director of NPS’s SEED Center for Data Farming, established to advance the use of simulation experiments and efficient designs to provide decision makers with timely insights. The SEED Center provides unique research and support for faculty and students, U.S. armed forces, and international allies by teaming academically strong faculty with operationally grounded students, and leveraging strong ties with the military and civilian simulation communities. Professor Sanchez has received several awards for both research and professional service, and has been an invited plenary speaker at a number of international conferences. She is a Titan of Simulation and an INFORMS Fellow.
