News (Fall 2025) Exciting new opportunities for UH Hilo data science students to contribute to building cutting-edge AI systems that help accelerate science, through a collaboration with the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Ai2). Read more
UH Hilo offers both a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Data Science (first in the UH System) and a data science certificate. Both provide training in artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics, and data analysis, to prepare students for high-paying careers in the field. Learn more about our programs
Student Testimonials
Rebekka Williams Assistant Coach, UH Women's Water Polo
The Data Science program at UH Hilo was an unbelievably positive experience. I learned so much in such a short amount of time, and worked on cool and innovative projects that I still talk about today. The program’s dedicated faculty provided me with practical skills and insights that were invaluable for my development both as a student and as a professional.
I have been able to use the skills I learned in this program in my athletic coaching career to leverage interesting data insights from my team’s game statistics....Show more
Alex Spengler Database & GIS Specialist at Colorado State University.
The skills I gained through the Data Science coursework in R, Python, and geospatial analysis have been instrumental in my professional development. Classes like CS 171 (Data Science Fundamentals in R), CS 172 (Python for Data Analysis), and GEOG 480 (Geographic Information Systems & Visualization) provided a strong foundation that I continue to build upon in my career.
In my current role, I’ve developed geospatial databases for endangered and rare species, designed dynamic data collection methods using ArcGIS Arcade and Python in ArcGIS Field Maps, and engineered AI-driven solutions for wildlife detection from camera trap images. The advanced techniques from courses such as CS 272 (Machine Learning for Data Science) and GEOG 481 (Advanced Geospatial Techniques) have been essential for developing these AI models and spatial analyses.
Additionally, the proficiency I gained in R, particularly through CS 171 and MATH 371 (Multivariate Modeling with R), has been crucial for automating workflows. I now use R to integrate live GIS data into automated metric reporting systems, allowing for real-time insights that enhance decision-making in natural resource management.
The blend of technical skills and hands-on experience from these courses has empowered me to take on complex, data-driven projects that have real-world impacts on conservation efforts....Show more
The Data Science Certificate program helped me make the most out of my time as an undergraduate student at UH Hilo. I learned valuable ways to use data through statistical analysis, machine learning, data visualization, and programming. From these courses, I had awesome opportunities to learn from the data science faculty on their research projects- with Dr. John Burn and the Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis (MEGA) lab to analyze data from Hawai'i's coral reefs and with Dr. Travis Mandel's work on Human-in-the-Loop Artificial Intelligence. These experiences prepared me for graduate school to work with Dr. Ryan Perroy and the Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization (SDAV) lab at UH Hilo in the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) program. My research is using tools I've learned through the data science certificate program to explore geospatial data and machine learning to map strawberry guava tree populations. To fund part of my graduate school research, I was also a data science fellow with the Hawai'i Data Science Institute and continued learning more data science skills.
I really appreciate all the opportunities provided by and experience I gained through the UH Hilo data science courses and faculty. I wouldn't be doing the cool work I get to do today without the foundation I built with this program.
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Sebastian Carter Current UH Hilo Data Science Major
The content of the data science program is relevant and practical. We go over theory, sure, but its accompanied by real world applications that you can immediately apply to your own personal projects and ideas. Even the earliest classes are full of applicable and useful information that gets you started analyzing and visualizing data and gives you the perfect foundation for training and running models in more advanced classes.
Being able to interact with faculty and students with drastically different areas of expertise has been an awesome experience for me and has really broadened my perspective on what data science can be used for.
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Alexa Runyan Project Manager, MarineSitu
Participating in the Data Science Certificate program at UH Hilo rapidly advanced my programming skills and provided a necessary background for the research I conducted during my Masters program in Ocean Engineering at University of Rhode Island. Having the exposure to various applications of Python and R through challenging projects broadened my problem solving abilities for real-life scenarios.
As a Project Manager and Marine Engineer at MarineSitu, I help develop solutions for marine monitoring and apply techniques learned in the data science program to provide insights to ecologists, biologists, and resource managers.
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Sofia Ferrera Research Technician, Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis Lab (MEGA)
The UH Hilo Data Science Certificate has been a pivotal part of my academic and professional journey, equipping me with the tools and expertise that now form the backbone of my work as a coral reef scientist. Courses like DATA 171 (Intro to R) and MARE 250 (Statistics in R for MARE) laid a comprehensive foundation in R programming, data exploration, hypothesis testing, and visualizations. Building on that foundation, advanced courses DATA 271 (Advanced Statistics) and DATA 375 (Applied Informatics) introduced me to more sophisticated techniques including multivariate statistics and predictive modeling, which are crucial tools in my work analyzing ecological datasets. Additionally, classes like DATA 172 (Python for Data Analysis) and DATA 272 (Intro to Machine Learning) expanded my skill set by introducing Python and cutting-edge tools like artificial intelligence, which I’ve applied to automate coral species segmentation from underwater images. Beyond technical skills, the program’s small class sizes, hands-on projects, and supportive faculty offered invaluable real-world experience.
The skills I’ve gained through this program have enabled me to tackle complex datasets and apply innovative approaches to coral reef research, enhancing my ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data for more effective conservation efforts.
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