UCLA to hold summer institute on technology, leadership
By Xinchen Li
Feb. 15, 2016 11:27 p.m.
Students will be able to enroll in a new summer institute that aims to train students to analyze data and communicate effectively in their future careers.
The Easton Technology Management Center at UCLA, an Anderson School of Management institution that intends to create the next leaders in the technology industry, will host the Technology Leadership Summer Institute from June 20 to July 29.
“The premise of the institute is to enable students outside science and engineering departments to learn basic technology knowledge,” said Farhad Rostamian, an instructor at the institute. “Such knowledge is essential for almost any career area nowadays.”
All University of California undergraduate and graduate students and visiting students from across the United States and abroad can register for the institute, said Vandana Mangal, executive director of the institute. The program will count for eight letter-graded units, she added.
Participation will cost about $3,300 for UC undergraduate students, $3,800 for UC graduate students and $4,300 for visiting international students, Mangal added.
“Students who want to pursue science careers can learn about leadership and communication, while students from other areas can learn basic data analytics and application,” Mangal said.
Rostamian said students will learn how to develop and commercialize a new product for a corporation in his institute class.
Mangal said students enrolled in the institute will take one mandatory core course on entrepreneurship and new product development, and can either choose to focus on leadership through communication or data management and analytics.
Richard Patlan , an instructor who will teach the course “Data Management and Analytics: Big and Small Data,” said the program curriculum will cover basic knowledge on how to gather data, build a database and use the data to make business decisions.
Patlan said he hopes students who take this course will learn how to use data in decision making, such as determining whether a business should hire more staff.
“Many businesses today have their data in such databases and want their employees to have a data analytics background,” Patlan said. “Undergraduates from all departments will find such a skill useful on the job market.”
The other track of the institute will enhance students’ leadership skills by teaching presentation and communication techniques, Mangal said. She added students will learn the use of tools like PowerPoint and Excel and practice communication in realistic scenarios.
Students can register and pay for the program online until May 1.
