Claire McPherson of Deloitte closes out a great Innovation Summit.

The creative vibes were buzzing at the First NCDS Data Innovation Showcase, held at RENCI on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. The Showcase, centered around innovative strategies for the rapidly-expanding big data field, brought together NCDS members, faculty and students to share data-related projects, activities and ideas.

The Showcase began with a student poster session during breakfast, where students from NCDS academic institutions showcased their submitted posters on data-related projects and networked with industry and university professionals. The group then gathered to hear short presentations from each of the NCDS Data Science Faculty Fellows on the background, goals, and intended results of their research.

More presentations followed, as researchers and leaders from NCDS member institutions, including RTI, SAS Institute Inc., Deloitte, Cisco and GE, gave brief talks about innovative data technologies, novel approaches to data challenges, and useful lessons about integrating the emerging field of big data into their businesses. Faculty members from NCDS member universities, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, also spoke.

During lunch there was another student poster session and in the afternoon, the five top student posters, as selected by an NCDS committee, gave short presentations on their research. This was a great opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to expand their own networks and receive feedback from real-life successful industry professionals.

The event showcased the true mission of the NCDS: to explore and generate important dialogues about the future of big data and connect a variety of people at different levels in the field.

See more photos of the event here.