Bill Huang, a recent graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology, has dedicated his career to improving urban living conditions in his hometown of Atlanta. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Urban Analytics (MSUA), Huang is at the forefront of using data science to address the complex challenges facing modern cities.
Bridging Engineering and Urban Planning
Huang’s journey into city planning was driven by his passion for creating livable urban spaces amidst the growing influx of Asian American immigrants and long-time Southern residents in Atlanta. Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, he sought to make a more significant impact through the MSUA program.
“The MS in Urban Analytics stood out to me because it felt true to Georgia Tech’s mission since our institute’s founding to ‘develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition,” Huang explains. “This programme does exactly just that. It takes computing, data science, and planning theory towards its usefulness in solving human problems we face such as our living conditions, natural disasters, and economic prosperity.”
Cutting-Edge Curriculum and Interdisciplinary Approach
The MSUA program, led by the School of City & Regional Planning, aims to leverage data science to tackle major urban issues. Huang highlights the program’s comprehensive curriculum that combines urban data science, spatial analytics, and artificial intelligence with urban theory.
Program Highlights:
- Urban Systems: Understanding the infrastructure and dynamics of urban environments.
- Spatial Analysis: Techniques for analyzing geographic and spatial data.
- Computational Statistics: Advanced statistical methods for data interpretation.
- Modelling and Visualisation: Creating models and visual representations to solve urban problems.
This interdisciplinary approach equips students with the skills needed to address pollution, carbon emissions, traffic congestion, inadequate housing, and disparities in urban services.
Real-World Experience and Collaborative Projects
Huang’s experience in the MSUA program was enriched by hands-on projects and collaborations with industry professionals and researchers. One notable project involved working with the University of Tokyo’s Smart City research facility, where Huang and his team conducted machine learning research using mobile device data sets for a Tokyo neighborhood.
“A favourite course of mine was the urban analytics course created for this degree,” Huang says. “Here we can run analysis not on just numbers but also express and think about what these numbers represent, like train networks, opinions, and people. This course opened up so many creative possibilities for me in how to think about our cities and possible ways to study things we have not been able to grasp before modern computing.”
Successful Outcomes and Career Opportunities
Since its inception, the MSUA program has produced three cohorts of graduates, all of whom secured employment within six months of graduation. The program boasts a 100% job placement rate, with alumni working across various sectors, including transportation consulting, legal firms, regional and municipal governments, and urban planning consultancies.
Employment Sectors:
- Public Sector: Regional planning and government agencies.
- Private Sector: Consulting firms and legal organizations.
- Technology: Data science and artificial intelligence roles in urban development.
As a STEM-designated program, MSUA also offers international students the opportunity to extend their work authorization in the U.S., providing an additional 24 months beyond the standard Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Huang’s Impact on Atlanta’s Urban Development
Now a data scientist at a regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency in Atlanta, Huang is actively applying his skills to improve the city’s infrastructure and living conditions. His work focuses on using data-driven insights to create sustainable and equitable urban environments for his community.
“I want to work for and with the people of my home city,” Huang states. “Urban planning has taught me that STEM possibilities alone cannot solve every planning problem, but they can play a big part in a lasting solution.”
As cities continue to grow and evolve, programs like Georgia Tech’s MSUA are essential in training the next generation of urban planners and data scientists who will shape the future of urban living.