MS in Applied Data Science Students Put Data Science Skills to Work Over the Summer
From Fortune 500 companies to federal space agencies, students in the University of Chicago’s Master’s in Applied Data Science (MS-ADS) program spent this summer applying classroom knowledge to real-world impact. Whether building agentic AI tools, analyzing orbital patterns to prevent satellite collisions, or transforming spreadsheets into strategic dashboards, these students brought data to life across industries.
The MS-ADS program caught up with four students to learn more about what they worked on and how the MS-ADS program prepared them to take on the challenge.
Sakshi Bokil | JLL | Data Analyst Intern, Global Internal Audit
At real estate giant JLL, Sakshi Bokil spent her summer internship working at the intersection of automation and AI. “My internship had two aspects,” she explained, “first, automating key Internal Audit processes using agentic AI and deploying these AI as scalable services; and second, analyzing audit data to uncover insights that can drive informed decision-making.”
Sakshi credits multiple MS-ADS courses—like Big Data and Cloud Computing—for sharpening her Python and SQL skills, which she used regularly during her internship. The Leadership and Consulting course, she said, gave her the ability to connect data with business strategy. “The program’s emphasis on current innovations has kept me well-informed about emerging technologies like agentic AI, helping me stay on top of my game at JLL,” she said. Her internship reaffirmed her desire to work on AI-powered products that drive real impact and innovation.
Vincent Chirio | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | AI/ML Intern 
Vincent Chirio spent his summer at NASA—yes, that NASA—supporting the Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis (CARA) team to help prevent satellite collisions in Earth’s orbit. “I’ve been analyzing historical data to investigate patterns in the evolution of uncertainty during close approaches between satellites and other objects,” he said. “I’m working on developing a prototype of a model that predicts future orbital states and evaluates collision risk using deep learning.”
Vincent’s work draws heavily from MS-ADS courses like Bayesian Machine Learning and Advanced Computer Vision, where he gained hands-on experience with PyTorch and TensorFlow. “The program’s emphasis on the soft skills of data science in addition to the technical side was extremely helpful,” he said. “In courses like Machine Learning and Leadership and Consulting, I was able to develop better communication skills and understand the practical applications of technical tools, which allowed me to much more effectively engage with a broad range of backgrounds.” His experience at NASA sparked a new interest in the aerospace industry—an area he hadn’t considered before, but now sees as a compelling path forward.
Zeel Patel | 1871 | Innovation Labs Intern
At Chicago’s leading startup incubator, 1871, Zeel Patel directed the Google for Startups x 1871 Gemini Sprint, a one-day AI innovation event with 120 participants from more than 50 startups, helping teams integrate Google’s Gemini into their workflows. She is also building a data pipeline to track KPIs for more than 100 startups, as well as developing an AI chatbot for 1871’s community portal to cut onboarding queries by 50 percent and boost member engagement.
“The MS-ADS program trained me to work across the entire data science lifecycle,” she said. “That mirrors my work at 1871, where I’m often combining analytical models with clear communication to guide decision-making.” Looking ahead, Patel hopes to continue building data products and AI tools that drive engagement and enable faster, smarter collaboration and workflows—an ambition shaped by her interest in the intersection of data science, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Joshua Wang | BMO | Salesforce Program Support Intern
This summer, Joshua Wang interned at BMO, where he was brought in to modernize the team’s analytics capabilities. His primary focus was turning massive Excel files into actionable dashboards using Power BI and Tableau. “Every month, my team gets huge reports with business banking customer info by branch,” he said. “I built dashboards in Power BI that helped visualize customer and branch data, which my team used to support hiring strategies and optimize resource allocation.”
Wang applied many concepts from the MS-ADS Leadership and Consulting course, which prepared him to identify key metrics, communicate recommendations, and build presentation-ready dashboards. “It was really rewarding to hear that my dashboard helped the BMO team quickly understand the data and make more informed decisions,” he said. “The positive feedback I received gave me a strong sense of accomplishment.” He also believes the program helped him stand out in the interview process, especially when discussing past projects and showing initiative. “I’d advise other students to really know their projects well and be ready to explain their thought process. Also, be open to learning new tools on the job and talk to classmates—you never know who might help you down the line.”
Building a Bridge from Coursework to Career
The summer’s work offered a glimpse of what comes next. Armed with technical expertise and the ability to turn data into strategy, MS in Applied Data Science students are poised to take on complex challenges and deliver results across industries.