About 100 University of 

Michigan students, faculty 
and staff gathered Wednesday 
afternoon on the Diag to 
protest a speech to be given 

on campus later that night 
by Charles Murray, author 
of “The Bell Curve,” a book 
widely 
criticized 
for 
its 

attribution of intelligence and 
other genetic traits with race. 

Big data, data science and 

analytics were among the main 
topics discussed at the third 
annual Michigan Institute for 
Data Science daylong research 
symposium 
Wednesday 
at 

Rackham Auditorium and the 
Michigan League.

MIDAS is a product of the 

University of Michigan’s Data 
Science 
Initiative, 
an 
effort 

launched in 2015 to invest $100 
million in data science research 
and education across campus. 
Three years later, the symposium 
offered a chance for MIDAS to 
welcome leaders in data science 
research 
and 
showcase 
the 

work of University students and 
faculty.

The daylong event featured 

a lineup of speakers whose 
research 
in 
data 
science 

represented fields ranging from 
psychology to biostatistics.

Alfred 
Hero, 
co-director 

of MIDAS and professor of 
electrical 
engineering 
and 

computer science, spoke about 
how this diverse set of speakers 
aligns with the theme of the 
symposium, 
“A 
Data-Driven 

World: Potentials and Pitfalls.”

“This is the first time we have 

a theme that is really focused on 
a very broad basis of the future 
impact of data enabled scientific 
inquiry, data enabled commercial 
and lending practices and data in 
society in general,” Hero said.

Hero 
explained 
how 
the 

application of big data –– from 
transportation to the health 
sciences –– presents a similar 
challenge.

“Data is being collected about 

you and other people that is 
being used for purposes that 
nobody can predict,” he said.

These challenges were the 

focal point of the event as the 
five speakers, including the 
keynote speaker, data scientist 
Cathy O’Neil, grappled with the 

outlook for big data research 
applications and the potential 
difficulties that may arise.

Among the speakers was 

James Pennebaker, a University 
of Texas at Austin psychology 
professor, who discussed the 
integration of data analysis into 
his social psychology research 
of words. Pennebaker’s research 
applies data analysis of pronouns, 
articles and prepositions to 
environments such as trauma 

writing 
therapy, 
AOL 
chat 

rooms, college admissions essays 
and email correspondences. 

Pennebaker’s 
experience 

blending data science with social 
science research allowed him to 
gain insight into the dynamic 
between the two fields and how 
the future of data science is being 
shaped by collaboration.

“I think the best social 

psychology 
is 
now 
frankly 

Two University of Michigan 

professors 
are 
included 
in 

this year’s class of MacArthur 
Fellows, which in total comprises 
24 artists, writers, researchers 
and community leaders. The 
MacArthur 
Fellowships, 
also 

known as “genius grants,” are 
awarded to “talented individuals 
who have shown extraordinary 
originality and dedication in their 
creative pursuits and a marked 
capacity 
for 
self-direction,” 

according 
to 
the 
MacArthur 

Foundation website.

The $625,000 grants come 

with no strings attached, and are 
given simply “as an investment” 
in the potential of their recipients. 
Potential recipients are nominated 
by a pool of experts in various 
fields, and then a committee of a 
dozen chooses awardees.

In a statement, University 

President Mark Schlissel said the 
two researchers did important 
work to illuminate commonly 
overlooked areas of scholarship.

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, October 12, 2017

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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 9
©2017 The Michigan Daily

N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ARTS..............B-SECTION

S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

CROS SWO R D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Rackham student Bryan Remson takes the microphone from Charles Murray during his speech at the Palmer Commons on Wednesday. 

Event capacity limited to 200 attendees

ANDREW HIYAMA

Daily Staff Reporter

Palmer 
Commons 
was 

rocked Wednesday night by 
the presence and subsequent 
protests of Charles Murray, a 
controversial 
social 
scientist 

known for a correlation of race 

and IQ, a theory debunked 
widely over the years.

His co-authorship of the 1994 

book “The Bell Curve” draws 
connections 
between 
race, 

intelligence and socioeconomic 
status. 
Murray 
was 
invited 

to speak by the University of 
Michigan’s chapter of College 
Republicans and the American 

Enterprise Institute University 
of Michigan Executive Council. 
A 
week 
ago, 
posters 
with 

statistics inspired by Murray’s 
book were hung near Stockwell 
Residence Hall. Despite this, 
College Republicans still held 
the event as planned.

Prior to the speech, Palmer 

Commons 
was 
placed 
on 

lockdown by the Division of 
Public Safety and Security and 
the Ann Arbor police to ensure 
any 
protests 
that 
occurred 

would stay under control. 

Only the first 200 students 

and faculty of the University 
with 
valid 
Mcards 
were 

permitted into the event. People 

MORGAN SHOWEN

Daily Staff Reporter

CAMPUS LIFE

ANDREW HIYAMA

Daily Staff Reporter

JOHN YAEGER/Daily

Carol Flannagan participates in the MIDAS Research Initiatives Panel at the 2017 MIDAS Symposium at Rackham on 
Wednesday.

SHANNON ORS

For the Daily

The B-Side: Roots

An exploration of 
organizations and 

individuals who connect 
to their cultural heritage 

through art.

» Page 1B

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

See DATA, Page 2A

See MURRAY, Page 2A

AOL founder Steve Case took his 

nationwide tour “Rise of the Rest” 
to Ann Arbor Wednesday to bring 
new attention to startup businesses 
originating in non-coastal areas of 
the United States.

Rise of the Rest, an initiative 

made possible by Case’s company 
Revolution, 
is 
a 
nationwide 

tour seeking to work alongside 
entrepreneurs 
championing 

businesses in “startup ecosystems.” 
During its time in a city, the 
tour visits innovative startups, 
talks 
with 
business 
leaders 

and 
celebrates 
entrepreneurs 

within the community. A pitch 
competition is thrown at the end 
of the day, where eight companies 
compete for a $100,000 investment 
from Case.

According 
to 
Case, 

approximately 50 percent of all 
U.S. venture capitalist investment 
is allocated to California, home of 
Silicon Valley, while Michigan only 
receives 1 percent of investment. 
More than half of this 1 percent 
goes directly to Ann Arbor.

“Don’t feel like you need to be in 

Silicon Valley, there’s great things 

See ENTREPRENEUR, Page 2A

BUSINESS

CORY ZAYANCE
Daily Staff Reporter

PRASHANTH PANICKER/Daily

Troopers Walker and Mahaffie keep watch at the protest against Charles 
Murray speech in Palmer Commons on Wednesday.

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

Students take over Charles Murray speech in 
protest against racism, Palmer put on lockdown

Bell Curve author speaks on invitation from GOP groups calling for ‘free speech’

‘Genius’
profs. win
MacArthur 
2017 grants

History and Anthropology 
professors awarded the
$625,000 fellowships

Data science symposium showcases 
innovation in analytics, management

Michigan Institute for Data Science hosts faculty, students for daylong event

Company
owner talks 
success in
businesses 

AOL founder Steve Case
highlighted startup culture 
growing in Rustbelt states