Proud UW-Milwaukee Faculty-Student Team Wins NMDSI Student Scholars Award

**Proud UW‑Milwaukee Faculty‑Student Team Wins NMDSI Student Scholars Award**

**Introduction**
The University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee (UW‑Milwaukee) celebrated a notable achievement this week as a collaborative faculty‑student team captured the NMDSI Student Scholars Award. Presented by the National Modeling and Data Science Institute (NMDSI), the honor recognizes outstanding research that blends academic rigor with real‑world data‑driven solutions. The winning project, which focused on predictive analytics for urban water management, underscores the growing impact of interdisciplinary partnerships in higher education.

**Key Developments**
Led by Dr. Laura Hernandez, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and senior undergraduate researcher Malik Patel, the team developed a machine‑learning model that forecasts short‑term water demand fluctuations using sensor data from Milwaukee’s municipal infrastructure. Over six months, the group processed more than 2 million data points, refined algorithms to reduce prediction error by 18 %, and produced a prototype dashboard now being piloted by the city’s public works department. The NMDSI selection committee highlighted the project’s technical innovation, clear societal benefit, and the effective mentorship demonstrated by the faculty‑student collaboration.

**Industry Analysis**
The award reflects a broader trend in which universities are becoming incubators for applied data science that directly serves municipal needs. According to a 2024 report by the Data Science Council, 62 % of mid‑size cities are investing in predictive analytics to improve resource allocation, yet many lack the internal expertise to build and sustain such tools. UW‑Milwaukee’s success illustrates how academic partnerships can bridge this gap, offering municipalities access to cutting‑edge research while providing students with experiential learning that enhances employability. Moreover, the NMDSI award signals growing recognition for projects that prioritize transparency and reproducibility—criteria increasingly valued by both public agencies and private technology firms.

**Future Outlook**
Building on this momentum, the team plans to expand the model’s scope to incorporate climate‑change scenarios and to integrate real‑time weather feeds. Dr. Hernandez has submitted a follow‑up grant proposal to the National Science Foundation aimed at scaling the dashboard to other Great Lakes municipalities. For Malik Patel, the

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