MHC Student Austin Krauza ‘16 presents Research at MIT and Albany, on Fuzzy Clustering Algorithms for Data Analysis

At 21 years old, Austin Krauza is already an accomplished researcher. The College of Staten Island (CSI) Computer Science major, with an interest in business and data analytics, recently authored a paper under the mentorship of Dr. Natacha Gueorguieva, which he presented at the 2015 IEEE Research Conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA this past November. Krauza’s was one of only 20 papers accepted, and he also presented similar research to lawmakers in Albany in February. The student also co-wrote a paper that was presented at the 14th IEEE International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications in Miami, FL in December and he has several journal articles to be published in the coming months.

The Monsignor Farrell High School graduate works with CSI professors in a wide variety of disciplines, assisting with various research projects, and he is enthusiastic about his academic career at the College.

“Attending the College of Staten Island has been a fantastic experience. From the time I stepped foot onto the campus, the professors were there opening doors into the world, introducing me and my peers into an uncharted world,” said Krauza.

Maintaining a 3.8 GPA, Krauza is pursuing the Advanced Certificate in Business Analytics of Large-Scale Data offered by the School of Business, which he expects to complete in 2016. In his sophomore year, he began working with Dr. Gueorguieva in the Department of Computer Science to conduct research in the field of Fuzzy Clustering Algorithms for Data Analysis. This research has several applications in the medical, law enforcement, and fraud-detection fields. The applications can be used to find patterns and cluster them within a large data set.

Krauza also works with Dr. Jonathan Peters, Dr. Michael Kress, and Nora Santiago at the CUNY High-Performance Computing Center (HPCC) and Social Policy Simulation Center at the College. In addition, the Great Kills resident worked on a mini-research project for his class in the field of New York State (NYS) Statewide Exam Scores and presented to professors from several senior CUNY colleges.

His areas of research focus on large-scale data sets (such as transportation and tolling) where the record count can exceed 210 million records. Such data sets require special processing using the various super-computing clusters located on site at the College. Some additional research projects include semantic and text analysis of unstructured data sources (such as social media networks, primarily Twitter) and the use of various Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and visualization packages to present often complex data sets in a more understandable format.

Krauza is the recipient of two undergraduate mini-technology research grants and an undergraduate research grant. He was also named a Revson Scholar by the Macaulay Honors College.

The student credits Dr. Charles Liu, Lisa French, and Anita Romano at the Macaulay Honors College for much of his success. “Both Anita and Lisa work tirelessly with each and every student, providing them with guidance and advisement, helping students discover the various opportunities that exist inside and outside of campus. Without this fantastic team, the Macaulay Honors College would not be what it is and would not be able to produce such amazing college graduates,” said Krauza, pointing out that Dr. Liu and Romano introduced him to Dr. Peters, whom he assists with various research projects.

Adding to the breadth of his college experiences, Krauza traveled to Australia in December 2015 to study cross-cultural business management. The study abroad trip, sponsored by Queens College, allowed him to study at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS). Krauza also enjoys running and plans to run a half marathon in the coming months.

Austin has even already accepted an offer from Verizon Wireless to work as a Data Scientist for their Call Center Operations team in Warren, NJ upon graduation in June 2016. His focus will be working with various teams and departments, and data sources to improve company performance in their United States and worldwide centers. He would like to pursue his Master’s of Science in either Data Analysis or Statistics and possibly a PhD. He also hopes to be able to take the refined skills and abilities that he gains in private industry and assist local social policy groups, such as the Community Education Council (CEC). Eventually, Krauza hopes to be able to come back and share his experiences in the field of data by becoming a professor at CSI.

“Teaching and mentoring others has always been a passion for me,” noted Krauza, who also tutors Macaulay Honors students. “Moving back into the world of academia would allow me to work hands on in the field that I love and pass my knowledge on to others.”