January 09, 2020

Ohio State Launches Innovative Internship Program with Accenture in OSU’s Translational Data Analytics Institute

COLUMBUS, Ohio; Jan. 9, 2020 – Building on a more than 20-year history of successful partnership, The Ohio State University (OSU) and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) announced a new internship program with OSU’s Translational Data Analytics Institute (TDAI) to provide students hands-on, real-world experiences in the field of data and analytics.

“I am grateful for Accenture’s investment in our students and the extraordinary potential to work with this company to improve lives and make the world a better place,” said Michael V. Drake, president of The Ohio State University. “The academic and professional opportunities this partnership creates will benefit them, their future employers and the many communities they call home.”

TDAI is designed to address complex global problems by providing the space and tools for faculty, students, and industry and community partners to come together to create innovative solutions using data science and analytics. Accenture will work with TDAI as a foundational corporate partner, providing business expertise and generating research ideas while helping students build analytical skills and explore careers in data science.

“We will provide Ohio State students an immersive professional experience and enable them to apply data and analytics to solve real-world challenges,” said Josh Sandstrom, managing director in Accenture’s higher education and public sector practice. “Internships are an increasingly valuable pathway to a career in data and analytics, and we are excited to work with Ohio State students who share our passion for improving how the world works and lives.”

“Given the nature of Accenture’s business, our partnership will afford students an unparalleled opportunity to explore real-world data analytics challenges in a variety of application areas from public health to transportation to agriculture, among others,” said Cathie Smith, Managing Director of TDAI. “Accenture’s partnership with TDAI is well-aligned with our institute’s vision to be a hub of data science and analytics research, innovation, education and workforce development here in central Ohio.”

Prior to the initiative with TDAI, Accenture has supported a wide array of initiatives at Ohio State, including the Fisher College of Business and the College of Engineering in the company’s annual Innovation Challenge and sponsoring HackOHI/O and the Buckeye Undergraduate Consulting Club.

This new initiative comes amid Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign, the most ambitious, inclusive community-building and fundraising endeavor in the university’s 150 years of making history. The campaign, which launched publicly in October 2019, strives to engage one million supporters, an unprecedented level in higher education. Time and Change has a financial goal of $4.5 billion — also the largest in Ohio State’s history — with three core areas of focus: student success; discovery; and healthy, vibrant communities.

About the OSU Translational Data Analytics Institute
The OSU Translational Data Analytics Institute is a regional hub for team science and workforce development in data science and analytics, thanks in part to a significant investment by the state of Ohio. The institute’s faculty, who represent more than 50 different academic disciplines, work with industry and community partners to educate and train tomorrow’s data analytics workforce and create data-enriched solutions for societal challenges such as opioid addiction, climate-resilient agriculture and infant mortality. Learn more at tdai.osu.edu.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 505,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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Contacts:

Joe Dickie
Accenture
+1 512 694 6422
joseph.r.dickie@accenture.com

Cathie Smith
The Ohio State University
+1 614 292 7437
smith.4420@osu.edu