SIUE Grad School Names Butts-Wilmsmeyer as C-PAN Director
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Jerry Weinberg, PhD, has appointed Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer, PhD, as director for the new Center of Predictive Analytics (C-PAN). She assumed these new responsibilities on Aug. 26.
C-PAN is a University-wide research center, consisting of collaborating SIUE faculty who utilize state-of-the-art mathematical, statistical, computational, and machine learning tools and techniques to analyze data, produce predictions, and assess the probabilities of future events. C-PAN will forge relationships with businesses and governmental agencies to provide analysis of the multitude of data that these organizations collect to help them craft good policy and create effective practices.
“Every discipline, from scientific research to education to business, is becoming increasingly data-driven. C-PAN is one of the first university research centers in the nation seeking to address the question of how we turn this sea of data into impactful recommendations and results,” said Butts-Wilmsmeyer, a Princeton, Kentucky native. “As the first director, I hope to serve SIUE by both fostering synergistic collaborations on campus, and connecting our faculty members with industry and governmental partners to pursue mutually beneficial, multidisciplinary projects and real-world educational opportunities for our students.”
“C-PAN is SIUE’s new investment in a growing and important area of research and decision-making tool,” Weinberg said. “Dr. Butts-Wilmsmeyer’s expertise in data analytics is a perfect match for the Center. Her leadership experience in forming university collaborations and also connecting with various industries made her an excellent choice as the Center’s inaugural director.”
Butts-Wilmsmeyer arrives at SIUE after serving as a research assistant professor for the past two years in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Butts-Wilmsmeyer earned a bachelor’s in horticulture, plant and soil science at the University of Kentucky, and a PhD in crop sciences – statistical genetics and plant breeding at the University of Illinois.
Photo: Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer, director of the SIUE Center of Predictive Analytics.
