Lipscomb student wins Technology Student of the Year from Nashville Technology Council
Lacey Klotz |
The Nashville Technology Council recently named Lauren Gardiner, a senior data science major, Technology Student of the Year at the 8th Annual NTC Awards at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon on Jan. 26.
Mayor Megan Barry presented the keynote address to more than 600 attendees who represented more than 137 Nashville technology companies and cross-industry tech departments.
One of 14 categories, the Technology Student of the Year award is presented to the top tech student in the Middle Tennessee region who demonstrates academic excellence in a technology-related field of study.
As the inaugural student in Lipscomb’s data science program, housed in the College of Computing & Technology, Gardiner has helped to pioneer the program that was established in 2013 and focuses on the relationship between data, technology and people.
“Being recognized by the NTC and a tech community that is growing and actively trying to make this city a destination for technology companies and technology talent, is a real honor,” said Gardiner. “Receiving this award feels like a welcoming into my next phase of life.”
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Gardiner says she was first attracted to Lipscomb’s undergraduate program because she found that most schools did not offer a data science degree.
“Growing up, I’d always loved solving puzzles, was naturally good at math and science and loved people,” said Gardiner. “What I enjoy most about data science is collaborating with others to solve their problems and presenting stakeholders an analytical solution in a way they can easily understand and use. I love that I get to use a blend of technical, communication and analytical skills in this career field."
Throughout her four years at Lipscomb, Gardiner has taken a series of undergraduate and graduate courses. During her freshman year, she represented Lipscomb in the Deloitte Challenge, a competition in which university students are given three weeks to design, develop and present a working mobile application that solves a particular business problem.
She has also participated in Lipscomb’s Women in Technology of Tennessee program, a mentorship initiative that pairs students with women in the professional technology industry, where she was mentored by Saralyn Luehrsen, vice president of global IT governance at Schneider Electric, since 2015.
Gardiner says she first gained exposure to the NTC when she attended the Nashville Analytics Summit in December 2015.
“This summit was a very energizing and inspiring experience,” she said. “I got to do a lot of networking and had a chance to meet the CEO of Juice Analytics and went on to intern for Juice in spring 2016.”
Gardiner also interned with Chegg Inc. out of Santa Clara, California, this past summer and is currently interning with Juice again this semester.
Lauren has won several awards and honors throughout her time at Lipscomb including the College of Computing & Technology Outstanding Sophomore of the Year, and she is an Honors College Scholar, Presidential Scholarship recipient and is a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, the Presidential Ambassadors Council as well as the Student Government Association’s academic advising council.
“Lauren has been a true go-getter since the time she started her college work,” said Fortune Mhlanga, dean of the College of Computing & Technology. “Receiving this award from the Nashville Technology Council is a true testament to the dedicated and enthusiastic student she is, and it is that enthusiasm and continued interest in what she does that constitutes as valuable stimulus to her peers.”
Gardiner is the second Lipscomb student to win the Technology Student of the Year award. Mhlanga says this is a great complement to the College of Computing & Technology.
“The fact that another College of Computing & Technology student Cameron Lowry won the same award two years ago in 2015, speaks to the quality of CCT’s undergraduate program,” he said.
One of the other nominees for this year’s award was fellow Lipscomb student Cameron Davidson, a pharmacy student at Lipscomb who desires to reshape healthcare through health information technology.
The NTC Awards are dedicated to connecting, uniting, developing and promoting Middle Tennessee’s rich community of developers and technology entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and institutions. As a catalyst for the growth and influence of Middle Tennessee’s technology industry, NTC has devoted over 15 years to building Middle Tennessee’s tech community and has grown to dozens of member organizations across the region.
“The NTC Awards is an opportunity to celebrate our region’s tech leaders for the work they’ve done in Nashville’s technology community,” said Brian Moyer, NTC president and CEO. “Whether it’s a company, a team or an individual; a member of the ‘C-Suite,’ a developer or a community leader, the NTC Awards recognizes the people that are making Nashville the destination for creative and innovative technology and contributing to Middle Tennessee’s growth and prosperity.”
For more information on Lipscomb’s College of Computing & Technology, visit: www.lipscomb.edu/technology.