The first of the interdisciplinary conference series organized to introduce the "Data Science and Analytics" undergraduate program opened in the 2024-2025 academic year at Sabancı University was held on October 1, 2024, on the Sabancı University Tuzla Campus. The guest of the first conference, famous orchestra conductor Cem Mansur, gave a presentation entitled "Harmony of Data, Unchanging Messages in a Changing World."
The conference began with the opening speech of Sabancı University President Yusuf Leblebici, who emphasized that Sabancı University will meet the needs in this field with its new program. Stating that data can be expressed not only through digital symbols but also through different forms such as music, Yusuf Leblebici said, "Data does not necessarily have to consist of 0s and 1s. Musical notes can also be data indicators," and underlined the connection Mansur made from music to data science, before giving the floor to Cem Mansur.
Mansur elaborated on the intersections of the world of music and data science, addressing the harmony of data in music and the constant messages of music in a changing world. In his speech, Cem Mansur, who explained the relationship of music with data throughout history and how this relationship has evolved until today, stated that music is actually a mathematical and structural order, while talking about the relationship of data with music. He particularly drew attention to the similarities between the mathematical foundations of polyphonic music, as well as forms such as fugue and the way data is processed. Mansur compared the mathematical relationship created by the rhythmic structure, frequencies, and order of notes of music with data, referring to Bertrand Russell’s words, “Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty”. He further stated that the mathematical order in music was inspired by this beauty.
Mansur also emphasized that music is not only an emotional thing, but also a structure based on data, and that this structure brings people together. Stating that music is a universal language for all of humanity, Mansur stated that reading notes can actually be seen as a type of data analysis in the early stages. He emphasized that if we can still play and understand a piece written centuries ago, this shows that music is universal data and that this data has not lost its meaning despite the changing world.
Throughout the conference, Cem Mansur addressed the interesting intersections between the music world and data science, and gave examples of how these two fields complement each other. The parallels he drew between the universality of music and the functioning of data science were received with strong interest by the audience. At the end of the conference, Cem Mansur answered questions from the participants and shared in-depth information on the connections between music and data science.