Binghamton University student explores machine learning, AI while earning MBA

Ryan Floyd’s interest in how machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) will change the future of business was sparked not in class, but in his side gig.

“I DJ’d on the side during college and wanted to make a website to market some of my stuff,” said Floyd ’17, MBA ’18. “The problem was that I had never written a line of code in my life.”

Floyd, from Cicero, N.Y., turned to the internet to learn coding 101 and was fascinated by its potential as he thought about his post-college career.

An accounting major during his undergraduate years at Binghamton University’s School of Management, Floyd originally planned to pursue a master’s in accounting. But as his interest in all things tech continued to grow, he instead decided to pursue an MBA.

“I believe that people shouldn’t just be learning to get a grade or a degree,” Floyd said. “Binghamton’s MBA program had the flexibility that would allow me to focus on my interests while also getting a broader education. And I’d be able to complete the program in only a year. It was the best decision I could’ve made.”

Floyd, who concentrated in management information systems, said the two most influential classes he took were during his first semester of grad school.

Essentials of Programming with adjunct lecturer Ray Barnes, was the first programming class he had ever taken.

“I absolutely loved it. I finished all of the material within a month and a half, and I was actually looking forward to the tests and quizzes,” he said, laughing.

The second was Introduction to E-Business with Associate Professor Surinder Kahai, in which he was introduced to the broader world of machine learning and AI.

“My passion for music had led to another passion, and I found myself digging more and more into how every industry, from healthcare to government, is going to be impacted,” Floyd said. “It was all really exciting, and as I started to think about what part I could play in it, deep down I knew I wanted to do something new and something great.”

Kahai’s influence went beyond just the E-Business class — he became Floyd’s mentor.

“Students don’t want to waste their time. They want to feel that what they are learning is worthwhile,” Kahai said. “Students get excited when they feel they can add value to society, and that’s what I saw in Ryan as he began to ask me more and more questions about the technology we talked about in class.”

Floyd took a project course with Kahai during the spring semester and had multiple conversations with him about the future of business. Floyd also took online courses in machine learning and had an internship with Binghamton University’s Telecommunications Department.

Kahai said the combination of Floyd’s knowledge in both accounting and the emerging world of machine learning puts him at an advantage.

“This technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Kahai said. “There are always problems within business that need to be addressed, and information technology can help with that. Ryan has a wonderful opportunity to apply his combined knowledge of business and tech to real issues.”

As Floyd begins his career at an accounting firm in Syracuse, he is eager to start finding ways to tackle those real issues with cutting-edge solutions.

“Binghamton gave me the freedom to learn what I wanted to learn while providing the resources and mentors necessary to achieve my goals, all at a very reasonable cost and a fantastic value. It really pushed me in the direction I wanted to go,” he said.

And just because he’s done with college doesn’t mean he’s done with learning.

“The opportunities that machine learning provides are endless, and there is still so much left to explore.”