# Dakota Wesleyan Professor Advances Data Analytics With AI - GovTech

*Источник: GovTech*
*Дата: 2026-07-27*
*Язык: en*

**Кратко:** He has years of experience doing this, but a few years ago he began experimenting with artificial intelligence as a way to improve the efficiency of his research. Specifically, he started using it to produce programming code to analyze that data.

He has years of experience doing this, but a few years ago he began experimenting with artificial intelligence as a way to improve the efficiency of his research. Specifically, he started using it to produce programming code to analyze that data.
Throughout that process, he has learned at least one thing: using AI to code programs for analyzing data is a game-changer.
"Light years. It's a light-year difference," Patrick told the Mitchell Republic in a recent interview. "I mean, if it hadn't been for being able to do that coding, then I would have to be trying to find programs to do this sort of thing."
Patrick, a professor of biology at DWU, has for years conducted research on comparative mitochondrial genomics of spiders.
He focuses primarily on how mitochondrial genomes function and evolve across different species of arachnids, and like most scientific work, the studies require the analysis of massive amounts of data.
Before electronic computers became commonplace, in the early 20th century and before, much of scientific data analysis was done by hand or with mechanical aids. This slower, more labor-intensive process often limited the questions researchers could explore. The arrival of electronic computers later in the century dramatically sped up that work.
Now, with the proliferation of artificial intelligence, researchers like Patrick are embracing AI systems like Boodlebox and, more specifically, Claude, to create programming code that can be customized to specific research subjects and goals.
Patrick described his field as requiring the skills of a "poor man's statistician." He also had some background in coding from his youth. Later as a professional, he found that he had to learn to code to perform the complex statistical analyses required for his work. He often needed to build his own custom programs to format and process specific datasets because off-the-shelf software was either too expensive, lacked specific functionality or was simply not available for his needs.
He began experimenting with ChatGPT to generate Python language code, and found it useful but plagued by misinformation and AI "hallucinations," limiting its effectiveness.
That began to change with Dakota Wesleyan's recent adoption of Boodlebox, an AI-powered collaboration platform designed for the education world that allows users to work with multiple AI models in one workspace. Faculty have been onboarding the new platform this summer and it will be openly available to all DWU students this fall.
Patrick found a combination of Boodlebox, which had its limitations but could be used as a central hub for smaller, modular tasks, and a full subscription version of Claude, an AI known as an efficient programming code generator, got him the type of results he was looking for.
"I've been able to take the stuff that I was not able to do before or was hesitant to do before, and now I can actually take that much further. Boodlebox got me that far. And then when I hit those limitations ... that's when I actually went back and actually bought a subscription to Claude," Patrick said.
Now Patrick generates programs more than 3,000 lines long that can help him produce publication-worthy studies. He was in the process of testing a section of that very code earlier this week, a process that would take several days because of the massive amounts of data he needed broken down by the program.
As he continues to work with Boodlebox and Claude, he expects he will at some point upload his completed, streamlined code to online community resources like GitHub. There, other researchers will be able to access and use the code he has developed.
"So when I'm building these programs, I'm actually building readme files to go with them just like a professional would do," Patrick said. "And the idea is eventually that these will go out and be made public (at) GitHub, which is one of those places where you can put up these sorts of programs and give them an open code and that sort of thing so people can go in and use them, download them."
As he dives deep into what the muscle of AI can do for his research, Patrick is also adopting a hybrid approach to how he uses the technology in the classroom. While the advantages of a campus-wide AI platform like Boodlebox are clear, there are some aspects of the educational experience that still work best under traditional conditions.
One way he is doing that is by implementing more device-free, handwritten assignments. This forces students to engage their own thinking processes rather than relying on an AI output and creates a separation between digital tools and independent critical thinking.
"I've been doing a lot more in-class assignments with devices closed. Because I want to know what the student thinks, not what the bot thinks. And the only way to do that is to make them close the device and then actually physically write it down," Patrick said. "And they're like — well, I can type so much faster. Well, that's okay. We have time. Write. I want you to physically write."
Patrick sees the AI blooming at Dakota Wesleyan as an excellent tool to use in hard science research and is looking forward to seeing where the technology takes him and his students.
Julie Brookbank, associate director of communications for Dakota Wesleyan, said the school is also looking forward to seeing how professors and students embrace Boodlebox and the wider AI world when the fall semester starts. Patrick and his research work are a great example of what can be achieved with the technology.
The opportunities for unique learning are almost endless, she said. It's just a matter of getting to know the technology like Patrick has.
"I don't think that there's any limit to what they're going to be able to do, but they have to really get into that sort of experimental mind, that give and take," Brookbank said. "(But) you've got to play with it, you've got to mess with it, have conversations with it."
© 2026 The Daily Republic (Mitchell, S.D.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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