VSU's Data Science for the Public Good Program
About
VSU's Data Science for the Public Good (DSPG) program provides training in the use of data science to address real world issues through summer student projects and through engagement with Virginia Cooperative Extension. The student summer projects will be focused on analysis of data provided by community stakeholders. These 10-week projects are intended to (i) provide graduate and undergraduate students with collaborative data science research experiences in real-world settings; and (ii) provide community stakeholders with data science analyses relevant to a specific issue of interest. All students will participate in a two-week data skills course at the start of the 10-week period and present their results at a symposium at the close of the program.
The program will fund 2 graduate students and 3 undergraduate students for the summer of 2020. For graduate students, the program dates are May 26-Aug 7. For undergraduate students, the program dates are June 1-Aug 7. Undergraduates will receive a $4000 stipend and graduate students will receive $6000. The DSPG program was developed in collaboration with the University of VA, VA Tech, Oregon State University, and Iowa State University as part of the Three State Data for the Public Good project.
Who can apply
All applicants must be enrolled at VSU. Graduate students should have a planned graduation date of Spring 2021 or later. Undergraduate students should be entering their sophomore or junior year in Fall 2020. The research teams for the summer projects will be interdisciplinary and collaborative, so all majors are welcome to apply. Students from the Department of Agriculture are specifically invited to apply.
How to apply
Fill out the application form here. As part of the application process, you will need to upload a pdf copy of their VSU transcript (unofficial is fine) and resume or CV. You will also need to write a statement describing your interest in the DSPG program and have 2 letters of reference emailed to bsayre@vsu.edu.
Applications are due by Jan 31, 2020.
For questions, email Dr. Brian Sayre at bsayre@vsu.edu.
Other related opportunities
University of Virginia DSPG Young Scholars Program https://biocomplexity.virginia.edu/social-decision-analytics/dspg-program