Data Science Program with Career Support and Connections to Industry

美国国家科学基金会的加速发现：教育未来的STEM劳动力支持能够定位未来STEM劳动力的努力，以便在美国国家科学基金会的大创意中取得大胆进展（https://www.nsf.gov/about/congress/115/10bigideas.jsp）。这个加速发现项目将通过开发一个新的数据科学跨学科劳动力培训计划来支持“利用数据革命”大理念。该计划将包括课程作业，与公共和私营部门新兴数据分析需求相关的研究项目，以及数学本科生的职业发展。新数据科学项目的总体目标是增加数学专业的学生数量，包括来自STEM中代表性不足的人群的学生，他们进入数据科学工作队伍。加州州立大学北岭分校招收近4万名学生，其中78%的学生获得经济援助。对这些学生中的许多人来说，大学是通往就业和经济保障的途径。然而，除了K-12教育或数学研究生学习之外，许多数学专业的学生感到在职业选择方面没有得到支持。这个项目将帮助他们探索数据科学如何引导他们在工业、政府和非营利组织的职业生涯。这个项目有潜力帮助发展国家数据科学劳动力。拟议中的数据科学项目将针对STEM专业的本科生，特别是应用数学和统计专业的学生。该项目有四个目标。1)开发一门数据科学课程，以翻转格式授课。课堂时间将侧重于学习工业所需的技术技能。2)培养学生一年的数据科学研究经验。3)与数据科学从业者开展职业研讨会和研讨会，并与受雇于行业或政府机构的数据科学家建立联系。4)加强数学系与当地工业和政府机构之间的互动，以确定就业所需的技能。这种互动将有助于建立一个有兴趣雇用毕业生的雇主网络和一个学生行业职业跟踪系统。从长远来看，这种与行业的接触将支持实习到职业网络的发展。学生跟踪机制将成为该部门审查过程的一部分。研究该项目如何改善学生的招聘、保留和进入数据科学劳动力市场，将为建立与潜在雇主联系的数据科学项目提供新的知识。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The NSF's Accelerating Discovery: Educating the Future STEM Workforce supports efforts that can position the future STEM workforce to make bold advances in the NSF Big Ideas (https://www.nsf.gov/about/congress/115/10bigideas.jsp). This Accelerating Discovery project will support the Harnessing the Data Revolution Big Idea by developing a new interdisciplinary workforce training program in Data Science. This program will include course work, research projects linked to emerging data analysis needs in the public and private sectors, and career development for undergraduates in mathematics. The overall goal of the new data science program is to increase the numbers of math majors, including students from populations that are underrepresented in STEM, who enter the data science workforce. California State University Northridge enrolls nearly 40,000 students, 78% of whom receive financial aid. For many of these students, college is a pathway to employment and economic security. However, many math majors feel unsupported in career options other than K-12 education or graduate studies in mathematics. This project will help them explore how data science can lead to careers in industry, government, and non-profit organizations. This project has the potential to help grow the national data science workforce. The proposed data science program will target STEM undergraduates, particularly applied mathematics and statistics majors. The project has four goals. 1) Develop a data science course, given in flipped-format. Class time will focus on learning technical skills needed in industry. 2) Develop a year-long data science research experience for students. 3) Develop career workshops, seminars with data science practitioners, and links to data scientists employed in industry or government agencies. 4) Enhance interaction between mathematics faculty and local industry and government agencies to define the skills needed for employment. This interaction will help create an employer network interested in hiring the graduates and a student tracking system for industry careers. Over the longer term, this engagement with industry will support a development of an internship-to-career network. The student tracking mechanism will become part of the department's review process. Research on how this program improves student recruitment, retention, and entry into the data science workforce will provide new knowledge about building data science programs that link to potential employers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.