REU SITE: DATA SCIENCE RESEARCH FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES IN THE DIGITAL AGE

在社区健康分析领域的数据科学跨学科领域中，关键应用正在出现。然而，尽管数据科学对社区的潜在影响很大，但没有足够的机会让本科教育和研究沉浸在数据科学中。支持数字时代的社区依赖于从机器学习、人工智能到大数据技术的全面数据科学解决方案。 通过跨学科团队，该项目的参与者提高了数据科学的最新水平，以解决现实世界的问题，从个性化的健康和福祉，心理健康筛查工具的公共卫生，感染传播的早期警报，到环境和交通改善。这个本科生研究经验（REU）网站有助于通过培训学生获得数据科学技能来维持我们社区的创新经济。该网站提供了访问数据科学研究的机会，否则非常有限。一个目标是提高女学生和代表性不足的群体，如非裔美国人在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）专业的保留。众所周知，本科研究项目可以提高学生在课堂上不会遇到的人际交往，专业网络和研究技能，并鼓励学生找到自己的兴趣并认真考虑研究生学习。这个REU网站是自2016年以来由伍斯特理工学院数据科学计划成功运营的数据科学REU网站的延续。这个新网站为来自全国各地不同地理位置的30名学生提供了充满活力的科研项目和本科生导师。为REU参与者提供全面的支持，从密切的研究指导到专业发展。学生们有机会与来自数据科学顾问委员会的专业人士、来自谷歌、MathWorks和MITRE公司等不同公司和组织的校友和行业合作伙伴建立联系，从而鼓励他们在职业生涯中追求数据科学。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Critical applications are emerging in the interdisciplinary field of Data Science in the area of community health analytics. Yet despite the high potential impacts of data science on the community, not enough opportunities for undergraduate education and research immersion in data science are available. Supporting communities in the digital age rests on comprehensive data science solutions from machine learning, artificial intelligence to big data technologies. With an interdisciplinary team, participants in this project improve the state-of-art in data science to solve real-world problems from personalized health and well-being, public health by mental health screening tools, early alerts for infection spread, to environmental and transportation improvements. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site helps to sustain our community's innovation-based economy by training students to acquire data science skills. This site provides access to data science research opportunities otherwise extremely limited. A goal is to boost retention of female students and underrepresented groups such as African Americans in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professions. Undergraduate research programs are known to improve students' interpersonal communication, professional networking, and research skills that they would not encounter in the classroom, and to encourage students to find their interest and seriously consider graduate studies. This REU site is a continuation of an REU site in Data Science successfully operated by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Data Science program since 2016. This new site offers 30 additional students from a range of geographically diverse locations around the country access to vibrant scientific research projects and undergraduate mentorship. Comprehensive support for the REU participants, from close research mentoring to professional development, are provided. Students have the opportunity to network with professionals from the data science advisory board, alumni and industrial partners from companies and organizations as diverse as Google, MathWorks, and MITRE Corporation, thereby encouraging them to pursue Data Science in their careers.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.