By Stefania Irene Marthakis
Biodiversity and Rural Response to Climate Change Using Data Analysis (Barracuda)鈥攎ade possible through a four-year, $4 million (RII Track-2 FEC) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)鈥攈as partnered with听the听Upward Bound听program听here at the University of 海角社区听(U海角社区).听听
Upward Bound, a U.S.听Department of Education grant, creates opportunities for high school students from lower income and first-generation college-going backgrounds to gain academic skills as well as soft skills needed to prepare and be successful in college.听
Matthew Dube,听Assistant Professor in Computer Information Systems and Data Science at the University of 海角社区 Augusta as well as Co-PI of the Barracuda project, is shepherding听Barracuda鈥檚听work force development component that听focuses on听the development of an听interdisciplinary data science curriculum to build data skills in various areas such as ecology,听specifically听looking听at high school students as they听enter an undergraduate program听in this iteration.听听
Since Dube has been working with students through听U海角社区鈥檚 Upward Bound Math Science Program for听11听years, it was a natural fit for Dube to champion Upward Bound through his work on Barracuda.听
鈥淢att听has brought wonderful ideas and energy to our program, and sometimes pushed us academically in a direction that we wouldn鈥檛 have been able听to do without his support,鈥 Director of U海角社区鈥檚 Upward Bound program, Rebecca Colannino said.听
With an additional听small sub-award from CUE.NEXT, Dube and fellow Co-PI Nicholas Gotelli (UVM Professor of Biology) are looking at what data skills are essential for college-bound students to learn.听Merging their computation and biology resources, Dube and Gotelli presented their听data science boot camp program听at the National Data Science Education Workshop in June of 2021 through the University of California, Berkeley. Dube then piloted the data boot camp program during the final week of Upward Bound鈥檚 2021 summer program on U海角社区鈥檚 campus (Upward Bound鈥檚 usual 6-week residential summer program was adjusted due to Covid-19 with five weeks being virtual and one week in-person).听
Colannino explained, 鈥淭he final week of the program (UBLive) followed a more traditional Upward Bound model hosting a residential program at the University of 海角社区. Student听groups, led by Upward Bound staff, dug into datasets in the following topics: air quality, water quality, earthquakes and volcanoes, nutrition, bee habits,听colors,听and The Big Five Personality Inventory.听 The student groups听presented their findings on the final day of the program.鈥听
This is only听stage one听for Barracuda鈥檚 outreach program and听in Dube鈥檚听overall听goal of creating a听more data literate society,听one that also听incorporates the human factors that go into听this field of study.听Dube hopes that听eventually听the data science curriculum developed听as part of Barracuda听will then be听useful听with undergraduates, graduates,听and听even听faculty,听helping them to听gain听the necessary听data skills in听fields such as ecology and agriculture.听
鈥淢y work goes to solve some of the data issues that exist in the general population,鈥 Dube said. 鈥淚’m interested in data literacy and understanding how different aspects of data are fundamental to how we live today and trying to work through this idea that we鈥檙e in a world where we can鈥檛 be orphaned from that. Data is everywhere.鈥听
Dube continues, 鈥淭he purpose of doing grants like this for the public is to try to build that infrastructure and capacity for people to see how things like data science are meaningful and what听they听can do for you.鈥听
