Portland, Oregon
June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024
June 26, 2024
Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
14
10.18260/1-2--47000
https://peer.asee.org/47000
68
Valentina (Valya) Kuskova is Professor of the Practice and Associate Director at Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society at University of Notre Dame. Her expertise is advanced data analytics, especially time-series analysis and networks.
Kuskova has extensive corporate and academic experience. After an MBA from Boise State University she had worked in a variety of corporate roles, from programmer/analyst to senior strategic planning analyst at major Fortune-200 companies. Following a master’s in applied statistics and a PhD in business and decision sciences (both from Indiana University, Bloomington) she had spent over 10 years in academia. In addition to academic responsibilities of research and teaching, she was the founding director of a network-analytic think tank, and founded and supervised two master’s programs in advanced analytics. She has a lot of experience working for corporate clients such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Volkswagen, Association of European Business, and many others, where she has held the roles of PI, co-PI, or advanced analytics methodologist. She is passionate about using science for the benefit of industry and society.
Associate Professor of the Practice, Environmental Change Initiative
Dr. Wood received her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds her B.S. from Purdue University. She is a transdisciplinary researcher, with research interests including evaluation in complex settings, community engagement and co-production, and research translation at the socio-technical nexus.
Interdisciplinary Traineeship for Socially Responsible and Engaged Data Scientists (iTREDS) program trains undergraduate students at the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College in data science through a lens of social responsibility and community engagement, including rigor and responsibility, ethics, society, and policy. The mission of the two-year iTREDS program is to educate the next generation of data scientists in a way that ensure ethics and social responsibility are intertwined with delivering data-driven solutions in the real world. Students are encouraged to produce impactful and equitable solutions while appreciating the ethical implications of data science innovation and results. Entering its fourth year, the NSF-funded (award number 1924279) iTREDS program stands tall as a remarkable tale of achievement and impact. Not only does it boast an impressive rate of women and minority participation for when compared to other data science programs, but also many student capstone projects are informed by real-life problems and are implemented to make a real difference. Envisioning the future, we set out to create an exceptional data science education program that not only empowers students to harness the potential of data and technology but also cultivates their ability to contemplate its impact on society. Thus, iTREDS was born—an embodiment of this visionary idea. Through an interdisciplinary and hands-on learning approach, we foster collaboration between students and stakeholders to tackle data-driven challenges while honing essential skills within a well-structured curriculum. At its core, iTREDS embraces the convergence of data-centered and human-centered methodologies. The iTREDS program encompasses a range of carefully crafted objectives: 1. A comprehensive data science curriculum that fosters data acumen and provides interdisciplinary experiential learning opportunities, with a focus on creating a positive societal impact. 2. A year-long capstone project that serves as a tangible framework for experiential learning and showcases the utility and value of data science in driving positive change in society. 3. Programming that nurtures the principles of design thinking and encourages students to collaborate closely with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of expertise, thereby enabling collective and innovative problem-solving. 4. A curriculum infused with a strong emphasis on data ethics, ensuring students develop a keen sense of responsibility and ethical awareness while working with data. 5. Enhanced professional development for undergraduate students that enables them to communicate complex concepts effectively to decision-makers and the broader public. Valuable practicum opportunities through internships that allow students to gain real world experience and apply their knowledge in practical settings. This paper reports on the accomplishments of the program over the four cohorts, presents lessons learned, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations for incorporating elements of iTREDS into data science curriculum at other universities or programs.
Kuskova, V., & Chawla, N., & Chawla, S., & Wood, D., & Conrado, A. (2024, June), Board 411: Training Socially Responsible and Engaged Data Scientists: Lessons from Four Student Cohorts Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47000
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