REU Site: Big Data Analytics

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

This new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site will train students in a computer science approach to data analytics, ranging from machine learning to data management, and develop research skills from primary research engagement and supplementary activities. Students will: (1) be exposed to the many applications of data analytics across computer science, (2) gain expertise via one specific project, and (3) be equipped with a technical competitive advantage, knowledge, and motivation to pursue graduate study in a STEM field. They will be deeply involved in projects that span a wide range of interests and have social appeal. This REU site will build national economic competitiveness by training and engaging a new generation of students, with a specific focus on women and on students from institutions without much access to research in STEM areas. Big data - the confluence of an ever growing supply of data generated across all fields and disciplines and increasingly powerful computational tools to process and mine these data - is widely acknowledged as one of the biggest opportunities and challenges of the 21st century. This site will give undergraduates a chance to engage in cutting-edge research in one of many computer science fields that utilizes data analysis. Each student will work with a single faculty mentor on a specific project. Students will participate in an intense, hands-on research experience associated with their own summer project, but they will enjoy a cohort community of REU students all working within and learning about data analytics. Students will learn the ways in which the intelligent use of data can solve difficult problems and improve people's quality of life. They will complete their time at the site with the skills to further the use of data analysis applied to the field of their choosing.