REU SITE: Data Science Research for Safe, Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Undergraduate Experience (REU) program provides students the opportunity to perform interdisciplinary research in WPI's Department of Computer Science and in particular in the Data Science program focusing on societal challenges in cyber security, healthcare, and sustainability - all interlinked concerns of critical national importance. Cities in the 21st century, including the City of Worcester and its surrounding communities, are plagued by many urban challenges from pollution to traffic congestion. This project will drive the vision of empowering citizens and organizations by supporting data-driven policy making. We will provide a unique educational research experience for undergraduate students from under-represented groups by exposing them to projects through which they tackle critical societal challenges via data science. By giving students the opportunity to apply their education toward improving the quality of life for individuals in their community, we will show them the power of data science in the real world. This will pique their interest in pursuing further education in this important STEM discipline, thus contributing to the STEM workforce and the US economic prosperity. There are limited undergraduate research opportunities in Data Science despite its recognition as a critical STEM skill set criteria. The goal of our REU program is to fill this gap by engaging underrepresented undergraduate students in data science research in solving the most critical problems faced by our communities: from cyber-security and safety analytics, to data-driven healthcare, and sustainability. REU participants will work in interdisciplinary research teams, mentored by WPI faculty advisors and graduate students, and have ownership of a project for the duration of their summer. The students will learn about and apply data science techniques from data mining, data bases, machine learning, statistical learning, to business intelligence. To supplement the educational and research skill development of students, a weekly seminar series on professional development covering topics such as research inquiry, data interpretation and visualization, scientific writing, communication skills, to career opportunities afforded by data science will be held. At the conclusion of the program, students will present their results via an oral presentation in a conference-like format. By empowering students to solve pressing problems in their communities via data science, students will be compelled to seek advanced degrees and promising careers in data science.