COST-EFFICIENT SENSORS AND COMPUTER PROCESSING CAPABILITIES NOW ALLOW FOR DATA TO BE COLLECTED FROM FOOD ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AT UNPRECEDENTED RATES AND SCALES. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL OF NEW MEASUREMENTSTO MEANINGFULLY IMPACT THE PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF FOOD ANIMAL OPERATIONS REMAINS LIMITED DUE TO A CRITICAL, ONGOING SHORTAGE OF DATA ANALYSTS. TO ADDRESS THIS SHORTAGE, AN INTEGRATED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES PROGRAM WILL BE CREATED TO TRAIN STUDENTS PURSUING CAREERS IN FOOD ANIMAL PRODUCTION IN THE PRINCIPLES OF DATA SCIENCE. THIS 11-WEEK SUMMER PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE FOR FIVE YEARS AND TRAIN SIX STUDENTSPER YEAR. THE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM'S LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO MODERNIZE THE FOOD ANIMAL WORKFORCE WITH PROFESSIONALS, EXTENSION ASSOCIATES, AND RESEARCHERS WHO ARE EXCEPTIONALLY SKILLED IN DATA-DRIVEN PROBLEM-SOLVING. THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ARE TO (1) RECRUIT AND TRAIN 30 UNDERGRADUATES (SIX STUDENTS PER YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS), INCLUDING A MINIMUM OF 15 FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS; (2) TRAIN STUDENTS IN APPLIED DATA SCIENCE PRINCIPLES; (3) FOSTER THE STUDENTS' INTERESTS IN CAREERS AT THE INTERFACE OF DATA SCIENCE AND FOOD ANIMAL AND PROCESSING, AND INCREASE THEIR AWARENESS OF CAREER OPPORTUNITIES BOTH IN INDUSTRY AND EXTENSION; (4) DEVELOP THE STUDENTS' ABILITIES TO HOLISTICALLY EVALUATE FOOD ANIMAL SYSTEMS; (5) INVOLVE STUDENTS IN DATA-INTENSIVE RESEARCH THAT RESPONDS TO ON-THE-GROUND NEEDS IN SWINE AND POULTRY PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING; AND (6) ENHANCE STUDENTS' SKILLS IN GLOBAL THINKING. STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES INCLUDING FIELD VISITS, DATA SCIENCE WORKSHOPS, ONLINE LEARNING AND REFLECTION, DATA-DRIVEN RESEARCH, AND AN "EXTENSION ABROAD" EXPERIENCE IN CHINA.