Last year, after students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors saw their summer opportunities disappear because of the pandemic, enrichment projects like the Data Science Summer Research Program shifted to virtual.
Spearheaded by
Tiffany Oliver, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Biology, the Virtual Data Science Summer Research Program has successfully exposed Spelman students to the world of data science through lectures, coursework and data science-based research for the second consecutive year.
"In addition to increasing interest in data science, it is imperative that students also understand the interdisciplinary nature of the field," said Dr. Oliver.
"Through data science, we can solve real world problems; problems that need diverse understandings and perspectives. The best way to diversify outcomes is to increase the desires of diverse people to pursue careers in the field."
More than 40 students took part in this year’s program, which was sponsored by the Southern Company Foundation and included professional development workshops with data science professionals from CITI Chase, CGI, Delta Airlines, Bloomberg and Guidehouse.