Clark Atlanta University Receives NSF Funding to Infuse Data Science Into the STEM Curriculum

Atlanta, GA, September 17, 2022 --(PR.com)-- A research team from Clark Atlanta University was awarded a $396,738 grant (#2205882) from the National Science Foundation to provide students with education and training in modern principles and techniques of data-driven discovery by infusing data science education and research into the university’s STEM curriculum.

Talitha Washington, professor of mathematical sciences and director of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Data Science Initiative, is the project’s principal investigator, with Binod Manandhar, assistant professor of mathematical sciences, Sandra Rucker, associate professor of mathematical sciences, and Eric Mintz, professor of chemistry, serving as co-principal investigators. Graduate and undergraduate students will also be involved.

There is a growing need for STEM professionals who possess data science skills. However, there is a shortage of professionals who possess deep knowledge in a particular STEM domain with a solid ability to use data, analytics, and visualization tools. The interplay of data science and STEM has revealed a need for further research on how to best train and equip students in data science, so they are prepared for entry into the STEM workforce or graduate school.

The project will engage faculty to develop data science modules in STEM courses and expands the work of the university’s Provost Summer Faculty Development in Data Science Initiative program. This program, led by Mintz, has developed a cadre of faculty to conduct data science research and education with support from the AUC Data Science Initiative and the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building’s Career Pathways Initiative.

This endeavor will leverage the efforts of the AUC Data Science Initiative to build sustainable institutional capacity and infuse data science into the classrooms and research programs.

“By developing new undergraduate data science courses, creating modules for STEM courses, and implementing a data science laboratory, we will create promising practices that cultivate a data science-enabled STEM diverse workforce,” said Washington.