UW Data Science for Social Good Program: Invitation for Project Proposals
The Data Science for Social Good program at the University of Washington eScience Institute is now accepting project proposals for the 2022 summer session. The opportunity is open to academic researchers, public agencies, non-profit entities, and industry. Up to four projects will be selected in which project leads will work with student fellows, academic researchers, data scientists, and public stakeholder groups on data-intensive research projects. Proposals are due February 18th.
DSSG projects leverage data science approaches to address societal challenges in areas such as human services, public policy, health and safety, environmental impacts, transportation, accessibility, social justice, and urban informatics. Projects are methodologically rigorous and may involve a range of stakeholders, including academic researchers, government officials, non-profit organizations, and the general public.
Proposals should identify a Project Lead who will work closely with a DSSG team throughout the summer, including one or more Data Scientists from the eScience Institute, and four or five students who will be selected and paid by the eScience Institute. Project leads are expected to be available to their team for an average of 16 hours per week for the duration of the 10-week program from June 13th through August 19th 2022.
Some of the potential benefits to Project Leads include: access to a team of talented and motivated students; a period of intensive focus on advancing your projects; exposure to new methods and approaches; guidance in best practices for software development, reproducible science, and human-centered design; experience working with highly interdisciplinary teams; networking opportunities that may lead to longer-term collaborations; and publicity from participating in the program.
Together with the Data Scientists, the Project Leads will co-manage the student teams. The Project Lead will bear primary responsibility for project design and execution throughout the summer. The Data Scientists will provide guidance on methods, technologies, and best practices for producing knowledge from large, noisy, and/or heterogeneous datasets, as well as general software engineering. Student responsibilities will vary from project to project, but their role may include developing code, selecting methods, conducting analyses, contributing to design, preparing documentation, producing visualizations, and incorporating stakeholder perspectives into the project. The project team may also include external mentors and stakeholders as appropriate.
In addition to their direct contributions to projects, students and Project Leads will have the opportunity to participate in a number of technical tutorials, discussion-based workshops, and subject matter talks. We are planning a hybrid model this year, in which some teams will work in-person on the campus of the University of Washington, and some teams will work remotely from wherever team members are based.
More information is available via the Call for Project Proposals and Frequently Asked Questions for prospective project leads. An information session for prospective project leads will be held on January 19, 2022 from 9:00am–10:00am PST. Register here for the Zoom webinar.
Project Proposal Deadline: 2/18/22
Student Applicants:
The DSSG is also seeking student applicants through February 14th. The program is open to graduate and junior/senior undergraduate students who are enrolled in a degree granting program in spring 2022. Students will be part of a team working full-time (i.e. 40 hours/week) on an applied research project that has concrete social relevance and impact. In addition to project work, students participate in a wide range of data science tutorials, discussion-based workshops, and subject matter talks with experts from outside the program. Students receive a stipend of $9,000 for the 10 weeks.
Prospective students may visit the Call for Student Applications and the Frequently Asked Questions for prospective student fellows for more information, or join an Information Session on January 26th from 9:00am-10:00 PST via a Zoom webinar. Register here to attend.
Student Application Deadline: 2/14/22
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