The Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub has rebranded its groundbreaking and inclusive data science initiative for students of all ages.
Formerly known as the Northeast Student Data Corps, the National Student Data Corps (NSDC) provides free, online data science education, mentoring, and networking tools for students across the U.S. and abroad, with a special focus on underserved students and institutions.
Broad participation in the initiative, increased interest in its chapter system, and its international virtual audience prompted the regional program’s elevation to the national level and beyond.
NSDC began in 2020 with a call for a founding committee, which attracted 24 individuals from different sectors, industries, and professions throughout the northeast U.S. This committee plans, designs, and presents programming in partnership with the leadership of the Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub.
Three teams of founding committee members—content and pedagogy, peer instruction and mentoring, and outreach—collaborated to launch the initiative during the inaugural NDSC data science career panel in February 2021. The panel, which was curated to inspire learners of all ages to pursue or consider data science careers, included students, professors, researchers, and a data science professional with leadership experience in industry, nonprofit, and government organizations.
By August 2021, the NSDC community included 1,699 individuals from 278 institutions representing the U.S., Australia, Germany, India, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
NSDC welcomes chapter proposals and applications from university and high school students across the U.S. and abroad. The Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub is also soliciting feedback and will launch additional programming and chapter development initiatives during the Fall 2021 semester.
NSDC is funded through National Science Foundation grants #1916585 and #1550284.
Visit the National Student Data Corps website to learn more.