Community Development and Engagement (CDE) projects are active partnerships with the Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub that incubate community-building activities in at least one of the Hub’s five Priority Areas [Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (AMM), Digital Agriculture (DA), Smart & Resilient Communities (SRC), Water Quality (WQ), and Big Data in Health (BDH)] and/or one of the Hub’s Crosscutting Theme Areas [Data Science Education and Workforce Development (DSEWD), and Cyberinfrastructure and Data Sharing (CDS)].
The projects below were established through three rounds of CDE proposals in 2020-2022, launching during fall 2020 and throughout 2021 and 2022.
Midwestern Consortium for Computational Pathology (MCCP)
PI: Dhabaleswar Panda, The Ohio State University
Partner(s): The Ohio State University (OSU), University of Michigan (UMich), University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), Mayo Clinic
Site: http://nowlab.cse.ohio-state.edu/mccp/
Videos and Slides: Videos; Slides
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): BDH, DSEWD, and CDS
Project description: The goal of this consortium is to foster a community of practice around computational pathology in the Midwest and beyond. The challenges posed by a shortage of pathologists, the sheer volume and velocity of data (huge data) that must be harvested and managed, and the strong demand for better and faster diagnostics have created an enormous opportunity for the application of innovative human-machine teaming, deep learning, machine learning, and AI technologies. This consortium brings together experts from pathology, data science, and computer science; from academia, government laboratories, and industry; and aims to position the Midwest at the cutting edge of this new age of digital pathology. The consortium held its first interdisciplinary community workshop in January 2021. Videos and Slides are available.
Midwest Carpentries Community (MCC)
PI: Sarah Stevens, Midwest Carpentries Community
Partner(s): University of Wisconsin, The Carpentries, small institutions & minority-serving institutions (MSIs)
Site: https://midwestbigdatahub.org/get-involved/midwest-carpentries-community/
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DSEWD
Project description: The Midwest Carpentries Community (MCC) is focused on building hands-on data science instruction capacity within the region through sharing best practices, community outreach, and train-the-trainer sessions. The MBDH is also interested in curriculum development that aligns with the Hub’s priority domain areas. The MCC has a monthly community call that is open to all.
Building Data Science Education Capacity in Neuroscience at Small Institutions
PI: Franco Delogu, Lawrence Technological University
Partner(s): Lawrence Technological University (LTU), The University of Texas at Austin, minority-serving institutions (MSIs)
Site: https://www.open-ed.space
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): BDH and DSEWD
Project description: This project brings an established online neuroscience course to a broader audience of MSIs and small colleges and universities through instructor training and outreach. Community development and sustainability will be addressed through related collaborative proposal-development activities.
MBDH Learning Innovation Fellows Program
PI: Rebecca Hardin, University of Michigan
Partner(s): University of Michigan (UMich), Iowa State University (ISU), William & Mary, Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis Hub (QUBESHub)
Site: https://midwestbigdatahub.org/community-development-and-engagement-projects/mbdh-lif-program-projects/
Blog Posts and Videos: First cohort; Second cohort; Videos
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DSEWD and CDS
Project description: This project brings together students and mentors to do small-team hands-on development of open learning modules in the Gala environment, in a context of sustainability and environmental science. Like the neuroscience project, this work builds capacity in data science education and curriculum development that can be leveraged by smaller institutions that don’t currently have resources to build them in-house.
Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality Working Institute
PI: Christopher Fasano, Monmouth College
Partner(s): Monmouth College + industry partner
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): AMM and DSEWD
Project description: Bringing together data science and augmented reality/mixed reality (AR/MR) concepts within a manufacturing context, this project addresses undergraduate training and workforce development through a hands-on workshop for students from small institutions in the region, faculty mentors, and an industry partner.
Data Science @ St. Kate’s: By Women, For Women—A boot camp for middle- & high-school girls
PI: Monica Brown, St. Catherine University
Partner(s): St. Catherine University
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DSEWD
Project description: The focus of this project is to assist in advancing the mission of increasing the number of young women studying data science at St. Kate’s, steeped within the liberal arts tradition. Building within St. Kate’s current framework, one goal is to develop a data visualization and data science/data analytics curriculum that is compelling and engaging to young individuals who identify as women, particularly young women of color, who choose to begin or continue their baccalaureate academic journey at St. Kate’s, with the possibility of meeting Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) requirements as well. The other goal of this project is to establish data science “boot camp” summer programming for middle- and high-school students to give the younger students, particularly those who have been historically marginalized, a chance to see themselves as students at St. Kate’s, in addition to engaging activities to ignite enthusiasm for and passion around coding and data science.
Tribal Community Development and Engagement for Digital Agriculture and Big Data
PI: Anita Frederick, Tribal Nations Research Group
Partner(s): Tribal Nations Research Group (TNRG), University of North Dakota (UND), Grand Farm/Emerging Prairie
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DA and DSEWD
Project description: This project is focused on presenting a workshop to engage tribal stakeholders on issues related to Data Science Education and Workforce Development, especially in the context of Digital Agriculture. The workshop will draw in tribal college and government stakeholders from across Indian country, both regionally and nationally, and will focus on communicating the need for Data Science education and workforce development as well as the use of proper data management and Data Sovereignty standards as applied to Digital Agriculture research in tribal-governed areas. The project will also attempt to broaden participation by tribal stakeholders in nationwide initiatives that could help to address some of the economic, health, and other societal conditions that tribes face, as a component of a potential NSF Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) proposal.
Workshop on Data for Good for Education
PI: Karl Schmitt, Trinity Christian College
Partner(s): Trinity Christian College
Site: https://midwestbigdatahub.org/d4g4ed-workshop/
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DSEWD
Project description: This project is focused on presenting a workshop to provide targeted professional development of teaching faculty, specifically with pedagogies using data for social good, and facilitate the development, collaboration, and sharing of instructional materials related to data for social good. In addition, the project will create networking opportunities for students, faculty, schools, and social good organizations (nonprofits, government, etc.) with data science or analytics needs. The intent is for this to become an annual event.
Data Science Workshop for Underrepresented High School Students
PI: John Daniels, Central Michigan University (CMU)
Partner(s): Central Michigan University, local and tribal high schools
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DSEWD
Project description: This project is developing a week-long hands-on data science skills workshop for high school students in rural Michigan, with community health topics as the curricular focus. The goal is to raise awareness of data science as a career path for students who are uncertain about college attendance. This is a partnership with multiple units at CMU and with six school districts.
Midwest Climate Asset Map Needs Assessment
PI: Heather Navarro, Midwest Climate Collaborative
Partner(s): Midwest Climate Collaborative, Washington University in St. Louis, Northland College (WI)
Midwest Climate Asset Map Prototype Project Report, Poster, and Testimonials:
Project Report; Poster; Testimonials
Priority and/or Crosscutting Theme Area(s): DSEWD
Project description: This project develops a needs assessment survey and focus group activities to understand the data needs of climate researchers and practitioners in the 12-state Midwest region shared by MBDH and the Midwest Climate Collaborative (MCC). The information will be used to create a prototype of an asset map resource. This project includes a mentored student intern and cross-sector partners.