“The program provides students with experiential learning that includes exposure to data analytic tools, so they, in turn, can make a meaningful impact on our agriculture and rural communities. The students’ experiences go beyond data analytics. A strong component of the program is learning how to interpret, apply, and present policy-specific solutions to the relevant governmental and state agencies. This allows them to see the real-life implications of their work,” said Susan Chen, principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
“Virginia Tech, and especially its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is fortunate to have expert faculty members addressing these issues and mentoring students on how to creatively apply leading-edge data-centric tools,” Chen said. “The DATA–ACRE funding allows us to continue to recruit an outstanding and diverse body of undergraduate interns from Virginia Tech and our partner institutions across the U.S.”
As part of the training, students learn computer languages R and Python, as well as how to extract and use data from publicly available sources. This crucial skillset provides students with the confidence and knowledge to convert raw information into graphic formats so they can learn how to analyze data to make interpretations and predictions.
Nathaniel Porter, co-principal investigator, and University Libraries’ social science data consultant and data education coordinator, helped develop and teach the curriculum.
“This program allows us to provide opportunities to a diverse body of students with an increased emphasis on attracting new talent to data analytics in the agriculture and social sciences,” said Porter.
This year’s 2022 projects are led by faculty mentors Elinor Benami, Susan Chen, and Chanit’a Holmes in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and Brianna Posadas in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences.
“The Data Science of the Public Good program has given me the skills to understand, interpret, and analyze data,” said Taj Cole, a rising senior with the Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.