DataJam Download Archive
The DataJam Download - January 2025 // Issue 27
Learn Data Science skills and win awards!
Participate in the DataJam!
The proposal deadline for the 2025 High School DataJam is Friday, January 24, 2025.
The proposal deadline for the Spring 2025 Community College DataJam is Friday, January 30, 2025.
There is still time to put together a proposal. And we have mentors available to help your team --- just email datajam@thedatajam.org and ask for a mentor (remember to tell us the day(s)/time(s) your team can meet with a mentor). The proposal is just one page. The proposal template can be found in the High School and Community College DataJam Guidebooks on the DataJam page of thedatajam.org.
The DataJam Download - December 2024 // Issue 26
Empower Data. Empower Change
DataJam 2024 Fundraising Campaign
The DataJam is more than an academic competition – it’s a launchpad for high school and community college students to dive into the dynamic field of big data. Your donation helps us:
• Provide cutting-edge resources to future data leaders.
• Host enriching, hands-on competitions that challenge students to solve real-world problems.
• Inspire a diverse generation of data scientist to make informed decisions and drive impactful change.
The DataJam Download - November 2024 // Issue 25
Fall Community College DataJam
The Fall semester Community College DataJam is underway and two new colleges are participating: Jamestown Community College which is part of the SUNY (State University New York) system, and El Camino College in Torrence, California.
Eleven teams have submitted DataJam proposals on topics ranging from “Evaluating Economic Accessibility in California Universities” to “Forces Driving Depression in Young Adolescents” to “Pfizer Vaccine Effectiveness in 2024 in New York vs. California”.
Join the Fall 2024 College DataJam FINALE on Zoom and see all the excitement for yourself on Thursday, December 12th from 5:45-7 PM EST on Zoom.
The DataJam Download - October 2024 // Issue 24
Fall Community College DataJam Deadline Extended to Oct. 11, 2024
This academic year we are running two Community College DataJam’s – one in the Fall semester and one in the Spring semester! This is an exciting opportunity for Community Colleges to get involved in the DataJam. We have lots of resources available, and mentors ready to help your teams. In this newsletter you will find resources to help put together a DataJam proposal, and a huge number of links to publicly available datasets to analyze!
The DataJam Download - September 2024 // Issue 23
DataJam Activities over the 2024 Summer!
The DataJam had a very busy summer and we are excited to move forward into the DataJam 2025 season! You will find in this month’s newsletter articles showing that we are working hard to strengthen local DataJam hubs with more in person DataJam activities such as field trips, opportunities to present DataJam posters in person, and in person celebrations. We are expanding DataJam to new areas throughout the USA and internationally. We expanded DataJam to Community Colleges and will offer DataJam to these colleges in both the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters this year! We published The DataJam Ten Year Report. And, we are posting regularly on social media to keep the ever-growing DataJam community in touch helping us to fulfill the DataJam Mission: To grow communities of learners who use data, analysis, and critical thinking skills to better understand and impact the world around us.
The DataJam Download - August 2024 // Issue 22
Welcome to the Teachers Editionof the DataJam Newsletter
This issue of the DataJam Download has been specifically designed for high school teachers and community college faculty interested in having their students participate in the DataJam, or be trained to become DataJam mentors. In this issue you will find general information about how the DataJam works, how to locate the myriad of free resources the DataJam has made available to you and your students on the website: thedatajam.org, how to make the best use of the monthly DataJam newsletter, the DataJam Download, and information about a freely available modularized Data Science Curriculum that was developed by high school teachers and college educators.
The DataJam Download - June 2024 // Issue 21
Winners of the Community College DataJam!
This year we ran a pilot program offering DataJam for Community College students. Six teams from two community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area participated, Laney College, and Skyline College. The DataJam Finale was May 2, 2024. First place went to the Skyline College team with a project on “Optimizing EV Charging Infrastructure for Equitable Adoption in San Mateo.” Second place went to the Laney College team with a project on “Social Media & Mental Health.”
We are excited about the new Community College DataJam and hope to expand it significantly in 2025! If your college is interested please let us know by emailing datajam@thedatajam.org.
The DataJam Download - May 2024 // Issue 20
Watch DataJam Instagram Every Day in the Month of May
Keep an eye on DataJam Instagram for updates throughout May! The early part of May we will be featuring the DataJam projects done by Community College students in preparation for the Community College DataJam Finale --- May 2nd, 5:30-6:30 PDT, 8:30-9:30 EDT, Zoom Link: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/99862628516
From May 6th to the end of the month we will feature short videoclips made by each high school DataJam team. These presentations were part of the High School DataJam Finale on April 25th. Check out DataJam Instagram each day to see when your team is being featured.
The DataJam Download - April 2024 // Issue 19
DataJam Final Presentations will be scheduled April 17th-23rd
Each DataJam team will be scheduled to give a final presentation to a panel of 3 judges for a half-hour time block that will be scheduled between April 17th -23rd. Dr. Cameron will reach out to each team the first week of April to schedule the team’s final presentation. All final presentations will be scheduled on Zoom. The schedule will be:
0-5 min Introduction of judges
5-15 min Team presentation & slides
15-25 min Questions from judges
25-30 min Available for questions from teams to judges
As you are preparing for your DataJam Final Presentation, please review our Guide to Giving an Effective DataJam Presentation on the Resources page of the DataJam website. It was produced by two DataJam mentors: Diogo Santos & Essence Crosdale, who were featured in the Meet the Mentor column in Issue 13 of the DataJam Download in October 2023.
The DataJam Download - March 2024 // Issue 18
DataJam Posters Due Friday, March 29, 2024
DataJam posters are due Friday, March 29, 2024 from all teams participating in the 2024 DataJam! See the 2024 DataJam Guidebook (page 9) for instructions for how to make the poster. The criteria that will be used to judge the poster are in the Guidebook on pages 10-11.
We have resources on the Resources page of the website (thedatajam.org) to guide you in how to make an effective poster. This resource “Making Your DATAJAM POSTER”, pictured to the left, was developed by two DataJam mentors, Angelina Jia and Mahitha Ramachandran, who are also featured in this month’s Meet the Mentor section of this newsletter!
The DataJam Download - February 2024 // Issue 17
Check The DataJam out on Instagram!
Join us on Instagram for a thrilling journey that inspires future data scientists. From high school competitions to fostering data fluency, we're dedicated to igniting curiosity and passion for STEM. Follow us for updates, insights, and a glimpse into the dynamic realm of Big Data and Data Science. Don't miss out! Explore #DataJam and join the conversation today!
Exciting news! Our website has been reformatted for mobile devices, making it easier than ever to access valuable resources and stay connected on the go. Check it out at thedatajam.org!
The DataJam Download - January 2024 // Issue 16
New Help with Finding DataSets for Your DataJam Project!
Discover the essence of open data with our comprehensive guides, tailored to demystify datasets from diverse sources. Navigate to the Datasets tab on the DataJam website. Customized guides on different topics are listed first and then international, national, and regional dataset links are listed. NEW this month are guides for using some of the regional datasets. You can recognize them as they have the same logo as the dataset but say “Guide To:”. Happy exploring and analyzing!
The DataJam Download - December 2023 // Issue 15
DataJam has a New Website and Email Address!
The DataJam website can now be accessed at a new url: www.thedatajam.org. We can also be contacted at a new email address: datajam@thedatajam.org.
We think this will make it much easier to reach our website where there are many valuable resources for all teams working on DataJam projects. We also urge you to stop using our old email address and convert to using datajam@thedatajam.org for all correspondence.
The DataJam Download - November 2023 // Issue 14
Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA)
Judy Cameron and Catherine Cramer from the Pittsburgh DataWorks Advisory Board attended the 2023 ADSA meeting in San Antonio, Texas and presented a poster about the DataJam, and participated in the “Learning and Doing Data for Good Workshop”. The workshop was coordinated by DataWorks partner “The NSF West Big Data Innovation Hub” and included examples of how project-based learning of data science is pivotal in providing high school and college students with important experiences in using data science for community good. Presentations were about the DataJam, the Data Science Discovery Program at UC Berkeley, and Data Science for Social Good at the University of Washington. DataJam is proud to be a partner in the nationwide movement to introduce the next generation to the power of data science!
The DataJam Download - October 2023 // Issue 13
Schedule an Intro to the DataJam Presentation
We're thrilled to announce that DataJam mentors are available to give short presentations about what the DataJam is to your school! These engaging sessions will provide students with valuable insights into what DataJam is all about, what resources are available to help teams develop and undertake a DataJam project, and how to put together a winning project.
To schedule a presentation, simply reach out to us at datajam@pghdataworks.org. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to learn about the world of data science and analytics. These presentations will be held via Zoom for your convenience.
Get ready to dive into the world of DataJam and unleash your data-driven potential! Stay tuned---this monthly newsletter will provide updates about new resources available to DataJam teams, introduce you to DataJam mentors and professionals who use data science in their careers, and what is going on with the DataJam all around the country.
The DataJam Download - September 2023 // Issue 12
National Workshop on Data Science Education
The DataJam was highlighted this summer at the National Workshop on Data Science Education held at the University of California at Berkeley, as a good example of real-world data science project-based learning.
The workshop showcased the importance of project-based learning in data science education. DataJam was recognized as developing practical data science skills, promoting ethical considerations when working with data, and creating workforce pipelines.
See the full article in the News Sections of the Pittsburgh DataWorks Homepage
The DataJam Download - June 2023 // Issue 11
DataJam 2023 Finale Winning Team Presents at Google in Pittsburgh
See Video of the Team Presentation on the Homepage!
The DataJam Download - May 2023 // Issue 10
DataJam 2023 Finale Winners!
See the Finale Video and Posters on the pghdataworks.org homepage!
The DataJam Download - April 2023 // Issue 9
Final Posters Due – March 31st, 2023 (*ask for time extension if needed)
• See the DataJam Guidebook’s instructions for preparing your posters (can be downloaded on the DataJam page of pghdataworks.org website)
• Email your poster to us at datajam@pghdataworks.org as a pdf file
Schedule a Final Presentation – April 21, 24, 25, 26
• Email datajam@pghdataworks.org to let us know when you would like to schedule your team’s final presentation to judges
• Times available 4/21/23, 4/24/23, 4/25/23 and 4/26/23 from 10 AM – 2 PM, EST (provide us with your first, second and third choices)
DataJam Finale – Thursday April 27th (5:30-7:00 PM EST)
• All team projects will be presented
• A number of awards will be given to DataJam Teams
The DataJam Download - March 2023 // Issue 8
On the Resource Page of the DataWorks Website: See the New Guide on Data Visualization in R with GGPlot2 by Kevin Xu & Jeremy Tych Getting started with R Studio has never been easier! Generate summary statistics to get a glimpse of the data and what it is trying to tell you. Summary statistics can provide great insights that help you visually explore the dataset. Read the guide to learn more!
The DataJam Download - February 2023 // Issue 7
See the New Guide on Asking DataJam Questions about Public Health, on the Resource Page of the Dataworks Website, Developed by Yunge Xiao!
The DataJam Download - January 2023 // Issue 6
Many DataJam projects are asking research questions about their community, and it is important in all such projects to make sure that you have data available from all members of the community, considering diversity in socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, disabilities and gender. If a portion of the community is left out in your dataset, your project will not be telling you the whole picture about the research question you are asking. This new guide on “Data Science & Diversity”, developed by Srija Konduru, provides helpful pointers on how to make sure you are considering your whole community in the research questions you are asking.
The DataJam Download - December 2022 // Issue 5
Proposals for the 2023 DataJam are due Friday, December 2, 2022. However, the deadline is flexible and if your team will be submitting a proposal later, just email us at datajam@pghdataworks.org and let us know when to expect your proposal. See page 6 of the 2023 DataJam Guidebook (that can be downloaded from the bottom of the DataJam page at the Pittsburgh DataWorks website (pghdataworks.org) for the Proposal Template. Email your completed proposal to datajam@pghdataworks.org.
The DataJam Download - November 2022 // Issue 4
Pittsburgh DataWorks is pleased to have won the 2022 Carnegie Science Award for Best Interdisciplinary Approach to STEM Education. Dr. Judy Cameron, Director of Pittsburgh DataWorks (second from right) stands with mentors Taylor Mathis (right), Jackson Filosa and Callie Labaucher (left).
The DataJam Download - October 2022 // Issue 3
The first year of the DataJam being offered nationally was last year, for the 2022 DataJam! Ken Chiacchia, a reporter for our affiliate Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center, wrote a wonderful news article highlighting this expansion and some of the projects undertaken by the new teams! Check it out on the homepage of the Pittsburgh Dataworks website.
The DataJam Download - September 2022 // Issue 2
Pittsburgh DataWorks has been proactive in developing resources to encourage DataJam participation to a wide diversity of communities. Currently, both the DataJam and the university course that trains DataJam mentors, are being expanded nationwide using a collaborative blended simultaneous learning environment (BSLE) strategy. The collaborative, interdisciplinary approach will allow mentors to be trained in a variety of locations and receive increased training in how to facilitate high school teams participating in DataJam in underresourced urban environments, rural environments, in immigrant communities and on Native American reservations. The awards ceremony will be October 13, 2022.
The DataJam Download - June 2022 // Issue 1
This month DataJam News is focused on the 2022 DataJam finale, with a video of the finale and posters of the four winning teams. Click on the posters to see them enlarged with brief summaries of the winning projects!