DATA SCIENCE

FOR UNDERGRADUATES

OPPORTUNITIES AND OPTIONS

Committee on Envisioning the Data Science Discipline:
The Undergraduate Perspective

Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics
Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences

Board on Science Education
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

A Consensus Study Report of

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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This activity was supported by Award No. 1626983 from the National Science Foundation (Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Directorate for Education and Human Resources; Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences/Division of Mathematical Sciences; and Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-47559-4
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-47559-7
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25104

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Data Science for Undergraduates: Opportunities and Options. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25104.

COMMITTEE ON ENVISIONING THE DATA SCIENCE DISCIPLINE: THE UNDERGRADUATE PERSPECTIVE

LAURA HAAS, NAE,¹ University of Massachusetts Amherst, Co-Chair

ALFRED O. HERO III, University of Michigan, Co-Chair

ANI ADHIKARI, University of California, Berkeley

DAVID CULLER, NAE, University of California, Berkeley

DAVID DONOHO, NAS,² Stanford University

E. THOMAS EWING, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

LOUIS J. GROSS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

NICHOLAS J. HORTON, Amherst College

JULIA LANE, New York University

ANDREW MCCALLUM, University of Massachusetts Amherst

RICHARD MCCULLOUGH, Harvard University

REBECCA NUGENT, Carnegie Mellon University

LEE RAINIE, Pew Research Center

ROB RUTENBAR, University of Pittsburgh

KRISTIN TOLLE, Microsoft Research

TALITHIA WILLIAMS, Harvey Mudd College

ANDREW ZIEFFLER, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Staff

MICHELLE K. SCHWALBE, Director, Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics (BMSA), Study Director

JON EISENBERG, Director, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB)

BEN WENDER, Director, Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics

AMY STEPHENS, Program Officer, Board on Science Education

LINDA CASOLA, BMSA, Associate Program Officer and Editor

RENEE HAWKINS, CSTB, Financial Manager

JANKI PATEL, CSTB, Senior Program Assistant

___________________

¹ Member, National Academy of Engineering.

² Member, National Academy of Sciences.

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD

FARNAM JAHANIAN, Carnegie Mellon University, Chair

LUIZ ANDRÉ BARROSO, Google, Inc.

STEVEN M. BELLOVIN, NAE,¹ Columbia University

ROBERT F. BRAMMER, Brammer Technology, LLC

DAVID CULLER, NAE, University of California, Berkeley

EDWARD FRANK, Cloud Parity, Inc.

LAURA HAAS, NAE, University of Massachusetts Amherst

MARK HOROWITZ, NAE, Stanford University

ERIC HORVITZ, NAE, Microsoft Corporation

VIJAY KUMAR, NAE, University of Pennsylvania

BETH MYNATT, Georgia Institute of Technology

CRAIG PARTRIDGE, Raytheon BBN Technologies

DANIELA RUS, NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

FRED B. SCHNEIDER, NAE, Cornell University

MARGO SELTZER, Harvard University

MOSHE VARDI, NAS²/NAE, Rice University

Staff

JON EISENBERG, Director

LYNETTE I. MILLETT, Associate Director

EMILY GRUMBLING, Program Officer

KATIRIA ORTIZ, Associate Program Officer

RENEE HAWKINS, Financial and Administrative Manager

JANKI PATEL, Senior Program Assistant

SHENAE BRADLEY, Administrative Assistant

___________________

¹ Member, National Academy of Engineering.

² Member, National Academy of Sciences.

BOARD ON MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES AND ANALYTICS

STEPHEN M. ROBINSON, NAE,¹ University of Wisconsin, Madison, Chair

JOHN R. BIRGE, NAE, University of Chicago

W. PETER CHERRY, Independent Consultant

DAVID CHU, Institute for Defense Analyses

RONALD R. COIFMAN, NAS,² Yale University

JAMES CURRY, University of Colorado Boulder

CHRISTINE FOX, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

MARK L. GREEN, University of California, Los Angeles

PATRICIA A. JACOBS, Naval Postgraduate School

JOSEPH A. LANGSAM, Morgan Stanley (Retired)

SIMON A. LEVIN, NAS, Princeton University

ANDREW W. LO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

DAVID MAIER, Portland State University

LOIS CURFMAN MCINNES, Argonne National Laboratory

FRED S. ROBERTS, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

ELIZABETH A. THOMPSON, NAS, University of Washington

CLAIRE TOMLIN, University of California, Berkeley

LANCE WALLER, Emory University

KAREN WILLCOX, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

DAVID YAO, NAE, Columbia University

Staff

MICHELLE K. SCHWALBE, Director

BEN WENDER, Program Officer

LINDA CASOLA, Associate Program Officer and Editor

BETH DOLAN, Financial Manager

RODNEY N. HOWARD, Administrative Assistant

___________________

¹ Member, National Academy of Engineering.

² Member, National Academy of Sciences.

COMMITTEE ON APPLIED AND THEORETICAL STATISTICS

ALFRED O. HERO III, University of Michigan, Chair

ALICIA CARRIQUIRY, NAM,¹ Iowa State University

MICHAEL J. DANIELS, University of Florida

KATHERINE BENNETT ENSOR, Rice University

AMY HERRING, Duke University

NICHOLAS J. HORTON, Amherst College

DAVID MADIGAN, Columbia University

JOSÉ M.F. MOURA, NAE,² Carnegie Mellon University

NANCY REID, NAS,³ University of Toronto

CYNTHIA RUDIN, Duke University

AARTI SINGH, Carnegie Mellon University

Staff

BEN WENDER, Director

LINDA CASOLA, Associate Program Officer and Editor

BETH DOLAN, Financial Manager

RODNEY N. HOWARD, Administrative Assistant

___________________

¹ Member, National Academy of Medicine.

² Member, National Academy of Engineering.

³ Member, National Academy of Sciences.

BOARD ON SCIENCE EDUCATION

ADAM GAMORAN, William T. Grant Foundation, Chair

SUNITA V. COOKE, MiraCosta College

MELANIE COOPER, Michigan State University

RODOLFO DIRZO, NAS,¹ Stanford University

RUSH D. HOLT, American Association for the Advancement of Science

MATTHEW KREHBIEL, Achieve, Inc.

MICHAEL LACH, University of Chicago

LYNN LIBEN, Pennsylvania State University

CATHRYN (CATHY) MANDUCA, Carleton College

JOHN MATHER, NAS, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

TONYA M. MATTHEWS, Michigan Science Center

BRIAN REISER, Northwestern University

MARSHALL (MIKE) SMITH, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

ROBERTA TANNER, Thompson School District (Retired)

SUZANNE WILSON, Michigan State University

Staff

HEIDI SCHWEINGRUBER, Director

KERRY BRENNER, Senior Program Officer

MARGARET HILTON, Senior Program Officer

KENNE DIBNER, Program Officer

AMY STEPHENS, Program Officer

MATTHEW LAMMERS, Program Coordinator

LETICIA GARCILAZO GREEN, Senior Program Assistant

MARGARET KELLY, Senior Program Assistant

COREETHA ENTZMINGER, Program Assistant

___________________

¹ Member, National Academy of Sciences.

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Preface

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine established the Committee on Envisioning the Data Science Discipline: The Undergraduate Perspective to set forth a vision for the emerging discipline of data science at the undergraduate level (see Box P.1 for the committee’s statement of task).

This study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The Committee on Envisioning the Data Science Discipline: The Undergraduate Perspective (see Appendix A for biographical sketches of the committee members) conducted a number of information-gathering activities and engaged a broad community in its conversations to address the statement of task shown in Box P.1 (see Appendix B for a list of the presentations given during these meetings and Appendix C for a list of those who contributed). In December 2016, the committee met to discuss possible future directions based on progress with current data science programs; societal implications of the evolving field of data science; approaches to expand diversity and inclusion in data science among students, staff, and topic areas; and perspectives on envisioning the future of data science for undergraduates. In April 2017, the committee organized a webinar to collect further input from the public on topics of importance for this study.

In May 2017, the committee convened a workshop in which participants discussed educational models to build relevant foundational, translational, and professional skills for data scientists in various roles; the use of high-impact educational practices in the delivery of data science education; and strategies for broad participation in data science educa-

tion that rely on formal modes of evaluation and assessment. Participants focused on the ways in which students, institutions, and programs could change in the coming decade, as well as how these changes will affect future plans for data science education.

The committee also held nine webinars throughout fall 2017 as another means to engage the public in conversations about various aspects of data science education, which addressed the following topics:

1. Building data acumen;
2. Incorporating real-world applications;
3. Training faculty and developing curriculum;
4. Enhancing communication and teamwork skills;
5. Fostering interdepartmental collaboration and institutional organization;
6. Considering ethics;
7. Assessing and evaluating data science programs;
8. Emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and increased participation; and
9. Exploring 2-year colleges and institutional partnerships.

Although these nine webinars focused specifically on applications to data science programs, many of the discussions highlighted best practices relevant for all types of academic programming. The committee met for a final session in December 2017 to prepare for the writing of this report. During this session, the committee synthesized discussions from the webinar series and results from activities under way in the data science community. This final report, which was preceded by a September 2017 interim report, explores key questions about the future of the field of data science.

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Acknowledgments

This Consensus Study Report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

___________________

¹ Member, National Academy of Sciences.

² Member, National Academy of Engineering.

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations presented in the report, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Alicia L. Carriquiry, NAM,³ Iowa State University. She was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

The committee would like to thank Andy Burnett from Knowinnovation for facilitating the committee’s May 2017 workshop as well as the following staff members from the National Science Foundation for their input, assistance, and support of this study: Stephanie August, Chaitan Baru, Eva Campo, Vandana Janeja, Nandini Kannan, Sara Kiesler, Gabriel Perez-Giz, Earnestine Psalmonds-Easter, and Elena Zheleva. The committee would also like to thank the many individuals who provided input to this study; the full list of these individuals is included in Appendix C.

___________________

³ Member, National Academy of Medicine.

Contents

SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION

A Look to the Future

Report Overview

References

2 KNOWLEDGE FOR DATA SCIENTISTS

Data Scientists of Today and Tomorrow

Data Acumen

A Code of Ethics for Data Science

References

3 DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION

Undergraduate Modalities

Middle and High School Education

References

4 STARTING A DATA SCIENCE PROGRAM

Ensuring Broad Participation

Academic Infrastructure

Curriculum

Faculty Resources

Assessment

References

5 EVOLUTION AND EVALUATION

Evolution

Evaluation

Roles for Professional Societies

References

6 CONCLUSIONS

APPENDIXES

A Biographies of the Committee

B Meetings and Presentations

C Contributing Individuals

D Data Science Oath