SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara City College is one of four academic institutions that will work in collaboration to train students in data science through coursework and real-world projects.
Part of the Central Coast Data Science Partnership, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, students will learn the underlying principles of data science, which will include data-generating processes and the role of measurement, ethics and privacy, information-processing tools and the communication skills needed to pursue a professional career in the field, according to a news release.
The partnership includes UCSB, Cal Poly, and Cal State Bernardino.
“In the next 10 years, data science and software will do more for medicine than all of the biological sciences together,” said project co-founder Vinod Khosla, of Sun Microsystems.
SBCC’s part in the project is to initiate a pathway that facilitates community college student transfer, participation and success in the field of data science. The goal is to offer a transferable course to UCSB and other four-year institutions. Computer Science department chair Nathalie Guebels is working on curriculum development for such a course to be offered beginning fall 2021 or spring 2022.
“With data science becoming more and more prominent as a new field of study with many job opportunities, I am thrilled that SBCC is part of this unique partnership, which will open new doors for community college students,” Ms. Guebels said in a statement.
Ms. Guebels and Student Program Advisor Janna Mori are in the process of planning a data science virtual event this fall, where UCSB and Cal Poly student fellows will meet with City College students about the data science major and share their experiences at a four-year institution.
Next summer, SBCC students will have the chance to apply for a summer immersive data science program at UCSB. For the 2021-22 academic year, the fellowships at UCSB will also consider applications from incoming transfer students.
For more information about the work being done by the Central Coast Data Science Partnership, go to: https://centralcoastdatascience.org.
