Students from UCSB’s first cohort of the Master of Environmental Data Science program will present their capstone projects Thursday.
The public is invited to this inaugural event, which will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at Bren Hall 1414. It will be live-streamed.
MEDS aims to prepare scientists for the new wave of data-driven research and environmental problem solving. The program is a joint effort between UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.
The students arrived in August for a six-week intensive session on scientific programming at NCEAS’ new downtown location. All 25 students came with environmental backgrounds but varying levels of programming proficiency.
The next three quarters of courses were split between the downtown and main campuses, with half the week at NCEAS and the other half in Bren Hall.
During the winter quarter, the students split into seven groups to begin their capstone projects. Because of the focus on data science and a shorter 1-year program, many of this year’s teams focused on data visualization.
Half of the 2022 class graduating class has secured post-graduate positions, which include jobs, fellowships and spots in doctoral programs.
For more information, contact Harrison Tasoff at 805-893-7220 or harrisontasoff@ucsb.edu
— Katherine Zehnder
