Education
$900,000 grant to bolster data science enrollment at Montana Technological University
The Montana Tech Department of Mathematical Sciences and the College of Letters, Sciences and Professional Studies (CLSPS) have been awarded a five-year, approximately $900,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health/Montana IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) to bolster the pipeline for undergraduate students trained in the field of data science at Montana Tech. INBRE grants are given to eligible Ph.D. and baccalaureate degree-granting institutions nationwide to support increasing biomedical research capacity that includes faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as resource infrastructure.
Now entering its 20th year of funding, Montana INBRE has established a Data Science Core (DSC) led by Dr. Jeff Good at the University of Montana and Dr. Eric Raile at Montana State University that was formed in response to the increasing need for data science skills in the workforce. In collaboration with the DSC, Montana Tech will take the lead in fostering quality undergraduate education in data science through project-based learning and other active learning approaches to instruction. Additionally, Montana Tech will be actively engaged in efforts to bolster teaching capacity across the Montana INBRE network, and including the Regional Alliance of INBRE Networks (RAIN) using flexible formats to ensure accessibility, for example online asynchronous, hybrid and remote delivery.
This funding also will allow program faculty to enhance research programs in data science. The effort will be led by Principal Investigator/Mathematical Sciences Department Head Dr. Hilary Risser and Professor of Mathematics/Data Science Program Director Dr. Atish Mitra. “The INBRE award provides a unique opportunity to expand our capacity for data science education and research. It will also provide students and faculty in the program the opportunity to collaborate with biomedical researchers across the state on a variety of research projects,” said Dr. Risser. “The grant capitalizes on both our experience in teaching data science skills to undergraduates and Montana Tech’s uniquely hands-on approach to undergraduate education.”
In addition to the primary grant, the NIH has funded a two-year, approximately $250,000 supplement, $75,000 of which will go to Montana Tech to host a Fall 2024 symposium on AI in research and instruction. The supplement also includes funding to develop project assignments that will be used to teach data science skills in a variety of high school and/or undergraduate classrooms. Projects will be designed to engage students from other disciplines, teach specific data science techniques and skills, and to build student confidence using data science tools.
"Montana Tech established the first bachelor of science degree in Data Science in the state, as well as two data science minors that were designed to be accessible to students across disciplines including biology, chemistry, business, and all fields of engineering,” said Dean of the College of Letters, Sciences and Professional Studies Dr. Michele Hardy. “The need for data science, data analytics, and simple data literacy in most careers is becoming more critical as technology is evolving at a rapid pace in today's world. This funding allows Montana Tech to be a key player in providing students, faculty and teachers at all levels, including K-12, the necessary training to similarly evolve in the domain of education."
Montana INBRE has been funding students and faculty at Montana Tech since its inception. This cycle of funding represents a next-level investment and illustrates the confidence that the INBRE network and the NIH have in the institution to fulfill the goals of the grant. Details of workshops, conference, symposia and other research and education opportunities will be shared widely as they develop.
