News &Announcements

In the latest episode of Data Dialogs, Ajeet Subramanian dives into the world of machine learning and innovation in data science. Ajeet shares insights on how ML is transforming industries, practical ways students can start experimenting with advanced analytics, and the future of data-driven innovation.

Whether you're curious about machine learning or looking to deepen your technical skills, this episode offers an accessible and inspiring introduction.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

The 2026 DataJam Finale was recorded on video conference on April 30, 2026. Watch here as the students present all of their hard work and findings, discovering new insights using data analysis!

The 2026 DataJam Finale was recorded on video conference on April 23, 2026. Watch here as the students present all of their hard work and findings, discovering new insights using data analysis!

Amapola Garcia joins Data Dialogs for episode nine to explore the intersection of data science and social impact. Amapola discusses how data can be a tool for equity, the importance of inclusive data practices, and how community organizations can harness analytics to drive positive change.

This episode is inspiring for anyone interested in applying data skills to make a meaningful difference in their community.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

The Fall 2025 DataJam Finale was recorded on video conference on December 11, 2025. Twenty teams from 4 community colleges across the U.S. participated — Jamestown and Queensborough in New York, Sinclair in Ohio, and Pasadena City College in California.

This fall, 50 college students from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Caldwell University in New Jersey, and the University of San Diego in California have been training to be The DataJam mentors.

The DataJam mentor course introduces students to how to teach basic statistics and various analytical programs, provides hands-on experience finding publicly available datasets, and covers all the steps necessary in a DataJam project — from choosing a research question through data analysis to putting together compelling posters and presentations. Mentors are also given pointers in working with diverse communities of students.

Guest speakers in the course have strong backgrounds in working with government and businesses to understand how important data analysis is in every aspect of our modern world. Mentors are now fully trained and ready to help The DataJam teams with all aspects of their projects.

This month, students from eight middle schools in Pittsburgh, PA (Northgate, Moon, Highlands, Carson, Ingomar, Marshall, Springdale, Avonworth) participated in a half-day workshop analyzing data to learn where the most UFO Sightings in the US are, the beach with the most shark attacks, favorite dog names for various breeds, and more!

Seven DataJam mentors guided student groups in developing hypotheses, analyzing data and making data visualizations, and putting together slides. Groups finished by giving short presentations about their findings.

These students are now participating in a 3-month data challenge where they will be putting their data science skills to use doing a research project of their choosing. The DataJam staff and mentors will join them again in March to hear the results of their Data Challenge projects.

In episode eight of Data Dialogs, Paul Hansford shares insights into how data is used in the public sector and civic technology. Paul discusses the power of open data, how government agencies leverage analytics to serve communities, and the growing opportunities for data professionals in public service.

This conversation highlights the impact that data-driven decision making can have beyond the private sector.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

Something amazing happens when different groups come together with one shared goal: helping young people grow. That's exactly what happened when The DataJam, The Floating Hospital (TFH), the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) with its WIH Give Back Affinity Group, Communities Connected, Airos, and ListenFirst teamed up for an event all about how data can inform and guide decisions in everyday life.

The students who joined this 3-hour program, given at The Floating Hospital in Long Island City, NY, were all alumni of TFH's Camp Rise-Up — a summer camp and leadership program that helps teens build confidence, friendships, and life and health skills.

For many, it was their first time realizing that numbers and charts aren't just for school — they're tools they can use to make decisions, tell and share stories, and even influence change. Students were able to analyze a dataset, draw conclusions, and present findings to the group.

As students said: "Data could tell a story about my interests. Now I feel like I can use data to make a difference."

The second year of The DataJam Jordan program was organized by Hashemite University and involved three schools with 11 initial teams — 4 from Prince Abdullah bin Al-Hussein Neighborhood Mixed Secondary School, 3 from Ikrima School, and 4 from Almaqreezy School. Nine university students from Hashemite University served as The DataJam mentors.

Projects covered topics such as groundwater degradation in Al-Dhlail district, air pollution's effects on cow health and milk production, greenhouse gases and biodiversity in Jordan (1900–2025), climate change-related diseases, electronic waste's impact on human health, and rising temperatures' influence on electricity consumption in Al-Zarqa.

Top honors were awarded to three teams from Prince Abdullah bin Al-Hussein Neighborhood Mixed Secondary School: first place for their project on cow manure and Salmonella, second place for fine particulate matter's impact on lungs, and third place for analyzing temperature increases and electricity consumption in Al-Zarqa.

DataJam Jordan is supported as part of the Global Center on Climate Change and Water Energy Food Health Systems project funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The 2025 DataJam Finale was recorded on video conference on May 1, 2025. Watch here as the students present all their hard work and findings by explicating hypotheses using data analysis!

The 2025 DataJam Finale was recorded on video conference on April 24, 2025. Watch here as the students present all their hard work and findings by explicating hypotheses using data analysis!

Bob Moreland, a teacher at Central Dauphin High School, took an unconventional path into education. Once immersed in the corporate world, he grew disillusioned with the relentless pressure and ethical compromises he witnessed. Seeking a more meaningful way to use his expertise, he turned to teaching high school — a decision that has since transformed the lives of countless students.

One unique aspect of Bob's classes is the integration of Six Sigma training — a data-driven approach to improving the quality and efficiency of business processes. So far, two students have achieved Black Belt status, with three more soon to follow.

By partnering with industry professionals, his students tackle real-world challenges. In one standout project, a student team optimized a machining process for a company, resulting in an astonishing $440 million in savings. In total, these projects have saved local businesses over $460 million.

One student-led project optimized the school's bus routes, resulting in an annual savings of $10,000–$11,000. Another project uncovered a stark disparity in learning outcomes between in-person and Zoom-based students during the pandemic — findings shared as part of their DataJam project that sparked crucial conversations with school administrators.

Data Science Day 2025, hosted by the Responsible Data Science Center at the University of Pittsburgh, was held on Thursday, March 27, 2025. This year, The DataJam was invited to bring high school and community college DataJam teams to present their work alongside Pitt undergraduate and graduate students.

Eight DataJam teams attended, including three teams from Avonworth High School, one from North Allegheny Senior High, one from Hempfield High School, one from Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, and two from Central Dauphin High School — who traveled all the way from Harrisburg, PA.

Also presenting was Leon Xu, a DataJam mentor working on The DataJam Virtual AI Mentor — a tool launching in Fall 2025 to assist teams with focusing on research questions, hypothesis refinement, and finding datasets. Designed to make AI and data analysis more intuitive and lower the barriers to entry into a data science project.

The DataJam attended the Pittsburgh Women in Data Science (WiDS) Conference, hosted at Carnegie Mellon University. The event brought together industry leaders, researchers, and data enthusiasts to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and inspire the next generation of data scientists.

Sarah Sirakos, a DataJam mentor and University of Pittsburgh student, presented her work creating dataset guides for DataJam Jordan — two guides highlighting methods and resources for students in Jordan participating in The DataJam, covering climate change and health topics.

The conference also emphasized the importance of diversity and inclusion in data science, serving as a platform for women and underrepresented groups to share their experiences and advocate for a more equitable future in the industry.

Episode seven of Data Dialogs features Tony Robol, who brings a unique perspective on data leadership and community engagement. Tony discusses how organizations can foster data literacy, the importance of mentorship in developing young data talent, and practical strategies for making data science accessible to broader audiences.

This episode offers valuable takeaways for anyone interested in building data-driven communities and supporting students on their data science journey.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

Eleven teams from Jamestown College (NY) and El Camino College (CA) participated in the Fall 2024 The DataJam - Community College, with 56 college students total. Teams received mentoring from university students at Caldwell University, San Francisco State University, and University of Pittsburgh.

Anthony Suen from UC Berkeley delivered the keynote address. Amapola Garcia and Veronica Johnson, Spring 2024 Skyline College winners, shared reflections on their DataJam experience. Zac Lindquist discussed his mentoring experiences.

Judges included Ramji Venkatachari, Beth Bauer, Neal Ryan, and Jackson Filosa.

Judy Cameron, Executive Director of The DataJam, served as mentor and judge at the Pittsburgh AI Bootcamp hosted by the Carnegie Science Center. The program engaged 25 high school students in AI projects, culminating in presentations to judges.

The bootcamp operates in 30 US host cities and offers three annual dates. Applications for 2025 bootcamps are open through a General Interest Form.

In episode six of Data Dialogs, Jackson Filosa sits down with Florence Hudson, Executive Director of the National Science Foundation's Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub.

Florence shares her remarkable career trajectory, from aerospace engineering at Grumman and NASA's Jet Propulsion Labs, to leadership roles at Hewlett Packard and IBM as VP/CTO, to Internet2 and the NSF Cybersecurity Center. The conversation covers what the NE Big Data Innovation Hub does, who uses data science, the critical importance of data ethics, one of the most meaningful projects in her career, and advice for students considering data-driven careers.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

Jackson Filosa interviewed Florence Hudson for The DataJam's Data Dialog series. Hudson directs the NSF's Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub, which provided pilot grants enabling The DataJam's transition to virtual mentoring during COVID-19, facilitating national expansion from Pittsburgh to PA, NJ, NY, MA, OH, CA, and AZ.

Hudson's background includes aerospace engineering at NASA's Jet Propulsion Labs, roles at Hewlett Packard and IBM (as VP and CTO), Internet2, and NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at Indiana University.

North Allegheny High School Team 3 (Andrew Li and Angelina Li) won 2nd place and Best Presentation in the 2024 The DataJam - High School for their project on childhood asthma risk factors in Pennsylvania. They subsequently published their research in the Journal of Emerging Investigators.

Three DataJam Boston teams visited the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) in Cambridge, MA for an interactive learning experience with data scientists. The institute created stations covering CMC Process Control, Data Analytics, ClinTech Innovations, and Collection/Analysis/Reporting.

Brooke Charter School students and teachers explored how data science informs drug discovery, chemical manufacturing, clinical efficacy and safety, and medicine commercialization.

Key coordinators included Piper Trelstad, Kenneth Tripp, and Denise Morad from Gates MRI; Yunge Xiao (The DataJam Fellow); Carter Hempleman and William Fleming (Brooke Charter); and Beth Bauer (The DataJam VP).

The DataJam presented at ADSA's annual meeting (University of Michigan) on "Data Science Experiential Pathways: Scalable Intersegmental Workforce Training Program," featuring Spring 2024's Northern California Community College pilot.

Presenters included Judy Cameron (The DataJam Executive Director), Luella Fu (San Francisco State University), Kyla Oh (Laney College instructor), Denise Hum (Skyline College professor), and Anthony Suen (UC Berkeley).

Key features highlighted included student choice of research topics, available mentoring, and data scientist judge interfaces.

Louise Hicks, a past DataJam mentor, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in Biological Sciences and Political Science. She worked at the Joglekar lab and mentored The DataJam teams on projects ranging from river pH analysis to bike-share and obesity correlations.

She subsequently worked at Starfish Storage in high-performance computing and is currently in her first year at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she emphasizes data analysis's importance in medical education.

The DataJam received a $50,000 grant from the PPG Foundation, the largest in its ten-year history. The PPG Foundation has been The DataJam's largest donor for five years.

Funding supports increased in-person field trips and events for teams, with expanded opportunities for site visits to companies demonstrating real-world data science applications.

Episode five of Data Dialogs features Yunge Xiao, who brings expertise in data visualization and the art of turning numbers into narratives. Yunge discusses techniques for creating effective visualizations, common pitfalls to avoid, and how storytelling with data can drive real change.

This episode is especially valuable for students preparing competition presentations and anyone looking to improve how they communicate with data.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

The DataJam - Community College proposal submission deadline has been extended to Friday, October 11th to accommodate colleges still in startup phases. Assistance is available at datajam@thedatajam.org.

The Frederick Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh awarded fellowships to two DataJam mentors for international and rural expansion efforts.

Sarah Sirakos created dataset guides — "Asking Questions about Climate Change in Jordan" and "Health and Climate Change in Jordan" — for the first international The DataJam teams in Jordan (Spring/Summer 2024).

Zac Lindquist researched and recruited high schools and community colleges in rural New York, and evaluated the resources needed to support rural expansion of The DataJam program.

Jatin Singh joins Data Dialogs for episode four, offering a deep dive into career pathways in analytics and data science. Jatin shares firsthand knowledge about what employers look for, how students can build a strong portfolio, and the role that competitions and projects play in career readiness.

Whether you're a student exploring career options or an educator guiding young professionals, this conversation is packed with actionable advice.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

In episode three of Data Dialogs, Bob Moreland brings a wealth of experience to the conversation about data education. Bob discusses mentorship strategies, the evolving landscape of data literacy, and why hands-on projects are essential for student development.

This episode is a must-watch for educators and mentors looking to create impactful data science learning opportunities.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

The DataJam released a comprehensive Ten-Year Report documenting a decade of impact on students, teachers, mentors, and communities. The report tracks national and international expansion, the strengthening of The DataJam community, and the program's work expanding digital skills access for diverse youth.

The report is available for download on The DataJam website.

We're excited to launch Data Dialogs, a video series featuring conversations with data professionals, educators, and advocates who are shaping how young people engage with data science.

In our inaugural episode, Yuting Duan discusses their journey in data science, the importance of community-driven learning, and advice for students looking to explore data-driven problem solving.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

In the second episode of Data Dialogs, Vaishnavi Akella shares their perspective on student-driven data initiatives, the skills that matter most in data analysis, and how competitions like The DataJam help students grow.

Vaishnavi highlights the importance of curiosity, teamwork, and storytelling when working with data, offering practical advice for students just getting started.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

UC Berkeley hosted the 2024 National Workshop on Data Science Education, supported by the NSF West Big Data Innovation Hub and the California Learning Lab. The DataJam presented for the second consecutive year on the "Discovery Project Based Learning" panel.

The DataJam presenters included Dr. Judy Cameron (The DataJam Executive Director), Dr. Luella Fu (San Francisco State University), and Dr. Kyla Oh (Laney College instructor).

Student panelists included Vaishnavi Akella (San Ramon High School, 2024 The DataJam - High School 1st Place), Yuting Duan (Skyline College, 2024 The DataJam - Community College 1st Place), and Pan Cho Thu, Amapola Garcia, and Eden Huang (Skyline College).

The final ceremony of the first-ever Jordanian DataJam was held at Bushra Secondary Comprehensive School in Irbid, Jordan. Eighteen teams from public schools competed from January to June 2024. The program included two months of training on data collection, management, and analysis. The top six projects were presented to US judges with Arabic-English translation.

Project topics included rainfall impact on school absences, rising temperatures and stray dog bites, climate change and hypertension, air pollution and deaths, and temperature and tourism effects.

The program was managed by the Global Center on Climate Change, Water, Energy, Food, and Health (GC3WEFH), implemented by the Climate Action Network Jordan, and coordinated by Alham Al-Shurafat, Hamza Abu Saleek, and Ola Daoud. Partner organizations included the Jordan Ministry of Education, the Adaptation Fund, UN-Habitat Jordan, and UNICEF Jordan. Sarah Sirakos (The DataJam Mentor, University of Pittsburgh) developed dataset guides for the program.

The University of Arizona's Data Sciences Academy (DSA) hosted twenty K-14 educators from across Arizona for a professional development week. The DataJam presented a customized overview addressing the integration of data science into K-5 curricula, including a hands-on mock The DataJam proposal activity.

Ideas generated included planning a The DataJam - Middle School Day in the Tucson Unified School District. The University of Arizona is collaborating with The DataJam to offer an annual The DataJam Mentor training course.

The first-year pilot The DataJam - Community College concluded with six teams — three from Laney College (Oakland, CA) and three from Skyline College (San Bruno, CA). Teams were mentored by students from UC Berkeley's Data Discovery Program, supported by a Federal Highway Administration Exploratory Advanced Research pilot grant. Three of the six projects focused on transportation futures.

An in-person celebration was held at Harriet Tubman Square in Boston following the 2024 The DataJam - High School Finale. Yunge Xiao, a past DataJam mentor who relocated to Boston for graduate studies at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, received a Newman Civic Fellowship and AllState Foundation grant to develop The DataJam Boston.

Xiao recruited two high schools — Boston Latin Academy (BLA) and Brooke High School. The BLA team won "Best Presentation" and "Best New Team" awards at the finale.

The 2024 The DataJam - High School Finale was held as a virtual video conference presentation, with student teams from across the country presenting their hard work and findings.

Skyline College data science students achieved recognition in both The DataJam and the national DataFest competition. Students completed innovative projects analyzing crime factors and transportation systems improvements through hands-on experience and symposium presentations.

The DataJam hosted a half-day The DataJam - Middle School Day for four Pittsburgh-area school districts: Hampton, North Allegheny, Riverview, and Avonworth. Fifty middle school students selected from four available topics and received guidance from The DataJam mentors throughout the session. Each team presented their findings at the program conclusion.