Successful and sustainable undergraduate research in data science

TL;DR

This paper offers a comprehensive roadmap and resources for faculty to establish and sustain successful undergraduate research groups in data science, emphasizing educational benefits and practical guidance.

Contribution

It provides a detailed framework and practical recommendations specifically tailored for creating sustainable undergraduate research programs in data science and related quantitative fields.

Findings

Provides a step-by-step roadmap for faculty.

Highlights benefits of undergraduate research in data science.

Offers resources applicable to various research mentoring contexts.

Abstract

Undergraduate research experiences hold many potential benefits. Students can learn about new areas opening up previously unknown paths in academia and industry. The hands-on experience often provides a deeper understanding of what science, research, and data analysis is and, importantly, is not. While numerous studies have provided information about the benefits and challenges of undergraduate research, many still find it difficult to start an undergraduate research group. Here, we provide a roadmap and resources to help faculty of all levels create and sustain an undergraduate research group in quantitative areas such as statistics, informatics, and data science. While we focus on undergraduate research in data science, many of the recommendations may be generally useful to research mentoring of all levels and other domains.