Planting Seeds for Data Analytics

An executive at Dow challenged Carnegie Mellon University to increase the enrollment for the Data Analytics for Science Immersion Experience (DASIE) this summer. The Mellon College of Science’s Michael Young and Adrie Fells rose to the opportunity.

Young, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Mellon College of Science, said, “We are ready to meet the needs of these bright students from historically resilient communities, who are hungry to see and touch and experience our resources here at CMU.”

In its third iteration, DASIE, a partnership with Carnegie Mellon and industry leaders to create general awareness of career opportunities and professional development as well as providing information and community support, increased the number of participants to 36 students from 31 universities around the United States. In 2023, 22 participated, and in 2022, 19 students comprised the inaugural cohort.

The program provides a fully funded two-week experience. Participants begin at CMU’s Pittsburgh campus for a week of workshops, tours of the Cloud Lab, and opportunities to network with faculty and industry professionals before moving to site tours of Dow’s Midland, MI, research facility.

Among this year’s cohort, which met May 13-24, was Adrian Lopez, a senior at San Francisco State University in Oakland, California. On a whim, the applied mathematics major applied before the deadline and then got busy with his coursework, forgetting about the program until he received his acceptance.

“I’m still thinking about my future,” said Lopez. “Traveling here like this is a real step outside my comfort zone, but I’m excited.”

Investing in Diversity

Ademola Idowu, a research and development fellow at Dow, emphasized the company’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“Dow is dedicated to providing the tools and support necessary for you to develop the data science competencies that are increasingly vital in the realm of advanced manufacturing,” Idowu said.

Addressing the DASIE cohort, a group of students from diverse and underserved backgrounds, Idowu shared his personal journey and the obstacles he overcame in his academic career.

“Our goal at Dow is to tackle intricate challenges and innovate in the field of material science to benefit all. The diversity and inclusivity within our teams are instrumental in driving innovation, sparking new ideas and enhancing our problem-solving capabilities.”

Dow has invested in the DASIE program since its inception in 2022, along with Accenture. Chris Pesci, Accenture’s managing director of their Northeast region portfolio, said the company has a passion for data.

“Everything we do is driven by data, by analytics, by artificial intelligence,” he told the crowd in CMU’s Tepper Building. Accenture looks to hire graduates from a wide range of academic backgrounds — DASIE students’ majors span chemistry, mechanical engineering, robotics and more, a broad spectrum of disciplines that Pesci said complement the skills needed to lead in data science.

This year PPG joined Dow and Accenture as a corporate sponsor, and Posit provided programming.

Young emphasized that Carnegie Mellon is fortunate to have the students visit.

“The people here, and the people you now have access to are the most valuable part of this program,” Young said. He shared his own experience with the summer program at Carnegie Mellon as a young teenager from Florida, where he figured out “the university was investing in me and me becoming the best version of myself, one I didn’t know could exist.”

Another goal of the program is to encourage students to apply for internships and graduate school. DASIE also connects students to the Carnegie Mellon’s RALES Foundation program.

In 2023, Carnegie Mellon University launched its $150-million partnership with the Norman and Ruth Rales Foundation to launch the CMU Rales Fellows Program, which will broaden access to STEM graduate education through fully-funded fellowships and generous stipends, wraparound support and professional development resources. The university eventually will host 85 to 90 CMU Rales Fellows each year.

Young urged the DASIE students to be “on” during the program, which he said will prepare them for roles in the professional world that aren’t even defined yet. In addition to immersive practical experiences, Young emphasized the importance of soft skills that DASIE delivers, including connection to resources at CMU promoting cultural relevancy and cultural familiarity.

Byron Martin, Carnegie Mellon’s assistant vice provost for DEI, told the students: “CMU wants you to feel like you can grow here. We need you to sharpen your skills and refine yourself to build on your passions, because the world needs you.”

Encouraging Graduate Study

While in Pittsburgh, the students spent time with Subha Das, associate professor of chemistry, in the Cloud Lab learning how researchers can automate bench science processes. Das has worked with DASIE since its inception. He said prior students have gone on to join Summer Cloud Lab courses Carnegie Mellon has made available to Spelman and Morehouse Colleges. Das said he loved interacting with students from across different disciplines.

“It was fascinating to get a glimpse into their different perspectives toward automation and data science,” he said.

John Urbanic, Distinguished Service Professor and Parallel Computing Scientist at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, said he has enjoyed keeping in touch with DASIE students.

“One of my previous students is the epitome of amplifying the effect of these programs,” he said. “She used what we taught her to found the Machine Learning Social Club back at her home institution. These are exactly the kinds of students we are looking for in our MS-DAS program at Mellon.”

Sponsor funding paid for not only all the travel, accommodations and stipends for the participants, it also paid for students who are Carnegie Mellon’s Tartan Scholars ambassadors to discuss services Carnegie Mellon can provide to participants from underrepresented backgrounds who might otherwise feel out of place in academia.

“I like passing that goodwill along,” said Ahmad Salman, a rising junior in mechanical engineering. “My entire tenure at CMU has been due to programs like SAMS [Summer Academy for Math and Science] and Tartan Scholars.”

Additional student ambassadors included Justin Blanco, a sophomore in mathematical sciences, and Teresa Myrthil, a fifth-year senior in mechanical engineering.

“I thought the DASIE students would be quieter or more reserved, but they’ve got energy. They know what they’re looking for and got here ready to network. It’s exciting,” she said.

Christy Peguero, a junior biochemistry major at Oakwood University — a historically Black university in Huntsville, Alabama — heard about DASIE from a friend. Peguero took a data analytics class and loved it. She joined to learn more about how those skills could pair with what she’s learning in her major.

“I’m an international student, so my process and perspective are different,” said Peguero, who came to Oakwood from the Dominican Republic and wants to work in a lab after graduation. “Meeting the faculty here and learning their pathways was so exciting,” she said. “I want to be like them one day.”