DataRes, UCLA’s largest student data science organization, facilitates professional project experience while nurturing a caring community.

Upon joining DataRes, members are organized into five data-related branches, which run workshops, blogs, research, consulting and teaching at local schools, according to the DataRes website. Each team, comprised of around 90 to 100 students, collaborates on quarterly projects centered around its branch goals.

Co-president Katrina Iguban said DataRes offers a range of data-related opportunities for all skill levels. She added that through skill workshops and project collaboration, she gathered experience to guide her toward her career goal: marketing in the technology industry.

In addition to working together, Iguban, a third-year cognitive science student, said she sometimes plays volleyball on weekends with other DataRes members. Katherine Huynh, another co-president, said she met a lot of her closest friends through DataRes.

“Everyone takes something different out of DataRes,” said Huynh, a third-year statistics and data science student. “For me, it was the community, very much so.”

Huynh said DataRes provides a proactive yet supportive environment in addition to technical project experience and mentorship. Many in the organization are willing to share their experiences and provide guidance, she added.

“Instead of feeling stressed out about falling behind, you feel encouraged to find your best foot forward and grow,” Huynh said.

Third-year cognitive science student Queenie Wu said she joined DataRes her sophomore year without any experience in data analytics. She added that she found DataRes at the Enormous Activities Fair and decided to approach the club.

DataRes also offers quarterlong courses students can attend for free to learn data languages and tools such as Python and machine learning, according to its website. Wu said she gained analytical skills and completed resume-boosting projects in her first year, in addition to being welcomed into a community of inclusive people.

“Being a part of DataRes, you’re inherently in good company,” Iguban said. “It’s a very driven and high-achieving group of people.”

The organization hosts formals, socials and retreats, Wu said. As DataRes has over 300 members, Iguban said she is working on fostering greater interclub connections.

Iguban first joined DataRes in the Data Blog group. In a team of five to seven members, she investigated whether international students, in-state students or out-of-state students are happier at UCLA. DataBlog’s results are then published alongside titles such as “Decoding Rotten Tomatoes Scores” and “An Investigation of the K-pop Craze.”

Huynh said she appreciates data science because it offers the analytical tools to assess any set of data and create predictive models. Numbers can translate into power and validity, Iguban added.

“There’s just so much data in the world right now,” Wu said. “There is just loads and loads and loads of data waiting to be analyzed.”

Iguban said she encourages students who would like to pursue a career in data science to apply to the club. Her passion for data science stems from her research-oriented mindset and finding patterns satisfying, she added.

“Data science and machine learning are such buzzwords right now, and I think it’s really easy to follow the herd in that sense,” Iguban said. “But if you’re a student that truly is interested in data science … then there is a great place for you.”