National Student Data Corps creates accessible data science community for students

The Math Sciences building is pictured here. Many data science students have classes that take place in this building. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Irene Huh
Dec. 5, 2024 8:57 p.m.
In the National Student Data Corps at UCLA, students aim to create an inclusive community for students exploring data science.
NSDC was created in 2022 when one of its founders noticed a large number of students were unable to get into data science organizations, said Milla Nielsen, a fourth-year statistics and data science student and co-president of NSDC. The organization now has around 800 members, said Shreya Kuthiala, the club’s external vice president.
When the club started, some students interested in entering the data science field faced barriers because they had to already have specific classes and internships completed to join the other data science clubs, said Anika Misra, a fourth-year applied math major and co-president of NSDC.
Many data science clubs at UCLA also use competitive admissions, said Kuthiala, a fourth-year cognitive science student.
Unlike other organizations with large, arduous application processes, NSDC has no barriers to entry, Nielsen said.
“Our goal is to eliminate that completely,” Kuthiala said.
Every quarter, NSDC members who sign up are matched with a project lead to work on a data science project, helping to train students who are new to data science, Nielsen said.
Projects allow students to gain hands on data science experience that is similar to industry projects, Misra said. At the end of each quarter, NSDC hosts a project showcase where students can practice presentation skills, an important skill in data analytics and data science, Misra added.
Kuthiala said that one of her favorite projects was when her team took their own personal data from Google to set up an algorithm that would alert the user every time there was an anomalous behavior.
“I think learning is best hands on. We don’t want to just be like another class replacement,” Nielsen said. “We’re trying to offer something different.”
NSDC tries to make its seminars and workshops beginner friendly so that students feel comfortable and less intimidated, Kuthiala said.
Though not taught in class, technologies like prompt engineering and SQL are expected by data science employers, Nielsen said. NSDC hosts workshops on these technologies so students can learn from each other instead of teaching them themselves, she added.
In addition to projects and workshops, NSDC’s networking events allow professionals to come and talk to students about the data science industry, Misra said.
NSDC is planning to host bigger social events in the future, Kuthiala said, adding that the organization hopes to collaborate with other data science clubs for social events.
“I never felt worried that my skills don’t match up to somebody else’s. I just feel like I have more opportunities to learn,” Kuthiala said.
For the next academic year, NSDC plans to continue group organizing projects and workshops, and begin hosting professor talks, Misra said. Nielsen added that NSDC would try to expand the board and the number of project leads it employs.
Project sign ups filled up in 20 to 30 minutes this quarter, Nielsen said. She added that she wants to make sure that every student is getting the resources they need rather than waiting until the next quarter.
NSDC has helped promote an increase of nontraditional students in the data science community, Misra said.
The organization hopes to reach as many people who are interested in data science, Nielsen added.
“If you want to learn about data science, you should be able to learn about it,” Kuthiala said. “You should be able to get that experience.”