A collaboration between the Data Science Institute and the School of Social Work.
We live in a complex world where social problems arise because of many interrelated factors. As a result, addressing social problems requires multifaceted solutions driven by research, experience, and an adaptive understanding of factors affecting people, institutions, communities, and systems. The divide between social workers and data, as well as between data scientists and work for social good hinders our ability to bridge the gap between the fields and inform interdisciplinary methodologies for developing and creating interventions for these social problems.
This project is designed to prepare and generate a new cadre of interdisciplinary social work and data science students who will learn to effectively engage in interdisciplinary collaboration utilizing computational skills and deep contextual knowledge of the conditions and factors related to our most pressing social problems.
Social work students will work with data science students to create innovative digital tools that are informed by social work theory and practice.
About the Collaboratory Fellows Fund:
Technology and massive data are reshaping society in profound ways. To be effective, the leaders of tomorrow will need to understand how these transformations are impacting their professions, now and in the future. The Collaboratory Fellows Fund is developing the coursework to allow students to master the technical skills and cultivate the creative thinking to confront the unique challenges in their chosen careers.