ODSR updates
Stories from around campus
- Illinois researchers use data to untangle drivers of nitrogen loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (College of ACES)
- DELIFT-ing data for targeted AI training (CS/NCSA)
- New tool helps estimate societal impact of droughts (School of Information Sciences)
- X + DS program: Leading the Data Science Revolution
Reading Between the Brain Waves: Inside a Scientist’s Work on Mobility and Aging
Dr. Manuel Hernandez, director of the Mobility and Fall Prevention Research Laboratory, tells us how he and his lab are using machine learning approaches to accelerate large-scale data analysis to address age-related mobility challenges.
The PigLife Dataset: A pipeline technology for a new livestock industry
The livestock industry is being stretched thin. Fewer farmers, more animals. Automation is the answer, but first, you need reliable data to begin. That’s why PigLife was created.
Against the Grain: Dr. Salah Issa on Innovating Ag Safety
Agricultural and Biological Engineering assistant professor and Extension Specialist Salah Issa tells us about his work on grain entrapments and other hazards using machine learning and VR to improve on-farm safety.
When Robots Meet Horseradish: A Ph.D. Student’s Mission Toward Sustainable Solutions for Small-Scale Farming
Agricultural & Biological Engineering Ph.D. student Sandesh Poudel is combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and precision agriculture to address small-scale specialty crop farming in Illinois, with a focus on the unique challenges of horseradish.
Using Data Science to Improve Educational Outcomes at CITL
Manny Rodriguez Rivera talks about using data science to help instructors close achievement gaps in courses and support a campus-wide culture of evidence-based teaching.
How Data Science Shapes Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
Our conversation with Dr. Linell Edwards highlights the Provost Office’s use of data science to better understand a wide range of institutional survey data collected across Illinois.
Dan Harmon on Data-Driven Innovation in Research Administration at Illinois
We talked with Dan Harmon, Director of Data and Systems with SPA, about his team’s work with AI and data-driven research administration.
Mapping Health Disparities: Marynia Kolak on Data Science for Social Impact
We explore the geography of health data with Illinois faculty member and spatial data scientist Marynia Kolak.
Embracing Your Non-Linear Data Science Career Path
A conversation with Jordari Rene, Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Professional Connections at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
How the Data Science Development Group is standing out in a growing field
We sat down with the Data Science Development Group, a new RSO in an increasingly competitive field. Their commitment to reflecting the job market while remaining open to students of all skill levels sets this club apart.
2026 Datathon Winners Predict Call Center Activity Using No AI
Understanding the data completely—a skill becoming more and more important with AI—along with storytelling and simplicity differentiated the winners of this year’s Statistics Datathon.
Materials Science and Engineering teams up with Data Science at Illinois, innovates in Research and Teaching
Materials science and data science are converging fast, democratizing materials research, and minimizing human bias. Professors Pinshane Huang and Dallas Trinkle walk us through how this is revolutionizing the industry and how Illinois is taking action.
iDSC Data Dive Showcases a Semester of Learning, Professionalism
The student-run Illinois Data Science Club recently hosted its Fall 2025 Data Dive competition. Read our summary of the event and learn about the winning projects.
Building Community in Data Science: WiDS at Illinois
We spoke with leaders of the Women in Data Science Chapter at Illinois about their strategies to keep building this fast-growing organization with a focus on the human elements of data science and AI.
Inside the Illinois Data Science Club
We sat down with a first-of-its-kind club at the University of Illinois, the Illinois Data Science Club. The organization tackles the fast-growing field with data competitions and learning experiences for everyone.
Data Science Mentoring and Talent Retention at Synchrony
We spoke with Synchrony, an Illinois data science partner in the Research Park, about their unique model of developing student talent at Illinois.
Identifying Gaps in Early Childhood Education: IECAM’s Data-Driven Insights
Keith Hollenkamp spoke with us about the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM), which provides comprehensive data on early childhood care and education across Illinois, helping policymakers, school administrators, researchers, and more to make informed decisions.
NSF Seeks Data Sets for AI Education
The National Science Foundation is requesting recommendations for datasets to facilitate AI education and researcher skill development as part of the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot. Input due by February 7, 2025. Read the Dear Colleague Letter for details.
Webinar | Data Science for the Public Good
In this webinar, speakers from Iowa State University (ISU) introduce their local Data Science for the Public Good (DSPG) Program and exemplify how they leveraged the Community Learning through Data-Driven Discovery Process (CLD3) to support local communities addressing real problems.
Illini to the Final Four…of Brackets
201 million brackets in 3.5 days— Two Illinois CS researchers, a world-class algorithm, and NCSA computing power produced the massive number and might come out on top. Even more, they turned the results into a public tool built on cutting-edge data structures.
From Dirt to Data: Precision Agriculture at the Data-Intensive Farm Management Project
ACES professor David Bullock tells us about the origins and impacts of the Data-Intensive Farm Management project, which combines on-farm experiments, data science, and multi-disciplinary collaboration to help farmers make better farm management decisions.
Modeling a Better Future: How Dr. Luis Rodríguez Bridges Biosystems Research and Community Science
ACES associate professor Dr. Luis Rodríguez tells us about initiatives to create a collaborative network where communities can work together to solve common challenges surrounding disaster resilience.
2025 Ashby Prize in Computational Science Hackathon Winners Streamline CRISPR Screening with AI
In one weekend, competitors harnessed AI to optimize the expensive and time-consuming process of CRISPR screening.
Weathering the Storm: An Atmospheric Scientist on Technology, Disruption, and Dedication
Dr. Gan Zhang goes into depth about datasets and machine learning tools in the changing world of weather science.
Making Campus Data Work: A Conversation with Maryalice Wu
CITL’s Director of Data Analytics talked with us about new campuswide data integration and how data analytics helps with teaching and learning.
2025 Datathon Featured 180 Student Teams
The 2025 Illinois Statistics Datathon included 650 participants and was hosted March 28-30, 2025 at the Campus Instructional Facility, in partnership with Synchrony.
Illinois Data Science sweeps B1G Data Visualization contest
Student and faculty entries each won their respective 2025 Big Ten Academic Alliance Data Viz Championships.
Student Group Profile | Hack4Impact UIUC
For this profile, we talked with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) chapter of the national nonprofit Hack4Impact.
Student Profile | Illinois Students win COVID-19 Research Award
Two University of Illinois undergraduate students were finalists in the 2024 COVID Information Commons Student Paper Challenge.
Webinar | Empowering Women in Data Science
Join this Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub Data Science Student Groups (DSSG) webinar as we talk to Samridhi Verma, the President and Ambassador of the newly created University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) chapter of Women in Data Science (WiDS).