The Data Science Discovery Program connects undergraduates with hands-on, team-based opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge data research projects with graduate and post-doctoral students, community impact groups, entrepreneurial ventures, and educational initiatives across UC Berkeley.
Why Discovery?
Data science is an intrinsically interdisciplinary field with broad reach, fast scaling capacity, and a large pool of interested students and projects. The Data Science Discovery Program, a joint effort of the Berkeley Institute for Data Sciences, Division of Data Sciences, and Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP), was created in 2015 to offer undergraduates the opportunity to build and apply data science skills and at the same time to provide collaborators with skilled students to help address their data challenges.
Earning Academic Units
Students can earn units through the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) page under the Data Science Discovery Program, led by Anthony Suen
URAP FAQ
1) Which URAP project should I apply to? How is the URAP application part of my Discovery?
Students need to apply to the Discovery Program under Anthony Suen from the URAP application portal. Typically, students don’t have to spend much time working on their statement of interest, as it's only our unit enrollment mechanism.
2) How many units can I commit through URAP?
Students usually earn 1 - 2 units through URAP. However, students may discuss with their research supervisor if they wish to take without unit or with more units. According to URAP unit guideline, 1 unit of academic credit corresponds to each 3 hours of research work (limited to 4 units per term).
3) What are the important dates during the selection process? What happens next if I’m accepted?
The deadline to fill out the URAP application is January 27th at 9 AM. Students should get notified on the decisions from their research supervisors by February 1st. We’ll kick off our program on February 3rd.
4) If I am part of the Data Scholars Program, do I need to go through URAP?
Data scholars do not need to apply to URAP.
Research Partners
The Data Science Discovery Experiences model can identify, connect, and scale access for significantly more students in the data science space. It does so by creating a sustainable and diverse pipeline of projects by improving the matching and database system, fine-tuning the training and consulting services needed by graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate research leads, and expanding internal and public communication.
Research projects with faculty, post-doctoral, and graduate students encompass all domain areas. Social Impact efforts with community non-profit groups offer the opportunity to help address critical issues.
Email questions to: ds-discovery@berkeley.edu
Discovery Projects by Semester
