CODATA/RDA Summer School in Data Science and Cloud Computing in the Developing World WG Recommendations

Having been involved in the 2016 CODATA/RDA Summer School in Data Science and Cloud Computing in the Developing World as an instructor and organizer, I recommend the adoption of the Working Group’s outputs. The infrastructure created during the Summer School in August at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) provides a framework for outreach to developing countries and helps students from those countries build a solid Data Science foundation. Instruction heavily leveraged Open Science and Open Data philosophies.

We are pursuing potential funding options to conduct a regional summer school instance. The planning will keep a focus on students that might not have access to world class Data Science instruction in the US, including minority serving instutions and students in Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) states. Indiana University encourages this outreach and has expressed interest in collaborating with other higher education instutions to hold a regional (North/Central America) Summer School using the outputs of the CODATA/RDA Working Group.

Not all outputs have a direct application to the organization, though several indirect benefits have developed after the Summer School concluded. These include:

• An ongoing collaboration between Oceanographic reseachers at ICTP and staff and faculty at Indiana University has developed and external funding is being solicited.
• A set of references for graduate school adminision and connections for international students with the Indiana University academic system for promising Summer School students.
• Collaboration between Indiana University, California Institute of Technology and University of Sothern California is being discussed for future regional Summer School courses. While this has yet to fully materialize, I feel confident some future regional instance will occur. We welcome other institutions with interest to become involved.

The outputs build on the social infrastructure around open data sharing. They spread across research disclipines and international borders, and allow the current generation of Data Science and Research Computing professionals to mentor students most in need of Open Science and Open Data principles.

As a member of the Organizational Advisory Board, I fully recommend the adoption of these outputs and look forward to future opportunities to be involved.

Link to course agenda: http://indico.ictp.it/event/7658/other-view?view=ictptimetable

Link to classroom materials: https://zenodo.org/communities/codata-rda-research-data-science-summer-s...