DataBridge program inspires futures one data point at a time

University Libraries' DataBridge program helps students like senior computer science major Skylar Mayfield bridge the gap between academic coursework and real-world career possibilities. 

DataBridge, led by Anne Brown, associate professor and associate director of DataBridge, and Jonathan Briganti, DataBridge manager, pairs students with data problems proposed by researchers from across Virginia Tech. Students collaborate directly with faculty members while earning course credit or monetary payment and building their data analysis skills along the way. These data problems span and intersect many domains including data science, computational biochemistry, and pedagogical research, to name a few.

“DataBridge has prepared me for the workforce by exposing me to what the environment is like. It’s less of a classroom and more of an actual hands-on job,” said Mayfield, who joined the program in January 2023.  

By actively collaborating with research faculty on high-level data science challenges, she has developed critical programming and data visualization skills. But more importantly, Mayfield discovered a passion for data research that she never had before. The experience of working on impactful real-world problems within a professional environment sparked her interest in pursuing a career in data research. 

“Before I joined DataBridge, I was more interested in software development,” Mayfield said. “But this program exposed me to data science, and now I know that this is what I want to do with my life and I feel prepared for the professional world.”

The program launched in 2018, and since then, 135 DataBridge students have assisted faculty and graduate students across the university with their research data challenges. Many of these students have used this experience to become software engineers, research associates, data visualization analysts, and other roles in data science fields. 

“I hope that DataBridge is beneficial for students in multiple ways and that they learn teamwork, technical applied data science skills, and that they grow comfortable in a collaborative environment,” said Brown. “The goal is for the students to think creatively about solutions that might be needed for the various projects that they work on.” 

From analyzing data during the COVID-19 pandemic to creating data lake maps that depict the impacts of the opioid crisis, the work done in DataBridge makes a difference that expands beyond Virginia Tech. 

“We’ve had several projects go on to make an impact,” said Brown.“It’s important for the students to see their work have a positive influence on both the field and communities as well as locally and globally.”

DataBridge’s commitment to making hands-on experiences available to students offers participants an opportunity to grow and be ready for their future.

“Experiential learning is so important for students,” said Brown. “We want to make sure students are getting hands-on, applied skills that they can utilize in any career path after Virginia Tech. It also allows them to see the variety of options they can have in their careers, which is a huge benefit of this program.” 

By facilitating opportunities like Mayfield’s, DataBridge continues to serve both student professional growth and critical university research needs – a powerful bridge across disciplines and between emerging talent and academic innovation.