Abstract:

Imagine a course at your university where the instructor does not lecture but instead, students use class time to work in groups to solve a data science problem that comes directly from a partner in business, industry, and government (BIG). This program is known as PIC Math (PIC stands for “Preparation for Industrial Careers”). PIC Math works with faculty to help them prepare STEM students for careers in today’s workforce. During the summer before the course is taught, the faculty participate in a 3-day summer training workshop to learn how to create partnerships with people in BIG, how to find a BIG problem that students could work on for an entire semester, how to mentor the students so they can solve the BIG problem, and how to prepare the students to write a paper and give a talk about solving the BIG problem. In the first three years, there have been 107 faculty members from 101 universities/colleges in the U.S. that participated in PIC Math. Faculty mentored 1397 undergraduate students in research that came from over 170 different business and government agencies.

Keywords:

STEM, experiential learning, undergraduate research, data science, careers, industry.