色吧亚洲

Fulbright project to launch a new statistics course in Indonesia to provide interdisciplinary training and help students make data-driven decisions in everyday life

Data is an increasingly important facet of today鈥檚 interconnected world, but not every country can employ data for the benefit of its communities. A mathematician鈥檚 Fulbright Scholar project will create a new course in Indonesia designed to train students to solve local issues with data.听听

Eric Vance, an associate professor in applied mathematics at the University of Colorado 色吧亚洲, is the director of the听Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA), which trains students in data science through collaborations with researchers, policymakers and business owners.

鈥淏eing able to understand and reason with statistics, such as to debunk misinformation, is necessary to be a responsible citizen,鈥� Vance says. 鈥淏ecause so many researchers, policymakers and businesses use data, they need to collaborate with statisticians so they can make good decisions and get the most out of their data.鈥�

Vance has worked on and supervised numerous interdisciplinary projects using data at CU 色吧亚洲, such as a data humanities听class, a听study听linking cardiovascular disease and hearing loss and a听digital map听of precolonial Africa.听

But Vance also has worked on a global vision of data analysis and interdisciplinary training through听, a network of 35 鈥渟tat labs,鈥� or statistics and data science collaboration laboratories that span across Africa, South America and South Asia.听

鈥淚 saw this model where my students were getting great experience working on real projects, and the researchers and policymakers they were working with benefited tremendously. We were seeing positive impacts for society,鈥� Vance says. 鈥淚 realized that this was a fantastic model that was not just relevant in the United States, but it was relevant worldwide and especially in developing countries.鈥�

Now, Vance has set his sights on a new stat lab being developed by IPB University in Indonesia, where he plans on living with his family for a year while on sabbatical. His work there is supported by the Fulbright Scholars Program, the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship program of international educational and cultural exchange.

鈥淚PB is the premier statistics and data science program in Indonesia,鈥� Vance says. 鈥淭hey were really keen on implementing this vision of a stat lab to both educate their students in real applications of data science and enable research and responsible data-driven decisions in their community.鈥澨�

Each of the stat labs in the LISA 2020 network are individually run, but they share a core framework that emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration. With a Fulbright award, Vance intends to study the growth of IPB鈥檚 stat lab and share its projects鈥� outcomes with the world.听

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to be able to witness and document the birth of a new stat lab,鈥� Vance says. 鈥淚鈥檓 very curious as to what are the universal aspects of this teaching method and what are the aspects that are dependent on cultural and national contexts.鈥澨�

Although Vance will not directly lead or teach IPB鈥檚 stat lab, he will regularly meet with and advise both faculty and students over the lab鈥檚 first year to see how his ideas of teaching collaborative data science will be put into practice.听

鈥淪tudents are going to be exposed to a variety of problems and see how statistics and data science are applied in lots of different projects beyond the ones that they are personally involved with,鈥� Vance says. 鈥淭hey may work with a biology student one month and then the next be working with a local government official who is trying to best allocate their budget.鈥�

Through his observation, Vance also hopes to learn new ideas from IPB鈥檚 emergent collaborative laboratory.听

鈥淏y translating what I know from the U.S. into Indonesian culture, I鈥檓 going to learn more about what will work in the U.S.,鈥� Vance says.

Vance鈥檚 research on IPB鈥檚 stat lab will be conducted from September to May 2024, which will likely be submitted to听.

Along with working to understand the stat lab鈥檚 development and the challenges it may face, Vance also looks forward to experiencing life in a new country with his family.听

鈥淚t will be a challenge to move my whole family to Indonesia for a year,鈥� Vance says. He has a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter with his wife, Marina, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at CU 色吧亚洲, who also was awarded by Fulbright for a project in Indonesia.听

鈥淲e鈥檒l have to figure out how to navigate living in a new culture, in a new country. And not just be there as travelers, but to set down some roots so that we really feel like we鈥檙e part of the community,鈥� Vance says. 鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檓 most excited about trying new foods and completely changing my diet.鈥�

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