Data Science Mentoring

Catalog description

This course has the following broad goals: (1) To ensure that Stanford graduate students in data science are intentionally trained to be effective mentors, with the ability to relate also to people whose life and academic experiences may be different from theirs. (2) To sustainably develop pathways to increase access to higher education in data science for individuals from all backgrounds. During weekly class meetings, graduate student participants will learn strategies to create an environment that foster a sense of belonging, approaches to effective mentoring and coaching, and techniques to develop a personalized curriculum with the course staff and guest speakers. They will also be paired with current undergraduates from non-R1 schools with an interest in data science, recruited in partnership with faculty from those institutions. Participants will meet online weekly for one-on-one mentorship where mentee will be exposed to research in data science. During the weekly meetings, mentors and mentee will work on a range of activities, designed with assistance from course staff, including planning course of studies, navigating internship opportunities and preparing applications; tutoring in some aspects of data science; and guidance in engaging in mini-research projects, depending on the mentee's interests.