Love Data Week at TXST

Whose data is it, anyway? 2025 Open Datathon for the Bobcat Community

What: In celebration of Love Data Week 2025, the University Libraries will host the second annual TXST Open Datathon, Feb. 7-14, 2025. The International Love Data Week is a global celebration dedicated to data that is observed annually during the week of Valentine's Day. TXST Open Datathon 2025 will be a week of learning about how to find, apply, and present open data related to real-world situations, culminating in a datathon competition. The purpose of this event is to increase awareness of open data and enhance data management skills, promote community engagement, and leverage open data for meaningful impact. Participants will work collaboratively to make a meaningful impact on real-world issues through open data and share final digital artifacts to support TXST university communities. 

Who can join?

• Teams of up to 4 undergraduate and/or graduate students from all academic disciplines are invited to participate. 
• Teams may form in advance, or we will help facilitate the team organization after registration. 
• No expertise in data science is required; we will guide you through the resources and processes you need to explore the open data
• Please consider attending an event orientation on Friday, Feb 7, 2025, and all other scheduled hours on Friday, February 14th, 2025, and staying through the success of the project presentation, judging, award distribution, and close ceremony.

When: Feb. 7-14, 2025.

Participants will gather on Friday, Feb. 7 for the opening talk and kickoff event and will work independently with their teams during the one-week event. Final submissions will be due by noon (12 p.m.) on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2025. All teams' submissions should be deposited in the TXST Dataverse Repositories, including a digital poster of the Datathon project and its related final cleaned datasets. The Datathon planning team will confirm the submission and send out notifications on February 13 in the afternoon to invite all participating teams for in-person presentations to compete for the Datathon winning teams, awards, and prizes. On Friday, February 14, 2025, there will be oral presentations of each team and judging for the datathon project from 1 to 3 pm, and then there will be an award ceremony and closing ceremony from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.  (See the full event schedule below). 

Registration:

Each participant must register, even if they have already formed a team. In the event of cancellations or no-shows, a waitlist will be maintained to fill out the competition. 

Why participate? 

• Hands-on experience and skill development -- Datathons provide a unique chance to get your hands dirty with real-world open-access datasets. Instead of just learning theories in a classroom, you’ll have the chance to apply your knowledge in a practical setting. Participating in a Datathon allows you to enhance your skill set, from data cleaning and preprocessing to advanced data analytics and data science. This hands-on experience will not only provide a sense of purpose but also allow you to see the direct impact of your analytical skills on solving pressing problems. 

• Network opportunities, prizes, and recognitions -- Connect with like-minded peers and potential mentors during the Datathon. Each team project will be judged by a panel of experts based on a pre-distributed rubric. Prizes will be offered to participants who successfully complete the project. We will have awards for the top three teams with the highest overall scores. This is not just about winning; it’s an opportunity to showcase your talents and boost your resume. 

Schedule of Events: 

Stay tuned for more details!