Data Fluency and Remotely Accessible Interdisciplinary STEMM Education
No one wants to spend a career looking over their shoulder as a robot is trained to do their work. The physics department of today must prepare students of all backgrounds for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. UAB Physics is doing its part to educate a generation that will look forward and lead. Our focus is on Emerging Technologies & Society, Reasoning with Data, and on civic science. UAB Physics students are equipped to use current and future technologies to address scientific and societal challenges.
In what ways can we prepare students to navigate and use emerging technologies? What skills should we prioritize as we prepare our students for the future?
In Physics, we emphasize the development of data fluency, i.e., the ability to use technology and data science to derive new knowledge. Data fluency goes beyond data literacy. When learning a new language, a literate person can read and speak, while a fluent person can use it to create a story or a poem. Our approach to 21st century education combines the development of data fluency with experiential learning in the experimental or computational Physics research lab.
Project RAISE
To facilitate the above goals, Dr. Lauren Rast leads project RAISE, Remotely Accessible Interdisciplinary STEMM Education. Rather than simply developing new online courses for life-long learning, RAISE explores innovative ways of using emerging educational technologies to advance participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields and engage students with different backgrounds levels of past prepartion. In particular, RAISE provides a STEMM-personalized support framework not limited by geography to support all individuals, including those impacted by social, economic, educational, cultural, or other life circumstances. This framework empowers life-long learners to participate in 21st century job opportunities, now made possible through Physics. In recognition of success, Dr. Rast received the Provost’s Award for Transformative Online Courses.
The Magic City Data Collective
The Magic City Data Collective (MCDC) is a public-private partnership and model for our new UAB “City as Classroom” course housed in the department of Physics. Dr. Lauren Rast serves as Principal Investigator/Project Director for the Magic City Data Collective project, which was selected as an awardee for the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship Governor’s Work-Based Learning Best Practices Regional Awards, and is a Silver Medal winner in the 2024 International Economic Development Awards. “MCDC connects purpose-driven companies with future leaders in data. It is based in Birmingham, a destination for civic-minded talent.” MCDC gives students new internship opportunities for data fluency education in UAB Physics and hands-on data training and professional development with local employers and nonprofit organizations.
By expanding our department’s holistic educational approach, which earned the 2023 American Physical Society Improving Undergraduate Education Award, we foster self-efficacy, STEM affinity, and subject knowledge among disadvantaged students. Collaborating with university-wide initiatives, we aim to bridge the gap between high school readiness and the skills needed to excel in physics and STEMM jobs. This is essential for preparing our graduates to tackle the grand challenges facing the modern world and global society.