Visual Analytics for Command, Control, and Interoperability Environments

Education Overview

Visual analytics helps people make effective decisions from the mass of multisource, multimedia data they face throughout their daily work via interactive visualizations and analysis tools. VACCINE's mission is to educate current homeland security stakeholders and the next generation of talent in effective development and use of visual analytics systems. Our educational initiatives span the entire career development pipeline ranging from PK-12 programs through undergraduate and graduate level work, to professional education and training programs.

Key components include the following:

• Enhancing global visualization and analytics curriculum development by expanding upon existing programs and leveraging unique skill sets at member universities.
• Increasing visualization and analytics education and career opportunities at Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) through our network of partnering universities.
• Extending visualization and analytics education curriculum through active engagement of middle school and high school teachers, as well as, community college and university faculty.
• Distributing all educational material through the Visual Analytics Digital Library, a global visual analytics portal that actively encourages community contribution and development.
• Engaging local and regional homeland security professionals in innovative and practical professional training utilizing web-based teaching methods.

HS-STEM Programs

A competitive Homeland Security - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (HS-STEM) Career Development program has been established at Purdue to support students interested in pursuing homeland security related careers. This program will expand by engaging VACCINE schools and new MSI partners through the Minority Serving Institutions-Cyber Infrastructure Empowerment Coalition and the Computing Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institutions.

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K-12 Program

K-12 teacher workshops are being developed for summer 2010 that introduce visualization and analytics topics to school districts nationally.

 Students from our Homeland Security-Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (HS-STEM) Career Development Program visit local high schools each year and present information on their research and how it relates to visual analytics and homeland security.  The goal is to expose more young students to the field of visual analytics and its use within homeland security and to get students interested in these areas as a possible career choice later on.  VACCINE has also hosted local school groups/classes for tours of the VACCINE lab facilities.

Undergraduate / Graduate Programs

VACCINE will expand upon the diverse set of visual analytic curricula at our member schools, refining and integrating our existing efforts and identifying niche opportunities where future courses and degrees can be developed and offered.

Learn about Undergraduate Programs or Graduate Programs

Educational Materials

VADL is an online resource center and leading international repository for visual analytics educational and training material, as well as practical lessons-learned and best practices for Command, Control and Interoperability (CCI) material. http://vadl.cc.gatech.edu

Professional Training

VACCINE will develop a professional training strategy for local, state and federal emergency responders and homeland security officials with initial activities that will incorporate on-line training and short courses on data and visual analytics.

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Affinity Education and Research Program

Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are active participants in our VACCINE programs. Through expansion of existing curriculum, research talks, and participating in summer research opportunities, these students and faculty are part of a growing network that will have access to resources not traditionally available.

Collaboration will also connect MSIs to the mission of VACCINE by managing affinity research pods. These research pods will foster an innovative educational and research partnership between Research 1(R1) Universities and the minority-serving institutions and will target visual analytics and homeland security applications.