College of Agriculture, Purdue University Libraries Seek Graduate Students for Semester-Long Data Literacy Pilot Program

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's College of Agriculture, with support from Purdue Libraries, is seeking to recruit graduate students in the College of Agriculture for a semester-long pilot data literacy course to be offered in spring of 2014 with some limited follow-up in the fall.

The course will teach graduate students the knowledge and skills they need to be successful professionals in their discipline. Accepted students will receive a stipend of $1,500 for participating in this course. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 18.

Research in agriculture and related fields is growing more and more dependent on the application of data. Emerging research professionals and data producers need to understand how to manage, organize, describe, disseminate and archive their data sets for themselves and others.

In addition to teaching current trends and thinking in managing, organizing, sharing and curating research data, students will actively participate in shaping the course to address real-world challenges and issues they face in developing and working with research data sets. Participants will be applying what they learn to their own data sets as a part of the course.  

Through offering this pilot, the Libraries and the College of Agriculture will develop a better understanding of the issues with data that are universally relevant across departments.  Students will benefit from receiving intense, hands-on training in managing their own data. One of the goals for the course is to create a community of students knowledgeable with data management and curation issues who will then be able to spread awareness and best practices of data management with fellow students and others in their own labs. 

Space in this program is limited. The pilot program can only accept five to 10 graduate students from the College of Agriculture There is $1,500 stipend, and applications are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 18. Students will be selected through an application process. Although doctoral students are preferred, the course is also open to Master's level students provided that they meet the criteria listed below.

* Students must be actively working with or developing a research data set as a part of their lab work and/or their scholarship.

* The student's adviser will be asked to participate as a means to gauge student learning from the course. Students will need to get the consent of their adviser to participate and secure an agreement from their adviser to be interviewed at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. 

For an application and details, contact Marianne Stowell Bracke, associate professor of library science/agricultural information specialist at mbracke@purdue.edu or 765-496-9620. 

Sources: Jake Carlson, associate professor of Library Science/data services specialist, 765-494-6665, jakecarlson@purdue.edu