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Engineering in the World of Data
The Engineering in the World of Data Learning Community brings together first-year engineering students and award-winning faculty who share an interest and enthusiasm for data science and its application to professional practice in engineering.
In your first semester, you will learn the fundamentals of data science: types of data, the data lifecycle, data transformation, visualization, and evidence-based decision-making in user-centered design problems. In your second semester, you’ll develop the skills to build and use analytical tools with MATLAB and python. You’ll learn how to wrangle large datasets, design effective algorithms, and utilize artificial intelligence.
The sections of our courses are exclusive to our learning community, and you’ll take them together as a cohort, making it easier to make friends and to collaborate. Our community adds a one-credit hour seminar to your fall semester (ILS 103) and a one credit-hour seminar to your spring semester (ENGR 103). The other three classes are required whether you belong to our community or not.
Our faculty encourages students to bring their own interests and problems to solve from their specific discipline of engineering (e.g., electrical, computing, aeronautical, mechanical) in team projects with other students who share similar interests.
In the summer, new students will be invited to join our community Discord server and to introduce themselves, so that we can begin to get to know each other before everyone arrives in West Lafayette. You’ll have the opportunity to live together on campus and make friends with other students and engage with our faculty through fun and engaging learning community activities and Big Data Trophy competitions. Thanks to our alumni, we’re able to offer incredible opportunities to learn about careers in engineering and to build out your personal and professional networks.
The best way to learn more is to check our Instagram (@engineeringworldofdata) and explore what we’ve been up to lately. You can meet our faculty and get course descriptions from our website, too.
For specific questions regarding the Engineering in the World of Data LC, please email Michael Witt (mwitt@purdue.edu).
Eligibility
- First-time beginning students admitted to the First-Year Engineering Program or to Pre-ABE in the College of Agriculture
- This LC is not available to Honors College participants
Residential Component
- Required. The location of learning community housing will be determined based on the incoming size and needs of the learning community.
- A signed housing contract is required to apply to this learning community. Once a housing contract is completed, you will indicate your learning community housing preference within the learning community application. Applications received by the priority deadline will be considered first.
- If you want to be placed with a preferred roommate and be admitted to a learning community with a required residential component, both you and your roommate must apply (and be accepted) to the same learning community. Students admitted to learning communities with a required residential component cannot be paired with students admitted to learning communities with an optional residential component.
- For specific question regarding learning communities, email learningcommunities@purdue.edu.
- Completing a housing contract is a separate process from applying to a learning community. If you have questions about housing, contact University Residences (https://www.housing.purdue.edu/) at housing@purdue.edu.
Duration
Full Academic Year
Associated Courses and Information
Fall
ENGR 13100 - Transforming Ideas to Innovation l (2 credits)
ILS 10300 - Introduction to Data Lifecycle Management (1 credit)
ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition with Data Science Emphasis (3 credits) optional based on AP scores or transfer credit
Spring
ENGR 13200 - Transforming Ideas to Innovation ll (2 credits)
ENGR 10300 - Computational Methods of Data Science for Engineers (1 credit)
Every fee eligible student involved with a learning community (LC) at Purdue will be assessed the $200 LC fee to their university account. These funds support activities and travel, signature LC events, housing assignments and/or course registration and instructor stipends.
Events and Activities Included:
Examples of community activities from previous years:
- Python with Pythons: programming introduction with animal management data and live snakes
- Data science and sports: Moneyball with Coach Matt Painter
- Shark Tank start-up pitch competition with Art Norins, Bruce Schecter, and President Mung Chiang
- Machine Learning March Madness basketball tournament simulation
- Scenario-based learning and networking with prominent Purdue alumni such as Drew Feustel (NASA), Kim Riddle (P&G), Chris Jones (Stryker), Todd Montabana (Accenture)
- Barbeques, movie and game nights, volleyball, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, Mario Kart
- Field trip to Cummins Technical Center: simulation and product testing data management and analytics
- Big Data Trophy challenges every other week
Information above is subject to change. If you are placed in the LC, the associated courses will be on your schedule prior to you registering for the rest of your courses.
