Expanding the Use of Collaborative Data Science at UM

New Grants

Now in its third year, our Expanding the Use of Collaborative Data Science at UM Grants Program features the largest group of winners to date. This year’s program focused on projects that explored data ethics and social justice, and we had so many strong applications from across the University that we added two additional awards. Each recipient received $20,000 and 1M Service Units (SUs) to be used for high-performance computing at IDSC.

Here are the seven winners of our 2022 collaborative data science grants:

	Natalia Andrade Rodriguez Postdoctoral Associate, Rosenstiel School Department of Marine Biology and Ecology Project that will use explainable artificial intelligence to study gene expression patterns in heart-stressed corals.
	Vanessa Aguiar-Pulido Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science Project using deep learning and explainable artificial intelligence to improve race bias in the treatment of breast cancer.
	Eric C. Brown, PhD Associate Professor, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences Project designed to better disseminate data science and machine learning techniques throughout Latin America.
	Samantha Ballard, PhD Postdoctoral Associate, Rosenstiel School Department of Ocean Sciences Project using satellite imagery and deep learning detection to study atmospheric gravity waves caused by giant clouds that develop inside of hurricanes.
	Abigail L. Fleming, JD Mysun Foundation Practitioner-in-Residence, School of Law Environmental Justice Clinic Project titled “Displacement Vulnerability and Mitigation Tool.”
	Yasamin Rezaei Teaching and Research Assistant, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures Project studying social media posts to better understand the ongoing revolution in Iran and the impact of the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country’s morality police.
	Esber Andiroglu Associate Professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and School of Architecture Project using artificial intelligence to study heritage equity in Florida.

This program is designed to increase the use of data science to foster breakthroughs in disciplinary pursuits making the research team more competitive for external funding. Applications are required to include at least one data scientist (from IDSC) and one researcher from a specific discipline. Typically, the disciplinary researcher initiates and leads the project. The awards include $20K discretionary funds[1] that can be applied to salary and travel, and 1M Service Units (SUs) to be used for advanced computing. It is anticipated that up to 5 awards will be made.

For the 2022-23 academic year, IDSC remain interested in proposals that address issues in:

Computer ethics and data science
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice

Other topics and issues are also welcome. Pre-submission inquires are encouraged. For more information, email idscgrants@miami.edu.

In terms of this grant opportunity, data science is defined as utilizing state-of-the-art approaches such as Machine Learning (ML) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable scientific discovery that is data driven. Simply, proposing to analyze large data sets with traditional techniques (e.g., linear regression) is not responsive to this opportunity. Proposals that use ML/AI to develop new understanding are strongly encouraged.

The application process includes two steps and a final report presented as an IDSC seminar.

Step 1: The disciplinary researcher provides a one-page letter of intent to IDSC outlining the discipline-specific research and where data science fits in. Based on the letter of intent, the IDSC review team will identify an IDSC data scientist for the collaboration, if the research team has not already identified an IDSC partner. Deadline passed.

Step 2: [UPON INVITATION] The research team (including the IDSC data scientist) will prepare a two-page proposal that outlines the research and the data science plan. The proposal should also include a short discussion of potential external funding mechanisms that the proposed work can use to enhance the competitive position of the research team and a budget plan on how the funds will be utilized. The research team will have one month from the letter of intent to submit the two-page proposal. Deadline passed.

Reporting

Upon completion of the project, the research team will be required to give an oral presentation describing the research and results as part of the IDSC seminar series. Scheduling of the oral presentation will be coordinated by IDSC.

Review Process

The applications will be reviewed by an evaluation committee to determine feasibility, relevance to IDSC programs, and in terms of how the proposed research will put the team in a more competitive position for external funding.

Important Information and Deadlines

Information session led by Ben Kirtman and Ken Goodman: Thursday, September 1, 2022 | 5:00-5:30 PM Registration Closed.
Step 1 – Letters of Intent: Due by 5:00 PM, Friday, September23, 2022
Invitation to submit full proposal (Step 2) with identification of an IDSC data scientist partner (if applicable): Friday, October 7, 2022.
Step 2 – Two-page Proposal: Due by 5:00 PM, Friday, November 18, 2022
Notice of Award: On or before Friday, December 16, 2022
Project performance period: January 1-December 31, 2023
Service Units (SU) expire January 31, 2024
Oral Presentation of Results: Spring 2024

[1] Discretionary funds can be used for salary and travel only. Equipment purchases are not allowed.