This year, we’ve expanded our fellow slots by a dozen, from 36 to 48. The fellows come from universities throughout North America, from McGill University in Montreal to Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México in Mexico City, and from schools in Australia, Denmark, and England as well. They study computer science, statistics, psychiatry, engineering, public policy, [...]
The Data Science for Social Good mentors are the core of the fellowship. As experienced data scientists from industry and academia, the mentors bring both technical knowledge and real-world experience to the program. They’re helpful guides for the fellows and their projects, and liaisons for the partner organizations. Finding the right people with both technical [...]
Last year, it was just an idea: Bring three dozen students to Chicago and prepare them for a career using data to make the world a better place. But when the Eric & Wendy Schmidt Data Science for Social Good Fellowship was announced in March, it struck a nerve. In less than a month, we [...]
Street lights are one of many public services that residents take for granted. In addition to helping us avoid car crashes, alley and street lights allow us to be aware of our surroundings and can help prevent devastating crimes like theft and assault. But while residents don’t typically notice street lights until they stop working, [...]
Starting a new nonprofit is a difficult process. Besides choosing a mission, developing a strategy and hiring employees, a new organization must figure out how they fit into the larger nonprofit landscape and find support. “How can I attract supporters?” “With whom can I partner?” “What are people saying about me?” These are just some [...]
Empty and full stations pose a major problem in the Divvy system. After all, bike share really only needs two things to work: a bike to ride and a dock to leave the bike. Chicago's commuting cycle (get it?) means that all the bike share bikes will end up under the butts of the workers [...]
In a previous post, we asked how the Cook County Land Bank Authority ought to decide which vacant and abandoned properties to acquire. Let’s illustrate this question with a hypothetical comparison of two homes in Chicago. 39XX W Van Buren St. is a typical two flat multi-family property in Garfield Park, a neighborhood on Chicago’s [...]
This fall, more than 2 million American high school seniors will apply to college. A growing body of research tells us that low-income students are at a disadvantage in this process. Even when they beat the odds and do well in school, they often don’t know that they’re qualified to attend selective colleges, or that [...]
