Data Science Core

DATA SCIENCE CORE PROJECT SUMMARY The Data Science Core (DSC) of the Maine IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (ME-INBRE) will support biomedical research by providing essential training and consulting in all facets of Data Science, while also creating and supporting a collaborative network of biomedical data science activity that spans all ME-INBRE institutions. Biomedical research increasingly utilizes high throughput technologies that generate vast amounts and diverse kinds of data. The DSC will provide the specialized expertise needed for managing, analyzing, and interpreting those large data sets. DSC staff will advise and/or collaborate with ME-INBRE researchers in the application of best practices in experimental design, data management, and state-of-the-art workflows for data analysis, emphasizing rigor and reproducibility. The DSC will work to build data science proficiency among biomedical researchers across the ME-INBRE, via two Specific Aims. The first is to build a community of practice in data science, consisting of a network of scientists from each network institution who work collaboratively to promote and advance the development and application of data management, analysis, and visualization methods. The second specific aim is to provide training and support to data science across the ME-INBRE network. To that end the DSC will build upon its established training courses and workshops that address audiences ranging from the undergraduate level to faculty investigators. The DSC will support the Data Science Scholars Program, which engages undergraduate students at ME-INBRE network institutions in biomedical data science research, and The University of Maine’s Professional Master’s in Bioinformatics program. Core personnel will also work with ME-INBRE Project Leaders to develop rigorous Data Management and Sharing Plans for their projects and provide access to and expertise in the use of appropriate cyberinfrastructure spanning local, regional, and Cloud computing resources. The DSC will work closely with each of the other ME-INBRE components (Administrative Core, Developmental Research Projects Program, and Collaborative Research Resources Core) to implement all programmatic activities involving data science, including the Student Research Program, Evaluation Plan, and collaborative team science. The DSC will leverage regional collaborations and cyberinfrastructure through the Northeast Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (NECC) that ME-INBRE cofounded with four other IDeA states to expand regional cyberinfrastructure and conduct collaborative cyber-enabled research. Through the Northeast Data Science Collaborative (NEDSC), the Core will work with INBRE Data Science Core staff in Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont to support Maine faculty and collaborate on delivering Data Science training to faculty and students. Regional cyberinfrastructure will be used for intensive computation and centralized data storage, sharing and backup. In summary, the DSC will provide the intellectual and technical expertise and training in Data Science that ME-INBRE scientists need to accomplish their research goals.