2025 National Big Data Health Science Student Case Competition
2025-02-07 08:00 - 2025-02-09 17:00 UTC

6th National Big Data Health Science Conference
2025-02-13 - 2025-02-14 | Pastides Alumni Center, Columbia, SC, 900 Senate St, Columbia, SC, 29201, United States

Deadline to apply for T35 Training Program
2025-02-18 17:00
The NIH-funded T35 Research Traineeship Program is designed specifically for master’s and pre-dissertation doctoral students in physical and/or quantitative sciences from across South Carolina and the United States. This is an 11-week, full-time intensive course-based training program to work alongside established clinical scientists on one or more Big Data Health-related studies. In addition to formal classroom training (at no cost to the student), each student will receive accommodations and a stipend to be involved in a specific research project, actively participating in a hands-on manner in a research laboratory currently conducting studies related to Big Data Health Science. As you prepare for a career in Big Data Science, you can learn about research that involves Big Data and work alongside well-known established researchers in a full-time, hands-on setting. For commonly asked questions, feel free to visit our Q&A page.
Program Overview:
The University of South Carolina Big Data Health Science Center is requesting applications from master’s and pre-dissertation doctoral students for a 3-month, full-time (40 hours per week) program to work alongside established clinical scientists on one or more Big Data Health-related studies. Each student trainee will be involved in a specific research project, actively participating in a hands-on manner in a research laboratory currently conducting studies related to Big Data Health Science. Investigators, laboratories, and brief descriptions of areas of research are provided in the T35 mentor page.
Students will be matched with a mentor according to the students’ interests and mentor availability. In addition, each trainee will receive formal classroom training (at no expense to the trainee), participate in discussions on responsible conduct in research, participate in a specifically designed T35 seminar series presented by many of the T35 preceptors, attend journal groups, attend campus-wide activities of interest as part of their training experience, and will have opportunities to present their work.
This is an excellent opportunity for students to obtain training and significant exposure to research in an active laboratory conducting research related to ongoing NIAID-funded Big Data research projects that utilize 1 or more of 5 large existing data sources.
Eligibility:
This program is for masters or pre-dissertation doctoral students in physical and/or quantitative sciences. Students participate full time for 3 consecutive months. The preferred time period is from mid-May through mid-August. The following is a full list of eligibility requirements:

Must be a full-time masters or pre-dissertation graduate student from a quantitative or physical science department with a minimum GPA of 3.5
Must have completed at least one year (two semesters) of study before the summer training begins
Must express interest in exploring independent research in Big Data in infectious disease and/or healthcare
Must receive a formal agreement from home department/school for summer release to attend the training
Must commit to the 3-month formal 40-hours-per-week training engagement in the T35 program
Must commit to submitting a publishable manuscript in an area of Big Data infectious disease research no later than one year after the summer training
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (per NIH rules)

Benefits:

A stipend up to $2,068 for each of the three months that they participate in the program (up to $6,204 total)
Support to travel to campus (See Travel Reimbursement Policy linked here)
Up to $1,000 of travel support per trainee to present their research at national and local conferences
Support for health insurance (if uninsured), tuition, and subject fees
Housing will be provided during the training period
Funding to publish a manuscript
Up to $200 funding for necessary computing software
Invitation to present on your experience to NIH program officers at our annual Big Data Health Science Conference (in early February)
Matched with a mentor
Participation in a funded Big Data research project
The opportunity to network with influential people in Big Data Science

If you would like to apply, please:

Discuss your interest in participation in this program with your faculty advisor.
Correspond via email with Dr. Bankole Olatosi and Ms. Audrey Auen, indicating an interest in applying for the program.
Complete the application form and required documents (details below).

The following is a list of required documents to submit online alongside your application:

An essay (1-2 pages) describing your research interests and career objectives. This will help us get you started on a project that interests you and match you with the right mentors to help
An up-to-date curriculum vitae
A letter from the home school/department advisor (secondary mentor) confirming the home institutional support for you to participate in the T35 program as a trainee.
A personal statement describing your future professional goals and how this experience will contribute to your future goals. (Please limit to 1 page)

For questions about the application process or the T35 experience, please visit our Q&A page or contact Dr. Banky Olatosi at olatosi@mailbox.sc.edu or Ms. Audrey Auen at akkuhn@email.sc.edu
All application materials must be received by February 18, 2025
Traineeship offers will be awarded on March 6, 2025

Deadline to apply for R25 Emerging Scholars Training Program
2025-03-03 23:30
Are you interested in gaining hands-on experience in data science and infectious disease research? The NIH-funded R25 Big Data Analytics Emerging Scholar (e-Scholar) Training Program offers underrepresented undergraduate students the opportunity to build valuable skills and work alongside faculty members on cutting-edge research projects over the course of a year-long training program.
Benefits of the Program:

Fully Funded Summer Institute: Campus housing and a $1,790 stipend provided for a 6-week in-person training camp at the USC Columbia campus, so you can focus on learning and making the most of the experience!

$3,000 Research Stipend: Earn $1,500 per semester.

Conference Travel Support: Up to $1,500 to attend and present at a regional or national conference.

Interdisciplinary Mentoring: Receive one-on-one guidance from experienced researchers and career mentors.

Hands-on Research Experience: Participate in a year-long project focused on Big Data and infectious disease research.

Networking Opportunities: Connect with professionals, attend retreats, and present your work at the program’s graduation retreat.

Program Overview:
This NIAID-funded program recruits up to 12 undergraduate students each year from institutions across South Carolina such as USC, Clemson, College of Charleston, South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and Benedict College. Students from other SC institutions are also encouraged to apply. Participants will focus on data science research in areas like HIV, COVID-19, and other infectious diseases and gain valuable skills in data analytics and research methods. The program will provide students with interdisciplinary mentoring (including team and peer mentoring), comprehensive curriculum-based training, and hands-on research exposure and experience.
This year-long training program includes a 6-week, full-time, in-person summer training institute held on the USC Columbia campus. After completion of the summer institute, students will continue their training under the guidance of faculty mentors, work with established research scientists on Big Data related infectious disease studies, gain research and professional development experience, and develop confidence in pursuing a postgraduate program or career in Big Data-focused infectious disease research.
This program is designed to create a more diverse research community across South Carolina. It encourages undergraduate students who are underrepresented in the biomedical sciences to pursue data science research focused on preventing, treating, and understanding diseases like HIV, COVID-19, and other infections, as well as immune and allergy-related conditions.
All R25 trainees must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Be enrolled at a university/college in South Carolina;
Be an undergraduate student from any discipline with an expected graduation date after May 2026;
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and have completed at least on year of college by May 2025;
Identify as an underrepresented minority or a disabled or disadvantaged individual as defined by the NIH;
Have an academic advisor at your home institution;
Be a US citizen or permanent resident; and
Be at least 18 years old.

How to apply:
Students interested in the R25 e-Scholar program should complete an application via the application portal by 11:59pm on March 3, 2025. The application will request additional supplemental information including:
1. A personal statement (max 2 pages double spaced) describing their interest in data science infectious disease research and their career and educational goals;
2. A recent resume or curriculum vitae;
3. A letter of support from their home school/academic advisor (on official university letterhead); and
4. A copy of their unofficial transcript.
Applications should be submitted via the application portal by 11:59pm on March 3, 2025.

May 13-14: NSF ACCESS HPC Workshop "Big Data and Machine Learning"
2025-05-13 11:00 - 2025-05-14 17:30 | Innovation Center Building Room 1400, 550 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC, 29201, United States
Greetings,
The Big Data Health Science Center and Research Computing will be hosting a remote site for the NSF ACCESS HPC monthly workshop titled “Big Data and Machine Learning” to be presented by the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center on May 13-14 from 11AM-5:30PM In Room 1400 of the Innovation Center.
This workshop will focus on topics including big data analytics and machine learning with Spark, and deep learning using Tensorflow.
This will be an IN-PERSON event, there WILL NOT be a direct to desktop option for this event.
Registration Required
Interested applicants must first have an ACCESS ID. If you do not have an ACCESS ID, please visit this page to create one:
ACCESS USER REGISTRATION
Once you have an ACCESS ID, please register for the workshop by Friday, May 9 at Noon Eastern time.
We look forward to seeing you at the workshop!
Link to register again, https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.psc.edu%2Fresources%2Ftraining%2Fhpc-workshop-big-data-may-13-14-2025%2F&data=05%7C02%7CMC95%40mailbox.sc.edu%7C34e3c822dd124de3777208dd841cfbbb%7C4b2a4b19d135420e8bb2b1cd238998cc%7C0%7C0%7C638811982198151188%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hlAB0Y97jo04%2BmUNNBH3OAURFDLRryiyI9QzvVlzmxM%3D&reserved=0

Deadline to apply for Community Scholar (c-Scholar) Training Program
2025-09-01 17:00
Read more about the c-Scholar program at https://bigdata.sc.edu/r25-c-scholar-program/
The NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science suggests that a Big Data approach will uniquely advance our understanding of disease prevention, identification, control, and treatment in the coming decades and will be a key to reducing national and global health disparities. Despite rapidly increased efforts in the application of Big Data and advanced data analytics for health science research, the progress of translating Big Data research findings to effective public health and clinical practices for improved health outcomes has been slow due to many challenges. Such challenges include the limited participation of community members in Big Data health science research and a lack of effective communication between data science researchers and communities. As a multi-stakeholder effort, health data science crosses boundaries between research and practice, as well as between science and health policy. The involvement of and communication with members of local communities is critical to actualizing the benefits of data science research.
To address this critical need for community involvement in Big Data health science research, we offer data science training and mentored hands-on research experience to a group of community scholars through the R25 Community Scholar (“c-Scholar”) program. Guided by a citizen science model, the c-Scholar program provides structured support to four community scholars from various governmental and community organizations in South Carolina each year. Specifically, the R25 c-Scholar program (1) identifies and recruits community members interested in participating in Big Data infectious disease research and utilizing Big Data research findings to improve the health outcomes of their communities; (2) implements a multi-module training program that provides mentoring, curriculum-based training, and hands-on research experience to better equip c-Scholars with necessary knowledge, skills, and competence for Big Data infectious disease research; and (3) trains and supports c-Scholars to promote and utilize Big Data research in their communities by developing or improving their necessary professional skills (e.g., health communication, presentation of scientific findings to the public, community outreach and engagement).
Interested individuals should attach their resume or CV to an email expressing their interest in the program and their desire to promote and utilize Big Data infectious disease research in their community to Dr. Banky Olatosi (olatosi@mailbox.sc.edu) by close of business on September 15th, 2025.
The R25 Executive Committee will evaluate all applications and contact finalists for additional documentation, including a letter from their employer or supervisor stating their approval and agreement for the applicant to participate in this one-year program.

2026 National Big Data Health Science Conference
2026-02-12 08:00 - 2026-02-13 17:00
The National Big Data Health Science Conference is a signature annual event of the USC Big Data Health Science Center (BDHSC). The theme of the 2026 conference is “Unlocking the Power of Big Data in Health: Bridging the Gap Between Discovery and Delivery.” Highlights of the 7th national conference included keynote and panel speakers from diverse areas of the health sciences, government, and academia as well as poster sessions, networking events, and breakout sessions in areas of Big Data Analytics and Emerging Methodologies, Big Data for Public Health and Community Health, Big Data for Biomedical Research, Big Data for Public Health and Community Health, Big Data Policy, Ethics, Cyber Infrastructure and Cybersecurity, and Big Data for Clinical Practice and Delivery of Care. The Conference will be held on February 12-13, 2026. More detailed information about speakers, panels, workshops, and other conference details is available at https://www.sc-bdhs-conference.org/.
