Sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Data Science and Stanford Data Science, BIODS 360 is a 1-unit course being offered this Winter that aims to provide current graduate students with training in effective and inclusive mentorship as well as a hands-on opportunity to put those skills into practice.

 

This initiative has the following broad goals: (1) to ensure that Stanford graduate students in data science are intentionally trained to effectively mentor people who may be different from themselves; and (2) to increase access to higher education and to Stanford graduate programs in data science for individuals from backgrounds currently under-represented in those fields.

During weekly class meetings, graduate student participants will learn strategies to create an inclusive environment, approaches to effective mentoring and coaching, and techniques to develop a personalized curriculum in collaboration with course staff and guest speakers. They will also be paired with current undergraduates from non-R1 schools with an interest in data science, recruited in partnership with faculty from those institutions. Participants and mentors will meet one-on-one in weekly online meetings at a time that is mutually convenient. 

 

During weekly meetings, you will work with your mentee on a range of activities, planned with assistance from the course staff. These will include: sharing with your mentee some of your data science research; planning their course of studies; navigating internship opportunities and preparing applications; tutoring in some aspects of data science; and guidance in engaging in mini-research projects, depending on their interests.