Data Detectives
Big Data Summer Academy
2025
A two-week summer program for middle school students where students investigate real world community health problems using problem based learning and Big Data.
Overview
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The 2026 Data Detectives Big Data Summer Academy will be a 2 week program, run from June 8-June 18, 2026 that offers middle school students the opportunity to use real cancer data to solve community health problems.​ The program runs 9am to 3pm, Monday through Friday the first week and Monday through Thursday the second week. It will be held on the Emory University campus and rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students are encouraged to apply.​
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Program Highlights:
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Students will attend lectures from Emory Winship faculty members on topics like cell biology, statistics, epidemiology, and cancer disparities
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Hands-on experiences with Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning will occur throughout the week
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Tour and engage with several core facilities in the Winship Cancer Institute that research cancer and cancer disparities
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Participants engage with undergraduate and graduate student STEM mentors
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Students learn about educational and career paths in STEM, data sciences, and biomedical research
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Students will develop with their team a Community Action Plan to solve a real world cancer-related community health problem
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Presentations of the action plan will occur on the last day to families, staff, faculty, and mentors
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Application Process​
Students will submit an application and then a group will be selected to move forward to a short, virtual interview. After the interviews, applicants will be notified of their acceptance status.
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The application requires basic student and parent information, a short-answer essay on why you want to participate in the program, and a reference letter from a teacher. You will only need to include the teacher email on the application, but please make sure you have requested the reference from your teacher and let them know to look out for an email request for a letter. ​
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Applications for the program are now closed. They will open in early February. Subscribe to our listserv for more information about future programming. ​
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