City Tech-WCM Big Data Training Program in Biomedical Informatics - PROJECT ABSTRACT
As the era of “Big Data” dawns on biomedical research, multiple types of biomedical data are being generated
on an unprecedented scale with high volume, variety, and velocity, challenging our current abilities for data
representation, visualization, integration, storage, and analysis. It is well-recognized that the greatest challenge
to leveraging the significant potentials of big data is in educating and recruiting future computational and data
scientists who have the background, training and experience to master fundamental opportunities in biomedical
sciences. This demands interdisciplinary education and hands-on practicum training on understanding the
application, analysis, limitations, and value of the big data. To bridge this knowledge gap for the U.S. biomedical
workforce, we propose to establish a joint New York City College of Technology (City Tech) at the City University
of New York (CUNY) and Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) training program to educate and train undergraduate
students from underrepresented backgrounds in the use of cutting edge big data methods in biomedical data
sciences. Offered by interdisciplinary faculty from City Tech and WCM, this program will instruct students in the
use of new methods and tools for big data by providing in-depth instruction, hands-on summer internships and
practicum opportunities on big data access, integration, processing and analysis. Our primary educational goal
is to prepare the next generation of innovators and visionaries, particularly from underrepresented racial and
ethnic minorities, in the emerging, multidimensional field of big data science in healthcare, as well as to develop
a future workforce that fulfills industry needs and increases U.S. competitiveness in healthcare technologies and
applications.
