$ whoami — about datasc
Build, learn, and ship with a data-driven community.
DataSC is USC's home for hands-on data science learning, built to be welcoming, practical, and career-relevant. We bring together students of every major and experience level through real-world projects, workshops, and community support. If you want to build skills, meet people who care about data, and work on problems that matter, you'll feel right at home here.
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Curriculum
The curriculum builds from data science foundations and Python/Pandas skills into data cleaning, visualization, statistics, and core machine learning workflows. The semester culminates in a capstone project that combines EDA, modeling, and communication.
Week 1
Intro to data science, ML pipeline, and Pandas basics.
Week 2
Python data structures, NumPy basics, Pandas Series/DataFrames, and data I/O.
Week 3
Data cleaning: missing values, types, normalization, duplicates/outliers, merges/reshapes.
Week 4
Visualization principles with Matplotlib/Seaborn.
Week 5
Exploratory data analysis, descriptive stats, correlation, and feature engineering basics.
Week 6
Intro to statistics: probability, sampling, hypothesis tests, confidence intervals.
Week 7
Intro to ML, scikit-learn, linear regression, train-test split, and CV.
Week 8
Classification with logistic regression and k-NN, plus evaluation metrics.
Week 9
Unsupervised learning: K-Means, PCA, and applications.
Week 10
Capstone project: end-to-end analysis, modeling, and storytelling.
Projects
// what we've been up to
Spring 2026
Stanford RNA 3D Folding Part 2 Competition
A Kaggle competition focused on predicting RNA 3D structures.
LEAD ›
Dominic Woetzel
Mapping LA Healthcare Access Gaps
A spatial analytics project identifying gaps in LA healthcare access.
LEAD ›
Olena Khetan
NBA Performance Prediction
A sports analytics project forecasting NBA player performance.
LEAD ›
Colin Quan Leung & Nolen Johnson
// team.roster
Meet the Eboard
Leading the way to empower students in data science.
Natalie
Co-President
Artificial Intelligence for Business
→ linkedin
Jaden
Co-President
Industrial and Systems Engineering
→ linkedin
Ojas
External Vice President
Mathematics & Computer Science
→ linkedin
Theo
Social Chair
Industrial and Systems Engineering
→ linkedin
Anvitha
Director of Operations
Computer Science
→ linkedin
Connor
Finance
Computer Science
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Danica
Sponsorship & Outreach
Applied Data Science
→ linkedin
Anh
Sponsorship & Outreach
Business/Managerial Economics
→ linkedin
Lauren
Marketing
Cognitive Science
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Michelle
Web Dev Lead
Computer Science & Business Administration
→ linkedin
Matthew
Senior Curriculum Lead
Applied Mathematics
→ linkedin
Nathan
Senior Curriculum Lead
Health & Human Sciences, Mathematics
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Emin
Curriculum Lead
Intelligence and Cyber Operations
→ linkedin
Aaron
Project Lead
Computational & Applied Mathematics
→ linkedinFAQ
Answers to the most common questions about joining and participating in DataSC.
Q·Who can join DataSC?
Anyone at USC is welcome, regardless of major or experience level.
Q·Do I need prior data science experience?
No. We teach fundamentals and provide pathways for beginners and advanced members.
Q·What do members do each semester?
You can follow the curriculum, join project teams, attend workshops, or help lead initiatives.
Q·How do project teams work?
Teams are formed by interest and skill balance, and work on scoped, real-world problems.
Q·When do applications open?
We typically open applications at the start of each semester. Follow our updates for specificdates.
Q·How can I stay updated?
Follow our social channels and check our website for the latest updates.
Get Involved
Join DataSC to build skills, collaborate on projects, and connect with peers and industry mentors.
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Socials
Photos from workshops, meetups, and hangouts.