Our story
About DataSquad International
DataSquad is a simple idea with a long history: pay undergraduates to do real data work, pair them with the researchers who need it, and everyone comes out ahead.
Where it started
The model grew out of decades of data-services work by Paula Lackie at Carleton College. She saw it as a win for everyone: more researchers get help than any one person could give, students get genuine hands-on data experience, and the campus gains data services it wouldn't otherwise have. Carleton's DataSquad turned that idea into a standing, student-staffed service.
How it grew
UCLA adopted the model at the Library Data Science Center, where it became a program of its own, supported by a gift from Norman Powell. From there the idea kept spreading. DataSquad International is the network those programs form: a place to find each other, share what works, and help new institutions start their own squads. Member programs now include Carleton College and UCLA, and the network is growing.
What we believe
- Students lead the work. Undergraduates are the analysts, not bystanders.
- Open by default. Open data, open source, and an open record of how squads run.
- Support, not substitution. We help researchers work with their data; we don't take over the research.
- A network of shared expertise. Every squad learns from the others.