‘Data houses’ create ‘relentless welcome’

Sorting students into smaller communities within a school isn’t new, as anyone familiar with Harry Potter’s Sorting Hat can tell you.

But when the UNC School of Data Science and Society welcomed its first undergraduates in fall 2024 to four “data houses,” the process was as modern as the school’s subject matter.

In a nod to Hogwarts tradition, students discovered their house assignments in a special ceremony, opening letters sealed with Carolina Blue wax. But instead of magic, this process relied on psychological theory backed by hard data.

“What we know from theory and evidence is that when students have a sense of belonging, their academic achievement improves, their mental health improves and they’re more likely to access campus services,” said Johanna Foster, SDSS assistant dean for academic affairs.

The evidence led Foster and Katie Smith, SDSS executive director for undergraduate studies, to create data houses as smaller communities within the school, building what education researcher David Scobey calls “a place of relentless welcome.”

To encourage belonging, each house bears the name of an inspirational pioneer in computer science or machine learning, from diverse backgrounds:

• Annie Easley, one of the “Hidden Figures” who made critical contributions to NASA’s rocket systems and energy technologies
• Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy rear admiral who devised the theory of machine-independent programming languages
• Fei-Fei Li, artificial intelligence researcher who established the ImageNet visual database, often called the “godmother of AI”
• DJ Patil, first chief data scientist of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy

Each house is small — only 30 students with two faculty advisers — and “cross-pollinated” by bringing together students with different majors and class years.

The data houses emphasize the power of connection, an important concept for students who spent much of high school in COVID-19 lockdown.

“The pandemic made students more inclined to socialize online rather than through traditional, in-person experiences,” Foster said.

SDSS students holding up their letters with their house assignments. (Kristen Smith Young/UNC School of Data Science and Society)

Game night togetherness

Students don’t live in the data houses, but they do come together for meetings and activities. In November, the school hosted data house game nights in the ITS Manning lobby, with snacks and tables set up for playing checkers, Uno, Connect 4 and The Fuzzies, a Jenga-style game using colorful balls of fuzz. Students could also screenprint the SDSS logo on posters.

And there was talk — about class assignments, internship applications and whether moving a particular Fuzzy would cause the tower to collapse.

“The surgeon general says that we need more social connection to be able to combat feelings of loneliness and anxiety,” Foster said. “We just want them to be able to commingle and get to know each other.”

Waiting for her screenprint poster to dry, Parnika Dandepally of the Patil house talked about learning and meeting new people in her data house. “I’ve found out more about data science and computer science at the same time,” said Dandepally, a sophomore majoring in both. “One more tool in the toolbox.”

Rishabh Singh of the Li house is double-majoring in business and data science and likes pairing the SDSS and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School experiences. “They’re each amazing in their own way,” the sophomore said. “It’s like going to a big and a small school at the same time.”

Assistant professor Dan Kessler, who heads up the Li house, likes the idea of building communities that welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences. “I’m excited that there’s this focus on inclusion and belonging,” he said, taking a break from a game of The Fuzzies. “It’s important for students to know, and it makes them feel more welcome.”