KCMO Program Overview
The Applied Data Analytics training program in Economic Development is generously sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation. The program will be hosted at the Kauffman Foundation's Conference Center (here is the location on Google Maps) and provide a hands-on introduction to data analytics topics ranging from basic SQL and Python coding to interpreting machine learning models. During the program, participants will be grouped into teams of up to 5 in which they will scope and execute a project related to Economic Development and/or Job Creation.
This page provides the following information:
We primarily use three media to distribute information and communicate amongst the group: website, e-mail and Slack. We have also created a Google Group (KMCO-econ-dev-2018) to facilitate group emails. In general, the instructor team will respond quickly to either e-mail or Slack messages; however, we tend to prefer Slack for technical issues and sharing snippets of information.
NOTE: if you have a different email address you prefer we use, please email us at training@coleridgeinitiative.org. We will use your preferred email for ongoing communications and to add you to the Google Group and Slack team, both mentioned below.
Website
We use this website (ada.coleridgeinitiative.org) to distribute program specific information, such as data dictionaries and the agenda for training weeks.
Email addresses
Group email accounts
training@coleridgeinitiative.org - the group email for instructors, general program or logistics questions should be directed here
kcmo-econ-dev-2018@coleridgeinitiative.org - Google Group email address, emails sent to this group will be posted to the group page (if you do not yet have access to the group, you can request it on the group page)
support@applieddataanalyticsprogram.org - ADRF support account from which system communications will be sent (ADRF is our computing platform, discussed further on the "computing environment" page of this website)
Instructor email addresses:
Julia Lane - julia.lane@nyu.edu
Rayid Ghani - rayidghani@gmail.com
Frauke Kreuter - fkreuter@umd.edu
Avishek Kumar - avishekkumar@uchicago.edu
Brian Kim - kimbrian@umd.edu
Nicolas Jeanrenaud - nj995@nyu.edu
Graham Henke - grahamhenke@nyu.edu
Clayton Hunter - clayton.hunter@nyu.edu or clayton@coleridgeinitiative.org
Slack
We have found Slack to be a very useful messaging platform and tend to use ada-course.slack.com for more free-flowing discussions or quick questions. Instructors will be available most of the time, and previous program participants also have access to this group. For those of you who have not used it before, Slack provides the ability to create “channels” (sub-groups) on specific topics.
key dates
Pre-course materials - SQL & Python tutorials: Complete by April 20
In-person training in Kansas City
Module 1: April 23 - 27
Module 2: June 4 - 8
Remote Presentations: June 28 & 29
Hardware & computing environment
Laptop - required
Mobile device (smartphone or tablet) - optional but highly recommended
Everyone will need their own laptop to participate in the program. Any recently purchased (within the last ~5 years) laptop should have sufficient capabilities, but the minimum technical specifications recommended by the software providers are as follows:
Intel Core2 Duo, AMD Athlon Dual-Core or equivalent.
1 GB RAM.
10 GB free disk space.
Wifi internet connection
Note that while the minimum technical specifications will allow the material to be run, we have found that laptops with at least 4GB of memory provide a more fluid computing experience.
Software set-up
We have endeavored to make software set-up as simply as possible. Due to the nature of the content, there are two separate pieces of software to install: one for the pre-course material and one for the in-person training sessions.
Software for pre-course training:
For the pre-course material we will be using VirtualBox as it allows us to (1) only ask that a single software - VirutalBox - be installed, and (2) provide a similar look/feel to the remote platform we will use in class. Full instructions can be found here.
Software for in-person training:
As we are using confidential data as part of the program, we make use of the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF). The ADRF has gone through the Federal Risk Assessment and Management Program (FedRAMP) and has Census Authority to Operate. The ADRF is built on Amazon Web Services and provides a remote connection to the workspace via NoMachine. The ADRF uses two-factor authentication, which requires you to log-in with a username and password then enter a separate code which changes every 30 seconds - this separate code is called your “OneTimePassword” and is the reason we strongly recommend bringing a smartphone or tablet to the program.
On your laptop
NoMachine can be used either via a web-browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) or a locally installed client - we strongly recommend using the local client if possible and have step-by-step installation instructions, here.
On your mobile device
The OneTimePassword requires a separate application be installed on your mobile device. Either the Google Authenticator (Apple App Store and Google Play) or FreeOTP (Apple App Store and Google Play) applications work equally well, and both are available on the Apple and Google Play stores. Note in the event you do not have access to a mobile device, it is possible to run a separate program on your laptop and we will help you get set up in person on April 23.