About DataSC
No exclusivity, No BS. Creating an approachable and diverse environment for Data Science exploration at USC. DataSC fosters an environment where individuals across subjects and experience levels learn Data Science and collaboratively engage in cross-disciplinary topics. From ground-up curriculum to hands-on projects, industry speaker sessions with leaders from NVIDIA, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, to career support and genuinely fun social events. Whether you're a complete beginner or experienced practitioner, there's a place for you in our community of data enthusiasts.
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.
Semester Flow
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.
Looking for weekly curriculum updates?
View Weekly Curriculum Updates →Projects
What we've been up to
Fall 2025
Hull Tactica Kaggle Competition
A Kaggle project focused on financial market prediction using cutting-edge ML techniques.
Project Lead
Ojas Nimase
VIOLA
A streamlined software that helps users locate, listen, and license songs efficiently.
Project Lead
KT Kim
Equity-Guided Urban Heat Mitigation
A spatial-ML framework for prioritizing shade interventions in LA city.
Project Lead
Dominic Woetzel
Spotify Song Recommender
A Spotify-esque program that recommends music based on the user's interests.
Project Lead
Andrew Bae
Meet the Eboard
Leading the way to empower students in data science.
Claire He
Co-President
Quantitative Biology & Business Administration
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Nathan Nguyen
Co-President
Health and Human Sciences & Mathematics
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Selina Hui
Vice President
Computational Neuroscience
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Ojas Nimase
Director of Curriculum
Mathematics
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Natalie Lam Johnson
VP of Operations
AI for Business
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Lauren Lu
Head of Marketing
Cognitive Science
LinkedInJaden Lin
Director of Finance
Industrial and Systems Engineering
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Michelle Zhu
Web Dev Lead
Computer Science
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Colin Quan Leung
Project Lead
Applied Data Science
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Nolen Johnson
Project Lead
Applied Data Science
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Dominic Woetzel
Project Lead
Computer Science
LinkedInFAQ
Answers to the most common questions about joining and participating in DataSC.
Who can join DataSC?
Anyone at USC is welcome, regardless of major or experience level.
Do I need prior data science experience?
No. We teach fundamentals and provide pathways for beginners and advanced members.
What do members do each semester?
You can follow the curriculum, join project teams, attend workshops, or help lead initiatives.
How do project teams work?
Teams are formed by interest and skill balance, and work on scoped, real-world problems.
When do applications open?
We typically open applications at the start of each semester. Follow our updates for dates.
How can I stay updated?
Follow our social channels and check the weekly curriculum updates page.
Get Involved
Join DataSC to build skills, collaborate on projects, and connect with peers and industry mentors.