About
Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale

What Makes BDSY So Special?

The Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale (BDSY), is an intensive, interdisciplinary program that equips undergraduate students with the skills to utilize the power of big data for human health. Combining expertise from biostatistics, statistics, engineering, epidemiology, and computer science, with pressing challenges in human health, BDSY offers a truly unique learning experience.

Program Overview

Massive datasets are revolutionizing fields like genomics, imaging, healthcare and public health. To unlock the potential of big data, and turn it into actionable knowledge, we need a skilled workforce. The Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale is designed to equip the next generation of student and leaders to tackle the challenges of health Big Data.

❋ Didactic Lectures

Each morning faculty and graduate students from statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology and computer science are going to present core concepts in health big data.

❋ Mentored Research Projects

Immerse yourself in real-world data analysis projects guided by expert faculty. The projects will be in three areas: Infectious Disease Modeling, Genomics and Causal Inference.

❋ Journey Lectures

Learn about different data science careers through these non-technical talks.

❋ Data Ethics

Students will be trained on core concepts around responsible use of data and methods towards achieving data ethics.

❋ Professional Development

Gain valuable insights into career paths, graduate school applications & networking opportunities.

❋ Social Events

We will explore hikes, shorelines, museums, and libraries on the beautiful Yale campus.

Lecture Topics

Data Acquisition
Database Management
Common computing platform
Data Structures
Data Integration and Linkage
Data Visualization
Data Ethics
Epidemiology
Probability and Statistical Inference
Cloud, Parallel and Distributed Computing
Optimization
Sampling Methods: MCMC

Medical Informatics/Computing
Matrix Computation
Bias and Confounding
Missing Data
Causal Inference
Precision Medicine
Cardiovascular Health
Machine Learning
Graphical Models
Sparse Learning with Matrices
Social Network Analysis
Imaging

Collaborate with Experts

Throughout the program, you’ll have the unique opportunity to interact with distinguished faculty and graduate students from the YSPH departments of Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, as well as experts from Yale’s Engineering and Computer Science departments. Complementing the quantitative expertise will be narratives and case-studies shared by clinical and public health researchers.

Support Details

Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science (SIBS) participants receive:

On-campus housing for the duration of the program
$1,600 stipend
Up to $750 in travel support
$750 meal plan allowance

Why Choose BDSY?

The program leverages the intellectually thriving and exceptionally rich academic environment of Yale University. BDSY is designed in partnership with multiple departments, units and centers. Our proposed summer program is intrinsically interdisciplinary.

The program primarily involves faculty from four departments at Yale University: Biostatistics and Chronic Disease and Microbial Disease Epidemiology (situated within the Yale School of Public Health), Statistics and Data Science (situated within Faculty of Arts and Sciences) and Computer Science (situated within School of Engineering). These four outstanding departments have highly successful teaching programs and methodological research that is strongly motivated by science. They each have distinct research foci which will provide both diversity and synergy to the summer program.

Our goal is to expose talented undergraduate students to health-related Big Data research and to get you inspired and excited to pursue higher education and research in the field.

Biostatisticians are the bridge between statistics and the medical and health sciences. They answer critical design and analysis questions that are foundational to scientific research. With the rise of technologies like microarrays, next-generation sequencers, magnetic resonance imaging, electronic health records and mass spectrometry, the field of biostatistics and data science is exploding.
Due to the rapid pace at which this field is growing, biostatisticians have many exciting career opportunities and are in high demand in the job market. Your quantitative skills are in high demand to unravel complex patterns and interplays among biological and social determinants of health.
The Department of Biostatistics within YSPH is ranked number 13 in the nation by the last US News Ranking. The department consists a growing body of 23 primary faculty, 21 Secondary Faculty, 130 students and more than 100 research and administrative staff members. The department has been at the forefront of research and training in Biostatistics and has an expansion plan for its PhD program. Department faculty have active, well-funded research programs emphasizing development of statistical methods and their application to biomedicine. Many department faculty, have their own NIH/PCORI/AHRQ-funded grants to develop statistical methods, and all are actively involved as statistical collaborators in multiple projects. They will draw upon these projects in research mentoring.

Areas of Focus
Biostatistics Associated Centers and Units

Our Focus

Advanced Methodology: Dive deep into statistical genetics, bioinformatics , causal inference and more.
Real-World Impact: Work on collaborative research projects with top researchers in public health medicine, engineering and statistics.
World-Class Faculty: Benefit from Yale’s strong reputation and extensive resources.
Educational Programs in Biostatistics, Statistics, Data Science and Health Informatics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, graduating seniors may apply for the Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale (BDSY). However, priority is given to admitting rising juniors and seniors.
Yes, international students are welcome to apply. BDSY offers a limited number of scholarships specifically for international students, supported through non-NIH funds.
Absolutely! BDSY welcomes applications from students outside of Connecticut. The NIH slots are restricted to US Citizens and Permanent residents.
Yes, all BDSY participants receive a stipend thanks to the generous support of our partners. You can find more details about the stipend amount and other financial support above.
Yes, BDSY participants will be housed in one of Yale's residential colleges throughout the program duration.
You can address your personal statement to the BDSY Admissions Committee. Since your application will be reviewed by various members of the committee, it's best to keep your statement general and focused on your own qualifications and aspirations.
How should I list relevant coursework?
In the application form, you'll find specific sections to list all relevant courses. Please provide details such as course titles and course numbers. This is a free text field. We are mostly trying to get a sense of your mathematical and coding background.

By participating in Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale, you’ll gain a deep understanding of what a career in biostatistics looks like and be well-prepared to contribute to the future of data-driven innovation in healthcare and public health.

Apply Today

About Big Data Summer Immersion at Yale