DATA SERVICES

Bits and Bytes

July 2025

Hello Data Enthusiast,

We hope you're enjoying a restful summer and finding ways to stay cool during these hot days! As we prepare for another exciting Fall semester at Data Services, we wanted to share a quick update on what's coming up. Take a moment to catch up, and we look forward to reconnecting with you soon!

Join us for FORC Camp!

Students sitting in a data services workshop.

Photo Credit: NYU Data Services

Join us for FORC (Foundations of Research Computing) Camp 2025! Taking place August 26-28, FORC Camp is a FREE, in-person, three-day data skills immersion program offered to new and returning NYU graduate students. FORC will give participants a thorough grounding in the digital skills essential for their research. There is something for every disciplinary approach, from creating visualizations that require no coding skills to data harvesting and learning the basics of AI.

Each day’s schedule will include four hours of interactive instruction followed by a 90 minute office hours/tea time that offers opportunities for one-on-one consults, meeting with subject area librarians, and building connections with your graduate student colleagues.

Participants who complete all 15 hours of the FORC curriculum will receive a letter of completion for their portfolio detailing the skills covered in their track.

Visit the FORC Camp site to learn more about the camp, detailed information about each learning track, and to complete your registration.

ICYMI

Photo of Dr. Amar Ahmad teaching at Bobst Library.

Photo Credit: NYU Data Services

Thank you to Dr. Amar Ahmad (Alaw) and everyone who joined us for his workshop, “Generative Art with R: Exploring Creativity through Data and Code.” Dr. Ahmad was visiting Bobst Library from NYU Abu Dhabi where he serves as StatsLab Manager and Research Scientist/Biostatistician. His hands-on workshop demonstrated the creative possibilities of using statistical code in R to create dynamic, culturally-inspired visual art. Keep an eye on the NYU Libraries Events Calendar for more Data Services-hosted tutorials and workshops coming in the Fall!

Featured Data

What's New in UltraViolet

UltraViolet is part of a suite of repositories at NYU that provide a home for research materials. Data Services helps NYU researchers prepare their materials for deposit in UltraViolet to facilitate open access and long-term preservation.

This month we’re excited to spotlight contributions from some NYU Libraries colleagues. Librarians at NYU are active participants in research communities across librarianship and other disciplines, as evidenced by these examples. A qualitative dataset from Giana Ricci, Librarian for Fine Arts, The Role of Research in Undergraduate Studio Practice, consists of a set of structured interviews Giana conducted with undergraduate NYU students about how they incorporate research into their artistic processes, and the codebook she used to find themes across the interviews.

UltraViolet doesn’t only have data – we can also accept reports, presentations, posters, and other kinds of publications. We were happy to publish several works by Henry (Yu) Huang, the Reference and Research Services Librarian for Business at NYU Shanghai, The Library as Partner in Career Services: A Necessary Outreach, and Global Vision Local Action: A Business Librarian's Journey at NYU Shanghai. These presentations discuss the unique opportunities and challenges of providing business reference services at a global campus.

Data in the Library

PolicyMap is a web-based mapping platform that contains data on US demographics, real estate, city crime rates, health, schools, housing affordability, employment, energy, and public investments. Select your variables and create online, interactive maps that can be shared or upload your own point data to be juxtaposed with the data PolicyMap contains. In many cases, you can also download data tables to use elsewhere. Their Data Dictionary helps evaluate and contextualize what’s there and their Resources provide help using the platform as well as resources for teaching with PolicyMap.

Data Services Team Spotlight: Xintong Huang

Photo of student specialist Xintong Huang.

Photo Credit: Xintong Huang

Q. What's your name, program, and year?
Xintong Huang, MS in Data Science, Class of 2026

Q. What's your service area at Data Services and how long have you worked here?
I specialize in Data Visualization, and I’ve been working at Data Services since May 2025.

Q. What do you like most about working at Data Services?
I really enjoy helping others—there’s nothing quite like seeing that spark when something clicks. What makes it even more exciting is getting to learn about fields I never imagined working with. It’s opened my eyes to all the different ways data can tell a story or solve a problem.

Q. Describe your favorite data-related project that you've worked on.
I led a data science project exploring microbiome patterns, working through every step from data cleaning and modeling to final presentation. The part I loved most was using data visualization to make complex science easier to understand. With Python and Tableau, I built interactive visuals that supported workshops and classroom learning. For me, visualization isn’t just about making things look nice—it’s about opening doors to knowledge.

Q. What's your favorite place to get a meal or a snack near Bobst Library?
Ramen Takumi for a meal, and Débutea for a caffeine boost.

Did you miss one of our newsletters?

Don’t worry! You can always find our archive of past Bits and Bytes newsletters here. Thanks for reading! We hope to see you soon either on the 5th floor at Bobst or online.

- Your friends at Data Services

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