Bits and Bytes

NYU Tech Fest 2026 brought together more than 360 colleagues from across the university's IT community for a day filled with ideas, conversations, and new connections. From thought-provoking discussions on AI, cybersecurity, and leadership to hands-on experiences in the Tech Playground, the event showcased the creativity and collaboration happening across NYU.

The day was highlighted by an inspiring keynote from Dean Bharat Anand, an engaging Higher Education CIO Panel moderated by Don Welch, and an insightful session with Professor Suzy Welch, who shared practical perspectives on career growth and purpose. More than anything, Tech Fest reflected this year's theme, Building CommunITy - bringing people together to learn from one another, share experiences, and strengthen the relationships that drive innovation across the university. 

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, volunteered, and helped make this year's Tech Fest such a memorable success. We look forward to building on this momentum in the years ahead.

Foundations of Research Computing or FORC Camp is just around the corner! Join us for three days of practical, interdisciplinary training for graduate researchers at every skill level. Pick a track of hands-on workshops that cover data storytelling, Generative AI, Python, R, or applied AI workflows. Registration is open and space is limited. Learn more about the program and register today on the FORC Camp website. 

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 were excited to publish the U.S. Employment Centers Characteristics dataset from Marron Institute researchers Bartosz Bonczak, Shlomo Angel, and Constantine Kontokosta. They created this dataset to analyze how commuting patterns have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve published their findings in Nature Cities, but this data (in geoJSON format) has many potential uses to researchers who study urban areas, employment, transportation, and more. This research has special significance to Data Services: not only are Bartosz and Shlomo return depositors to UltraViolet, they also made use of one of the Libraries’ data resources, Dewey Data, a subscription service that includes a wide range of datasets that NYU researchers have access to. 

Whether or not you know what data you’re looking for, Sage Data is a good place to start your search. This database aggregates datasets sourced from reputable public and private organizations, such as OECD, China Data Online, the United Nations, and the U.S. Census. It covers topics across many subject areas, including education, population and income, industry, commerce, trade, housing and construction. Users can create custom extracts and download files in delimited, SAS, or shapefile formats. Pair it with Sage Research Methods Online to help you design a research project that suits your data.

Image credit: Shaddim, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Are you programming in Python, R, or another language as part of your research? Our friends at Cornell just released a helpful Checklist for Reusable Code, which outlines tips and advice for making your code well-documented, human readable, portable, organized, and version-controlled. The checklist has quick and expanded versions, depending on how in-depth you want to go. For more on this topic, visit our guide Research Software: Designing for Publication and Reproducibility.

Image Credit: Inkoo Kang

Q. What's your name, program, and year?
A. My name is Inkoo Kang. I'm a second-year PhD student in the Urban Systems program at the Tandon School of Engineering.

Q. What's your service area at Data Services and how long have you worked here?
A. I have been a GIS specialist at Data Services for four months.

Q. What do you like most about working at Data Services?
A. I enjoy helping people solve their problems and learning new things myself, whether it's technical skills or soft skills. I'm especially grateful to the full-time staff for creating an environment that allows student workers to grow both professionally and personally.

Q. Describe your favorite data-related project that you've worked on.
A. One of my favorite GIS projects explored how the same city can be perceived differently by residents and visitors. I’m generally interested in understanding people's perceptions of spaces, so I would choose this project.

Q. What's your favorite place to get a meal or a snack near Bobst Library?
A. I love Fresh&Co for a meal and HEYTEA for a drink!

Thanks for reading! We hope you have a great summer and to see you soon either on the 5th floor at Bobst or online.

- Your friends at Data Services