A group of iSchool students are using a campus crowdfunding organization to help fund a trip to Chicago next spring.

Sixteen students will participate in a project called Data by the Lake, an immersion program run by the School of Information Studies. The program will be offered in one section of IST687: “Applied Data Science,” which is a course offered by the iSchool.

Funding for Data by the Lake comes from an unusual source: crowdfunding. Through a website called ‘CuseFunder, which is specifically created for projects at SU, the iSchool will collect donations for the Data by the Lake program from anyone who wishes to contribute. ‘CuseFunder is modeled after popular crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

As of Wednesday, the Data by the Lake project on the ‘CuseFunder website is 12 percent funded with $928 out of the needed $7,500 raised. There are only 27 days left to make donations, according to the ‘CuseFunder website. The 16 students will travel to Chicago regardless of if the fundraising goal is met, said Scott Barrett, the assistant dean for advancement at the iSchool in an email.

Past programs spurred the creation of Data by the Lake in Chicago. An SU alumnus and member of the University’s Chicago Regional Council knew of the Silicon Valley and New York City programs, and wanted to create a similar experience for students in Chicago, Barrett said.

“The initial idea came out of a conversation between Dean Liddy and David Edelstein ’78 a little over a year ago. We decided together that the iSchool’s popular data science program would make for an innovative immersion opportunity,” Barrett said.

Not only will the trip supplement the work being done in the classroom, which will involve problem solving using data from two partner companies, but students will also have the opportunity to network with professionals.

“This program gives us, and our students, the opportunity to build new networks and connections that will be helpful for future jobs and internships,” said JD Ross, communications director at the iSchool.

Previously, successful iSchool immersion programs have taken place in Silicon Valley and New York City, Ross added.

The last project from the iSchool that was funded on ‘CuseFunder was the IT Girls Overnight Retreat, an overnight retreat at SU for young girls interested in information and technology. The project originally asked for $5,000. More than double that amount was raised through ‘CuseFunder.

“We have successfully utilized crowdfunding as a tool multiple times over the past year. Data by the Lake has all of the necessary qualities of a good crowdfunding project,” Barrett said.

The money collected through ‘CuseFunder will offset the overall cost of the trip, which includes meals, transportation and housing, though students will still have to pay a $500 fee to participate, Barrett said.

Unlike some crowdfunding websites like Indiegogo, if the project’s goal is not reached in the specified amount of time, the money raised will not be refunded back to donors, according to the ‘CuseFunder website. This means that even if the $7500 is not raised, the iSchool will still get to use the money that was collected for the project.

“We are very confident that the fundraising required will be successful,” Barrett said. “We are committed to the project and will secure the required funding.”

Published on December 4, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Rachel: rsandler@syr.edu