About DSPG

Program Details

DSPG Young Scholars equips a new generation of emerging scientists with the skills needed to inform intelligent governmental policy and decision-making. 

Program features include:

  • Horizontally and vertically integrated team research with dedicated graduate students and faculty in collaboration with sponsors from local, state, and federal agencies.
  • Expert training in foundational tools for quantitative computing and data visualization, including work in AI, Python, R, GIS, Tableau, and Databases.
  • Professional training through workshops, seminars, and career talks.
  • Individualized mentors working closely with students.
  • Technical report and publication opportunities.
  • Opportunity to interact with decision-makers in local communities, non-profits, and state government agencies.

Program Leaders

To see all program participants, visit our Projects page.

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Christopher Seeger headshot

Christopher Seeger, Program Leader

Christopher J. Seeger, PLA, GISP is a Professor and Extension Specialist at Iowa State University. Trained as a landscape architect focusing on spatial and community data, he has integrated his interests of geospatial technologies, collaborative design technologies, crowd-sourcing (Public Participation GIS and Volunteered Geographic Information) and data visualization to develop local and current datasets that can be used as indicators in the community planning, design, and decision making processes. His current research includes the utilization of crowdsourcing technologies to document and model the built environment to create healthy, sustainable communities that include multimodal transportation systems and environments/programs that promote healthy lifestyles. In addition to this research, Professor Seeger leads the development of the ISU Extension and Outreach Indicators Program. This program aims to provide community demographic, health, transportation, and other economic data resources to the public and local decision-makers. Seeger teaches courses in GIS and Web Mapping. He is a licensed landscape architect, certified GIS professional and increasingly finds himself wearing the hat of a spatial data scientist.

Areas of Interest:

  • Geospatial Analysis
  • Geospatial Data Science
  • Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)

 

Harun Çelik, Program Coordinator

Harun Çelik is a Data Literacy Analyst for Iowa State University’s Community and Economic Development Extension and Outreach. He holds a master’s degree in history, and his interests lie at the intersection between the humanities, social sciences, and data science. Since becoming a part of Iowa State University, he has taken part in numerous interdisciplinary projects involving STEM education, GIS, AI, and the digital humanities. Besides coordinating DSPG, Harun is involved in building the capacity of data literacy for communities in Iowa through educational programming.

Areas of Interest:

  • Data Science Education
  • Data Visualizations
  • Digital Humanities
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Harun Celik headshot