Taryn Shelton, K-12 program coordinator for NC State’s Data Science and AI Academy, visited National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, known as Taiwan Tech, Aug. 3-7 to lead a session at its Power Up summer camp for high school students.

Hosted by the Empower Vocational Education Research Center, Taiwan’s first institution dedicated to research in technical and vocational education, the visit formed new DSA connections and extended the academy’s work to expand data science education and data literacy. During her session, “Data Exploration and Introduction to Data Science,” Shelton guided students through developing conceptual models, gathering and analyzing data, and investigating questions that mattered to them.

“The students were very engaged and motivated to learn,” Shelton said. “They worked well together and were dedicated to their projects.”

Students also created physical representations of their data, finding creative ways to communicate what their analyses revealed. “It was fun to see how they approached the physicalizations and how carefully they thought about communicating what they were finding,” Shelton said.

The experience allowed Shelton to apply approaches developed through the academy’s work with North Carolina educators and students in a different educational and cultural setting. It also gave her the opportunity to learn from students and educators in Taiwan.

“This experience allowed me to take the data science education work I’m doing in North Carolina and apply it in a completely different setting,” Shelton said. “It was incredibly rewarding to work directly with students and build relationships with educators who share an interest in preparing young people to make sense of data.”

The visit reflects the academy’s mission to help learners ask meaningful questions, work with evidence and communicate what they discover. By sharing approaches developed in North Carolina and learning from partners in Taiwan, the academy strengthens NC State’s global connections and brings new perspectives back to its work at home.