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“I think the biggest thing I would say is just involve students in real work as early as possible. I think sometimes we have in our mind, oh, we cannot do research with students until they’re advanced in their mathematical studies, but I’ve actually found this isn’t true. I think if there’s a compelling project and students are excited about it, they are really great at learning the tools that they need to do it, and that’s something we as faculty can also help with. Students are able to make really meaningful contributions early in their careers. In terms of teaching or mentoring, I think it’s just about teaching thinking, not tools.” —Kamila Larripa

In this episode, we speak with Kamila Larripa, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Data Science Program Lead at Cal Poly Humboldt, along with her former students John Gerving and Jonathan Juarez. Kamila shares about the development of Humboldt’s new Data Science major and its "data for good” mission, as well as her California Education Learning Lab project, which builds a cross-campus community of practice, fosters data literacy, and bring climate justice modules into introductory science courses for students. Students John and Jonathan reflect on their undergraduate research experiences, highlighting how real-world data projects helped identify their interests and build collaboration skills.

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