Exploring the Grand Challenges: Data and Python

Exploring the Grand Challenges is part of the Applications, Impact and Skills as well as the Earth System Data learning line, and sets the scene for the type of problems Earth, Climate and Technology students may end up working on. You will explore the grand challenges linked to relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discover the relevance of what you will learn in the programme to be able to come up with solution pathways from the perspective of Earth, Climate and Technology.  

The course revolves around a data-driven approach: by selecting readily available online datasets (e.g., on population, climate, energy use and production, biodiversity, economy) you will explore the grand challenges, and at the same time learn how to analyse, synthesise and present data. These skills will be built on in the course Geodata Fundamentals, where you will learn the essential ingredients of the data-to-insight workflow: problem formulation – data requirements and acquisition – processing, analysis, evaluation – interpretation and communication. 

Exploring the grand challenges is intertwined with a computer literacy and coding classes, in which you will learn the fundamentals of programming (incl. use of loops, functions, numpy, matplotlib, pandas) and apply exploratory data analysis to summarize and visualize the main characteristics (e.g., variability, correlation, distribution, uncertainty) of spatial and temporal data related to the grand challenges. 

Towards the end of the course, you will pick one challenge to study in more detail as a group project. 

In terms of skills, we will help you to get settled into the university environment and develop critical thinking skills. This includes aspects such as study planning, looking at problems from an engineering perspective and teamwork. The course will include classes on writing, presenting, academic standards (referencing, fraud, plagiarism, use of artificial intelligence) and ethical work practices. Through workshops and the group project, you will also develop skills such as social and personal skills, and presentation skills.  

Portfolio 
Throughout the programme, you will work on your portfolio. The objectives are to let you think about the relevance and relations between the courses, learning lines, and disciplines; and to reflect on your personal and academic development. A template of the portfolio will be provided, which includes assignments that are related to the skills training within the Applications, Impact and Skills courses.