Community Impact with Teacher Leaders in Data Science and Mathematical Modeling

$Data Science Rural Utah Mathematical Modeling$

$NSF Logo$

The Data Science in Rural Utah with Mathematical Modeling (DRUMM) project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Award Number #2345194).

Primary Aim

Our primary aim is to improve and increase opportunities for secondary students in rural and Native communities in Utah to learn data science and mathematical modeling.

DRUMM Goals

DRUMM has three specific goals for working with mathematics teachers in Utah:

Select 24 Teacher Leaders

Develop 24 teacher leaders over six years (who are practicing mathematics teachers) with expertise in data science and mathematical modeling to levels requisite for strengthening modeling and data science education.

Promote Data Science and Mathematical Modeling Teaching

Develop teacher leaders with the pedagogical expertise to incorporate expert teaching in data science and mathematical modeling lessons.

Generate Community Engagement

Develop teacher leaders who will engage with their communities through research activities and mentorship of prospective and early career teachers.

Master Teaching Fellows and USU Faculty will partner to integrate data science and mathematical modeling learning opportunities into existing mathematics curricula, making use of local expertise and community resources to motivate students and ensure local relevance.

Highlights & Upcoming Opportunities

USU Blanding Campus Teacher Workshop & Cultural Exchange April 10–11, 2026

Educators, students, and faculty gathered at the USU Blanding Campus for two days of mathematical learning and deep cultural immersion in San Juan County. Participants included 15 local teachers and 8 non-local teachers, 9 of whom are DRUMM Master Teacher Fellows, 12 USU students, and 5 Faculty.
Highlights included

Mathematical Modeling workshops led by Utah Tech University faculty
Live viewing of the Artemis II splashdown
Cultural presentations on Hogans & Cradle Boards, Hispanic heritage in San Juan County, and the Blue Mountain Song
A performance by the Albert R. Lyman Middle School Heritage Language Group
Field excursion to Hovenweep National Monument, Montezuma Creek, and Bluff petroglyphs

Featured presenters: Vinodh Chellamuthu | Mathematical Modeling | Utah Tech University
$A group of four women in traditional cultural clothing performing a song on a stage$ $Two women giving a presentation with people sitting at round tables with blue table cloths in the audience$

Data Science Curriculum Development Course - Spring 2026

STAT 6075: In this course, we will focus on designing and implementing data sciences tasks in the secondary mathematics classroom. We'll explore data science standards in Utah's revised K-12 mathematics core and use research-based insights on data science education to guide our task development and implementation. Additionally, we'll leverage structured frameworks to craft lesson plans, practice and reflect on our pedagogical strategies, and apply diverse methods to assess student performance on these tasks. This course offers practical experience and essential support from faculty to help you effectively integrate data science investigations into your own class.

Utah State University Master Teacher Fellows and faculty made a strong showing at the 2026 Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics (UCTM) conference

Engagement in this statewide event brings together the most dedicated mathematics educators from all corners of Utah. Carrie Bala, Shaun Micheal Bartschi, Brennan Bean, Tye Winterton, Tyler Haslam, Sindura Kularajan, and Julisa Gonzales all presented.

USU Fellows Spotlight for Community Engagement in Data Science and Mathematical Modeling

Tyler Haslam led two workshop sessions at the UCTM Conference alongside his teaching colleagues from across the state. In Session 1: Engaging Students Through Data Science, Tyler and his team led Linguini, Tying Knots, and Ruler Reflex activities. In Session 2: Modeling the World and Joy in Algebra, these teacher leaders made the case that "Students learn the bits of algebra (e.g., families of functions, etc.)" but often these "bits feel useless, disconnected, and forced" for students. To reenvision the teaching of algebra, they proposed three Data Science activities that connected content in relevant contexts and integrated coding with Jupyter Notebooks. Contact thaslam@graniteschools.org for session activities and access to their CourseKata Canvas page.

Engaging Student in Mathematical Modeling as an Active Form of Assessment

Julisa Gonzales from InTech Collegiate Academy in Logan, Ut discussed best practices for engaging students in Mathematical Modeling at the UCTM Conference. As a novel form of active assessment, she developed and implemented the activity: From Bottles to Models. She shared her 10th grade students' learning outcomes and reflections. One student remarked, "I liked that it didn't have as rigid of as structure as a normal test would have and that it required more creativity". Contact: jgonzales@intechacademy.org for these active assessment materials

USU Fellows Spotlight for Leadership:

Brooklyn Wilde received Utah's Outstanding Educator Award. Hannah Wilkowske became a representative of Eastern Utah serving in leadership.

Past Highlights

Congratulations to these two DRUMM Master Teaching Fellows (Julisa Gonzales and Sarah Brighton) who earned their Masters of Mathematics and Data Modeling Education Certificates!

$Julisa Gonzales and Sarah Brighton pose in graduate attire$

Project Partners

DataTrail

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San Juan County School District

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Uintah School District

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Duchesne County School District

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Ute Indian Tribe Education Department

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Utah State Board of Education

Advisory Board

Name	Title	Organization
Cynthia Anhalt	Associate Research Professor of Mathematics	University of Arizona
Jeff Leek	Vice President and Chief Data Officer, Director	James Hutch Cancer, DataTrail
James Toledo	Program Manager	Utah Division of Indian Affairs
Mike Spencer	Secondary Mathematics Specialist	Utah State Board of Education

Fellows

Faculty

Additional Details

Questions

Contact Brynja Kohler at Brynja.Kohler@usu.edu or 435-797-2872.