Spring 2027 opportunities#
Students who liked EE 508 / DS 537 and did well (or have similar skills) are invited to join the Spring 2027 effort to develop and use openplaces, an open-source data and analytics platform for integrating parcel boundaries, environmental indicators, and socio‑economic data at scale.
Directed study#
I will be offering a directed study (minimum 2, up to 4 credits) for students interested in using openplaces to conduct an applied analysis or research project that is of interest to them.
Students join with a research idea, e.g.:
“I want to estimate:
[the effects of private reserves in Chile on deforestation]
[optimal cost-effective solar energy siting in North Carolina]
[how changing lake water quality affects housing prices in Wisconsin]
I will learn to use
openplacessoftware, infrastructure, and community support to synthesize my datasets and run the analysis.I will write custom scripts to accomplish my research goals (e.g., geography- and theme-specific data ingestion and analytics). I will benefit from group support and instructor guidance to develop these scripts.
Upon completion, my code will be reviewed and — if appropriate — integrated into the open-source codebase. I will receive credit as a named collaborator on the (openplaces Github) page in addition to authorship of my research.”
Examples of countries for which parcel data is available:
Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, United States.
Research assistantships#
I might also be hiring 2-3 research assistants, selected based on merit and skills, to fulfill essential roles in developing and maintaining the open-source codebase and data, including: - Documentation - Code review - Assisting other students with technical issues.
Paid roles will be distinct from those of students joining the directed study to ensure compliance with BU employment classifications.