Why is Purdue, a state university situated in Indiana that has held tuition constant since 2013, interested in engaging with the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado?

We believe in “data science for all” – a model embodied in The Data Mine which is translatable to all our partners. The National Science Foundation’s actions confirm our assessment via the NSF grant to establish the National Data Mine Network (Award Number:2123321).

Given Colorado history, it’s clear that it will remain an epicenter of our nation’s effort in the space domain and its critical public and private institutions. Our goal is to help fulfill academia’s role in the workforce and thought-leadership needs for the US DoD’s Strategy for Operations in the Informational Environment.

About Data Mine of the Rockies & the spring – 2025 Symposium

The Data Mine of the Rockies (DMR) is an innovative data science initiative modeled after the highly successful Purdue Data Mine. Designed to bridge the gap between academia, industry, and government, it provides a collaborative learning environment where students engage in real-world, data-driven projects that address pressing challenges across multiple sectors.

Through partnerships with defense, aerospace, and technology organizations, participants work on cutting-edge projects that impact national security, innovation, and economic development. The initiative not only cultivates a skilled workforce but also accelerates research, innovation, and data-driven decision-making in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond.

The Data Mine of the Rockies Symposium is an annual event in which participating student teams present the (publicly-disclosable) progress they have made over the academic year.  This spring 2025 the Inaugural Symposium will represent 8 projects with 7 different sponsors that provide experiential learning in Data science/AI/ML to students from 8 Colorado universities.

2024 – 2025 projects

University students from Colorado in academic year 2024-25 had the opportunity to participate on teams working with students from 7 other universities to take on Data Science/AI/ML projects in space and defense as part of the inaugural year of Data Mine of the Rockies.  The project statements, that involve data analytics, AI/ML, and cyber-related topics, are inspired by companies, government entities, and non-profits.  Representatives of the sponsors provide weekly mentoring for the teams comprised of nominally 10 students from a couple of universities. 

The Colorado university partners this academic year are: Colorado Mesa University, Colorado State University (CSU Pueblo), Fort Lewis College, Metro State University Denver (MSU Denver) University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), Pikes Peak State College (PPSC), and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA).

The sponsors and their descriptions of their respective projects for this academic year are:

• Space-ISAC, Space Weather
• L3Harris, Satellite Cyberattack Detection Using-Telemetry
• Lockheed Space, AI GAN for Cyber Anomaly Detection
• National Space Intelligence Center, Project NEXUS
• SDA TAP Lab/SSC/USSF, Ground Infrastructure Security
• Space Operations Command (SpOC)/USSF, Predict Whether Forecasted Weather Conditions will Satisfy Space Launch Criteria
• Space-ISAC, Multi Orbit Interference and On Orbit Attacks