Urban Critical Zone Data Jam 2026
The Urban Critical Zone (UCZ) Data Jam supports secondary science teachers in building students’ capacity to analyze and interpret large, sometimes messy datasets and communicate their findings to a broad audience. The UCZ Data Jam aims to foster data literacy and creativity in classrooms across the Eastern Fall Zone, while highlighting cutting-edge UCZ research taking place in and about students’ local environments.
We are offering...
- UCZ Data Exploration Workshop—A virtual, half-day professional learning experience focused on data-driven, NGSS-aligned investigations using real UCZ research datasets.
- A traditional Data Jam competition, open to middle and high school students along the Urban CZ research area (the Eastern Fall Zone from Philadelphia, PA to Raleigh, NC).
- Supports for educators who wish to implement an Urban CZ Data Jam as an embedded performance task or end-of term/unit project with their students (not as a part of the competition).
- A three-part webinar series offering practical strategies for curriculum alignment, supporting student data analysis, and scaffolding creative and scientific student products.
Why a Critical Zone Data Jam?
The Critical Zone—Earth’s living skin, from the bottom of the groundwater to the top of the canopy—is where geology, hydrology, ecology, atmosphere, and human activity intersect. Understanding how these systems work together is essential for making sense of environmental challenges that directly affect our communities.
The Urban Critical Zone (UCZ) network of scientists investigates how urban processes influence water, soil, and air across the Fall Zone, from Philadelphia, PA through Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC to Raleigh, NC. These research sites span a range of climates and development histories, offering a rich, locally relevant context for student learning.
The UCZ Data Jam was created to help students living in and around the Fall Zone make sense of this research for themselves and for others. In a world where our ability to collect data far outpaces our ability to interpret and communicate it, students need opportunities to develop skills in analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data in meaningful ways.
Through the UCZ Data Jam, students immerse themselves in authentic, local datasets collected by UCZ scientists and communicate their findings through a creative medium of their choice, from visual and digital media to performance or storytelling. This approach encourages students to engage deeply with data while also considering how scientific information can be shared with a broader audience. Imagination is the limit!
The UCZ Data Jam is designed to be flexible for educators. Teachers may choose to:
- Enter their students in the UCZ Data Jam Competition, or
- Use the UCZ Data Jam as a self-contained classroom project. Whichever path you choose, we hope these resources support you in guiding students through meaningful data exploration and sensemaking experiences.
Have fun Data Jamming! If you have questions along the way, we encourage you to reach out to the UCZ Data Jam coordinator, Angie Hood, via email: hooda@caryinstitute.org.