As the data tsunami washed over everything including college campuses, universities invested heavily in data management systems and then layered on services to create the highly digitally-engineered environments in which we work today. Within that context, I’ll review the seeding and ongoing nurturing of two U-M services (Atlas and Problem Roulette) that share common themes of access and transparency. As examples of research enabled by these services, I’ll present evidence showing that: (i) on average, females study more for less reward in STEM subjects than male students, and (ii) increased selectivity, as measured by ACT/SAT scores, is a minor factor driving undergraduate grades upward. The talk will close by inviting your thoughts and discussion on potential future directions for these and similar services.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: Prof. August E. (Gus) Evrard is a first-generation computational cosmologist and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy at U-M. Author of the first algorithm to enable multi-fluid simulation of galaxy and large-scale cosmic structure formation, Prof. Evrard's research is focused on understanding the population of clusters of galaxies, the rarest and largest gravitationally bound systems in the universe. Named a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2012, his research is documented in over 200 refereed papers with 22,000 total citations. Within the Office of Academic Innovation he leads two separate projects, one offering visual summaries of Michigan's recent academic landscape (Atlas) and another providing “points-free” study support using local exam content (Problem Roulette). Both are used by thousands of students each year at U-M.