UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries will participate in the 2025 Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Data Visualization Championship, to be part of International Love Data Week in February. Submissions for the competition are due by Jan. 17, 2025.

The BTAA Data Visualization Championship invites students, faculty and staff across Big Ten institutions to showcase their data visualization skills and compete for the title of "BTAA Data Viz Champion." Students will be provided with a data set and challenged to produce compelling data visualizations, while faculty and staff have the opportunity to submit existing visualizations that highlight their institution or its projects. Alternatively, faculty and staff may create new visualizations based on Big Ten themes, such as athletics or enrollment data.

Penn State has a history of success in the competition. In 2024, Laura Guertin, distinguished professor of earth sciences at Penn State Brandywine, earned the BTAA Data Viz Champion title for their quilted visualization, “Blue Skies and Cloud Cover.” Guertin’s winning entry is now featured in the Faculty/Staff Data Viz Gallery on the BTAA website.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Penn State students, faculty and staff to showcase their data storytelling abilities while connecting with other members of the Big Ten academic community,” said Faye Chadwell, dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications. “We encourage everyone to participate and continue our tradition of excellence.”

Participants should submit their entries by Jan. 17 using this form. For more information about the competition, visit the BTAA Data Viz Championship page. Email repub@psu.edu with any questions.