Cooperative Agreement AM230300WAMSC009

THIS AGREEMENT CEMENTS A PARTNERSHIP WITH CODING IT FORWARD TO RECRUIT, TRAIN, AND HIRE TWO CODING IT FORWARD FELLOWS FOR WORK IN THE USDA AMS LOCAL AND REGIONAL DIVISION. GIVEN AN INCREASED INTEREST IN DATA AND METRICS, THIS OFFICE HAS BEEN BUILDING OUT ITS RESEARCH TALENT, HIRING NEW INDIVIDUALS WITH DIVERSE SKILLSETS IN QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS. IT IS CURRENTLY UTILIZING COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS WITH ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO COLLECT AND ANALYZE DATA, CREATE DATA VISUALIZATIONS, AND HELP THE AGENCY ADDRESS GAPS IN RESEARCH, ALL WHICH LEAD INTO BETTER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS. USDA AMS SEEKS NEW AND IMPROVED PRACTICES AND METHODS TO ENHANCE DATA STEWARDSHIP AND INCREASE ACCESS AND USABILITY IN A TRANSPARENT AND EQUITABLE MANNER. THROUGH AN ESTABLISHED FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (CODING IT FORWARDS FELLOWSHIP) THAT STRIVES TO EXPOSE EARLY CAREER TECHNOLOGISTS TO PUBLIC SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES AT FEDERAL AGENCIES, USDA AMS SEEKS THE EXPERTISE OF AN ORGANIZATION SPECIALIZING IN AND PARTNERING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE EXPERTS IN STUDENT SUMMER PROGRAMS TO MANAGE THE RECRUITMENT, APPLICATION, REVIEW, AND SELECTION PROCESSES, AND TO FACILITATE MATCHING OUR OFFICE WITH FELLOWS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE IN SOME OF THE FOLLOWING: DATA COLLECTION, USING STATISTICAL PROGRAMS TO CLEAN AND ANALYZE DATA (E.G., STATA, R), DEVELOPING DASHBOARDS AND VISUALIZATION (E.G., TABLEAU, ARCGIS), AND WHO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES OF DATA EQUITY. WE WOULD EXPECT THAT THE FELLOWS WILL ALSO BE COMFORTABLE AND HAVE EXPERIENCE IN DATA MINING, MACHINE LEARNING, AND/OR DATA MANAGEMENT. THE FELLOWS WILL PRODUCE PRODUCTS FOR TECHNICAL AND NON-TECHNICAL AUDIENCES. A. THE FEDERAL AGENCY WILL: 1. ADVISE THE COOPERATOR IN DEVELOPING THE PROJECT AND TIMELINE, RECOMMENDING CHANGES TO SCOPE AND CONTENT OF ONGOING REPORTS AND PR OJECTS, AND REVIEWING ALL DELIVERABLES. 2. PROVIDE INPUT AS APPROPRIATE THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT. 3. SUPERVISE AND GUIDE THE CODING IT FORWARD FELLOWS. 4. CREATE DATA-CENTRIC PROJECTS THAT CAN BE COMPLETED OVER 10 WEEKS IN SUMMER 2024. 5. PROVIDE ANY RELEVANT HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE PROJECTS. 6. ASSIST IN OBTAINING AND PROVIDING DATA AND DISSEMINATING RELEVANT DATA. 7. SUPPORT THE FELLOWS THROUGHOUT THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT. 8. SERVE AS CONNECTOR BETWEEN OTHER USDA PARTNERS AND COOPERATOR. B. THE COOPERATOR WILL: 1. WORK WITH USDA-AMS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FOR INPUT ON THE PROJECT. 2. KEEP USDA-AMS APPRISED OF ALL DEVELOPMENTS. 3. COMPLY WITH ALL REPORTING AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT GUIDELINES. 4. MANAGE AND EXECUTE THIS PROJECT AND ALL ACTIVITIES BELOW. 5. RECRUIT INTERVIEW, VET, AND MANAGE CODING IT FORWARD FELLOWS AVAILABLE FOR THE PROJECT PERIOD. 6. COORDINATE ALL NECESSARY MEETINGS, BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON.