This Blog series will feature some of the amazing initiatives undertaken by FSU Libraries faculty and staff thanks to funding from Mini Grants, an initiative put forth by FSU Libraries in order to help foster innovative project ideas. Each installment will feature details on these projects and how they have been used to enrich the campus community. The Mini Grants award anywhere between $500 to $5,000. Applications are open to any FSU Libraries faculty or staff member and open September 1. Projects funded by the Mini Grants start off small, but can, over time, evolve into something much bigger. There will be an information session on August 20. Please reach out to FSU Libraries’ Grants Specialist, Marcee’ Mitchell for more information on the Mini Grants.
One such recipient of the Mini Grants, Dr. Kirsten Kinsley, Assessment Librarian used her funds to start the Student Data Collective (SDC), a peer-driven community of practice where undergraduate and graduate students from across disciplines come together to build applied skills in data analytics, visualization, and working with real-world data. It launched in Fall 2025 with two events—an October kickoff and a November meeting where students elected officers and secured a faculty sponsor. In Spring 2026 the students ran the group themselves: a goal-setting meeting, a peer-taught RStudio workshop, and a walkthrough of library data resources, with a Power BI session in the works. Students also began pursuing RSO status through SGA. The year closed with a celebration honoring graduating seniors, electing the incoming president, and gathering feedback from the inaugural cohort.
On campus, the SDC serves as a bridge between coursework and applied data work. Students have the opportunity to work with real data, building portfolios, resumes, and accumulating career-readiness skills, both in the world of data science and beyond. Furthermore, the SDC brings students closer to the Libraries and the resources that go along with it, broadening their horizons and academic toolkit for their campus experiences. All of these experiences feed into FSU’s Vision 2030 and QEP goals centered on career-readiness for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Thanks to the Mini Grant, the SDC was able to be fed throughout their meetings, which helped to foster an informal and relaxed, but proactive environment, as well as encouraging attendance. And although primarily on campus, the SDC extended their accessibility by using the grant to purchase an OWL 360 camera to accommodate any participants who might not be able to appear in person.
Inspired by the Office of Institutional Research’s outstanding data literacy communities, the SDC began as a partnership, with members representing various units and departments throughout the university: Dr. Nick Ruhs, Research Data Management Librarian and overseer of the Data Fellows program, Danielle Humphrey and Laura Pellini, representatives of FSU Libraries’ Marketing and Communications Department, Dr. Kirsten Kinsley, Assessment Librarian, and Heather Epstein-Diaz and Andrew Brady, directors at the Office of Institutional Research. Additionally, the Data Fellows under Nick Ruhs and the Student Data Analysts from the Office of Institutional Research were vital in getting this initiative off the ground Thanks to their combined efforts, the Student Data Collective has successfully become a valuable peer-to-peer teaching community across campus.
If you are or know an interested student who would like to join the SDC, please reach out to Helena Ortiz at hro23@fsu.edu.
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