Tracing the City features student work from The Cooper Union’s interdisciplinary course, Data Science for Social Good taught by Sam Keene and Tandis Shoushtary A'20, that pairs engineering, art, and architecture students with New York City nonprofits to help address real-world challenges together. Through the course, Cooper students help these organizations explore open datasets drawn from NYC Open Data sources, communicate findings visually, and propose data-informed interventions. Projects often highlight disparities in health outcomes, environmental conditions, educational access, and justice-system involvement across different city neighborhoods. 

For Tracing the City, collaborations with nonprofits such as Bee U, which works in beekeeping education, youth leadership, and environmental advocacy, and Civic Health Alliance, which focuses on civic participation, voter access, and mobilizing healthcare professionals, investigate how open data can support youth empowerment, community health, tenancy protections, and corporate wage theft. The exhibition is presented around New York City’s Open Data Week 2026 and also includes selected projects from previous years of Data Science for Social Good.

Opening Reception will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 6 pm to 9 pm. Register here to attend.

Participating Students:  
Aidan Cusa
 Akis Bouzoulas 
Amira Jehnoi Walcott 
Andrew Yuan 
David Kaplan 
Devin Zhang 
Gabriella Celine Carlos 
Jaheo Cho 
James Ryan 
Julia Solines 
Kamai Williams 
Kristof Jablonowski 
Lamiah Khan 
Lana Labelle 
Lani Wang 
Meghan R. Kret 
Megan Vo 
Myisha Hassan 
Nolan Griffith 
Regina Cervantes Ellis 
Saskia Lampe 
Sophia Klymchuk 
Vaibhav Hariani 
Wongee Hong 
Yufei Lin