Datasets

Virtual Support Sessions for Students

About the Datasets

All datasets have been collected by professional scientists or research agencies who have kindly shared their data with Hudson Data Jam. Each dataset contains a link to a Google Sheet with the data and a brief introductory section describing the research.

You can view and sort the 30+ datasets at the bottom of this page.

For a Google Drive folder of sample graphs to guide student exploration, advisors can contact caryeducation@caryinstitute.org.

New This Year

  1. New Datasets:  Two new data sets are available this year, Breaking Buds and Colored Leaves and Spring Forbs Emergence. Both data sets explore phenology, the study of the timing of life cycle events in animals and plants, of plants here at Cary Institute. 
  2. All projects this year must use an official Data Jam dataset from our website. You are welcome to supplement your project with additional data, but we will not be accepting projects based on external data sets. 
     

Tips

How to work with a dataset: When you open a Google Sheet, click "File" in the upper left corner. From the drop-down list, either 1) Click "Download," which will download it as a Microsoft Excel file or 2) Click "Make a Copy" and save a copy of the Google Sheet to a personal Google Drive folder. Please do not "Request Access" to the dataset's Google Sheet. Thank you!

You can also work with select datasets within TUVA - see details below.

Tuva & the Hudson Valley Data Portal
We’ve created a partnership with TuvaLabs, Inc. to host many* of our Data Jam datasets on their interactive graphing platform. Students can drag and drop the variables right onto the axes and build graphs in seconds without the complexity of manipulating a spreadsheet. 

*Note: Many, but not all, of our datasets are on the TUVA platform. More of the Level 1 and Level 2 datasets are available on TUVA, and fewer Level 3 datasets. If a Data Jam dataset is available in TUVA, there will be a link to it on its associate webpage. 

Hudson Valley Data Portal

Explanation of Levels
Dataset levels are derived by looking at the number of factors in the dataset and by the sheer amount of data collected. We suggest that elementary students begin with Level 1 datasets, especially if it's their first competition. Most middle schoolers will be successful with a Level 1 or 2 dataset, and the appropriate level for your high schoolers depends on their data experience and determination. Drop us a line if you need help selecting an appropriate dataset for your student.

Level 1= Easy
Level 2= Moderate
Level 3=Challenging

Enhanced
Includes an additional PDF with background information and extra resources. These topics are a good starting place for students who are new to data analysis.

Filter:

Data

Salt Pollution in a Hudson River Tributary

When scientists do a 'budget' of a water source, it helps to think of a bank account.  You want to know how much goes in, and how much goes out, of your bank account.

Level 2 Enhanced
Data

Long-Term Hudson River Fish Surveys (NYSDEC)

The DEC collected a variety of fish in the spring, summer, and early fall when eggs, larvae, and juveniles are more plentiful. This dataset shows their results for tomcod, striped bass, rainbow smelt, and American shad.

Level 2 Enhanced
workshop
Data

Fish Populations & Dissolved Oxygen (Snapshot Day)

These data show the populations of Atlantic silversides, blue crabs, ctenophora (comb jellies), striped bass, banded killifish, pumpkinseed fish, spottail shiners, and sunfish compared to dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Hudson River.

Level 2 Enhanced
Data

Zebra Mussels & Other Organisms

Zebra mussels were first detected in the Hudson in 1991. By 1992 they had spread throughout the freshwater and slightly brackish parts of the estuary and had a biomass greater than the combined biomass of all other consumers.

Level 2 Enhanced
Data

Historic Pollution and Human Impacts

Wastewater enters the Hudson River from point sources including municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, combined sewer overflows, urban storm water, and tributaries of the Hudson River such as Fishkill Creek.

Level 2 Enhanced
Data

Fish and Crab Diversity and Richness Along the Hudson River

This dataset shows how species density and diversity have shifted over time, and how these shifts vary based on location.

Level 2 Enhanced
Data

Breaking Buds and Colored Leaves: Oak and Maple Phenology at Cary Institute

These data come from monitoring on the Phenology Trail at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies from 2009 to present. 

Level 2 Enhanced
north river waste water treatment plant
Data

Pharmaceuticals found in the Hudson River Estuary

Understanding how human activity influences the Hudson is a prime concern for the maintenance of the river, especially as the human population grows. 

Level 3 Enhanced
Data

Traffic, Air Pollution, and Human Demographics in New York

Air pollution from traffic can be a major problem in many parts of the world. This dataset examines how traffic congestion and associated pollutants are related to the demographics of the populations that live near traffic.

Level 3 Enhanced
Data

Lyme Disease Prevalence in the Northeast

In this dataset, students can explore how the prevalence of Lyme disease has changed over time in the Northeast.

Level 3 Enhanced
Data

Blood Lead Levels, Poverty and Housing Trends for Mid-Hudson Valley and NYC

In this dataset, students can explore the relationship between childhood lead levels, county, and poverty level, and explore how these relationships have changed over time.

Level 3 Enhanced
Data

Primary Productivity in the Hudson River Estuary

Hudson River Ecology

Using data from the Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observation System (HRECOS) you can look at how primary productivity changes daily and over the growing season.

Level 3 Enhanced
Data

Stream Chemistry Monitoring in the Wappinger Creek (1985-2016)

Looking at abiotic factors such as stream temperature, stream depth and conductivity can indicate the health of the stream as well as the surrounding land.

Level 3 Enhanced
culex
Data

Mosquitoes in Two Different Pond Habitats

Mosquitoes play an integral role in the spread of diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile fever, and encephalitis. 

Level 3 Enhanced
Data

Storm Impacts on Water Chemistry in a Hudson River Tributary

Samples were collected from the East Branch of the Wappinger Creek on Cary Institute grounds in Millbrook, NY.

Level 3 Enhanced

Deadlines & Dates

November 15 – Early bird registration deadline to be considered for a classroom visit.
January 17 – All registrations due. (All team information will be entered during project submission, not during registration.)
February 6 – Student consent forms due.
February 26 – Project submissions due online by 11:59pm EST.
April 3 – Virtual Data Jam Awards Ceremony & Celebration. All prizes awarded during the event.