February 9-13, 2026
Love Data Week is an annual, collaborative celebration that brings together the Big Ten Academic Alliance member universities to explore, share, and celebrate all things data. Taking place each February, this week-long event features programming hosted by member institutions that highlights the critical role data plays in research, teaching, and learning.
From hands-on workshops and expert panels to data visualization competitions and networking opportunities, Love Data Week offers students, faculty, staff, and researchers across the Alliance a chance to build data literacy skills, discover new tools and methods, and connect with peers who share their passion for working with data.
Data Viz Championship Details
The highlight of Love Data Week, the Data Viz Championship, is an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff at member institutions to showcase their data visualization skills and compete for the Big Ten Academic Alliance Data Viz Champion title.
Students are given a specific data set and asked to produce a data viz for submission, while faculty/staff may submit an existing viz that highlights their institution or one of its projects.
2026 Student Data Viz Theme
Current Big Ten students, who are not graduating prior to Love Data Week 2026, are invited to create a data viz around university fight songs!
2026 Faculty Data Viz Theme
Faculty are invited to create a data viz on any public research they are involved in at their home university or anything Big Ten themed.
Love Data Week & Data Viz Championship
Do you have additional questions about the 2026 BTAA Love Data Week Data Viz Championship?
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned for a fantastic line-up of virtual events for students, staff and faculty from all participating Big Ten Academic Alliance members!
Big Ten Academic Alliance Contacts
Lori Frost | Danielle F. LeFaivre |
Member University Contacts
Illinois – Amy Edwards & Michelle Rome
Indiana – Bridgett Milner
Iowa – Matthew Anson
Maryland – Michelle Appel
Michigan – Ryan Thomas
Michigan State – Bethan Cantwell
Minnesota – Andrew Wilson
Nebraska – Jason Casey
Northwestern – Debbie Crimmins
Ohio State – Maureen Henry
Oregon – Travis Shea
Penn State – Jennifer Valcin
Purdue – Stephanie Dykhuizen & Andrea Pluckebaum
Rutgers – Laura Palumbo & Glenn Oldis
USC – Andrzej Rutkowski
Washington – Erin Guthrie
