2025 marks the fifth year of the Statistical Training and Research Techniques program at Rice – better known as STaRT@Rice. This premier training program has attracted graduate students from various social sciences disciplines and has made such an impact that many return to participate, year over year. STaRT@Rice alumni and Rice Ph.D. students LeGrand Dudley, Nasim Koohi, and Vincent Lai recently shared their experiences in the program and what has kept them coming back.
What year(s) did you participate in STaRT@Rice?
LD: I participated in STaRT@Rice in 2022 and 2024.
NK: I participated in STaRT@Rice workshops in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and each year I’ve come away with new skills, insights, and connections.
VL: I participated in the program in 2022, 2023, and 2024 (and soon 2025!).
What is your area(s) and level of study?
LD: Currently, I am 2nd year Ph.D. student at Rice University, and I previously participated in STaRT@Rice during my first year of graduate studies. My area of study is human factors/human-computer interaction, and I specifically study human-automation/AI interaction - how human users interact with automated driving systems.
NK: I am a second-year Ph.D. student in the sociology department at Rice University. My research broadly examines race, racism, and racialization processes, particularly as they intersect with immigration status and shape health outcomes.
VL: I am currently a 4th-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychological Sciences. I am in the health psychology & behavioral medicine and industrial-organizational psychology areas within our department, and my research broadly focuses on how close relationships, such as romantic partnerships, "stress us out" and what that means for health and well-being.
What is the most valuable thing you learned or experienced as a STaRT@Rice participant?
LD: As a STaRT@Rice participant, the most valuable things I have learned are practical takeaways from the statistical training workshops. Prior to attending STaRT@Rice, I had taken programming classes here at Rice that provided fundamental knowledge enabling me to quickly learn statistical analyses, data visualization techniques, and so forth. However, the R programming workshops at STaRT@Rice taught me how to optimally use R packages to make my data cleaning and analysis process easier to read, understand, and replicate. Taking the advanced R workshops at STaRT@Rice has completely optimized my data cleaning and analyses workflow and I've continued to use the skills and procedures I learned to this day.
NK: STaRT@Rice offers workshops that benefit a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, political science, and anthropology. Beyond the informative sessions themselves, I especially value how STaRT@Rice emphasizes networking opportunities. By bringing together faculty from diverse departments with broad research interests, while fostering a safe and welcoming space for students at different stages of study, STaRT@Rice provides a truly unique experience.
VL: I've gotten so much out of my time as a STaRT@Rice participant! I gained important foundational statistical knowledge and skills in my first year as an attendee, and over the following years, I have been able to apply what I learned in the advanced workshops. Beyond the workshops, STaRT@Rice has such an amazing community with wonderful people, and the conversations and connections I've made have gone far beyond those weekends of the program. And the most valuable thing for me was being exposed to R in the introductory workshop - R can be super intimidating to learn, so the workshop really helped give me the confidence to dive in and experiment with my own data.
What would you tell someone who is considering participating in the 2025 STaRT@Rice?
LD: If I had the chance, I would highly encourage them to participate merely for the exposure to different techniques provided by the variety of lecturers. STaRT@Rice offers a variety of workshops that I believe are rarely covered amongst social science curricula unless students explicitly seek classes in other departments (e.g., COMP or STAT). However, there are relevant methodological workshops covered that social science students may benefit from, such as machine learning which could be applied to classification problems. In short, I would highly recommend students attend STaRT@Rice because there is so much value to broadening their exposure to new methodologies that they could apply to their own work.
NK: While three-hour workshops might sound intimidating, the instructors made each session both enjoyable and practical. The program is designed to foster a true sense of belonging, which helped me tremendously with my feelings of imposter syndrome. On top of that, the great food, fresh coffee, and tasty snacks throughout the day are an added bonus not to be overlooked! If you’re on the fence about joining STaRT@Rice, I’d say go for it. You won’t regret it.
VL: If any piece of STaRT@Rice interests you - do it! There are so many different workshops for attendees of all different backgrounds and areas, and as a returner, I'm still taking new workshops and learning new things. The instructors, directors, staff, and other attendees are all wonderfully kind people who you can rely on for support and help. And on top of the awesome experience, the food and refreshments offered during the program are always fantastic! I'm looking forward to seeing all of you there.
This year’s STaRT@Rice program will be held on October 3-5, 2025 in Kraft Hall. Registration is open through September 18. Current Rice Social Sciences students are only required to pay the $25 registration fee, and the $150 participation fee is waived. For questions, contact start@rice.edu.