September 21-25, 2020
All free, all virtual, all open to the public

With all the unexpected twists and turns of 2020, the ICPSR Data Fair will provide a data lens on timely topics such as the elections, Black Lives Matter, the Census, higher education, immigration, COVID-19, and so much more.

Data Fair Schedule

Register via this registration form. Attendees will register once for the full Data Fair and will receive links to all presentations as part of your attendee materials.

Important to know:

• All presentations take place via Zoom. Links to all presentations will be sent directly to registrants the week prior to the Data Fair.
• Participants who attend five or more presentations will receive a Certificate of Completion.
• Participants who attend ten or more presentations will be featured on the Data Fair website.

Even with the university closure and other uncertainties, DiSC staff continues to provide assistance to the Mason community.

Advice

DiSC has many online InfoGuides with information about the most common issues people encounter. These will continue to be available and updated.

As always, you can get assistance with any of your data needs by emailing datahelp@gmu.edu. We typically reply within 1 business day.

Consultations

DiSC consultants continue to be available for appointments, but all will be conducted virtually. The university has a subscription to WebEx which enables video chat and screensharing.

Computer Lab

See below for advice on access to the most popular software. If you need additional assistance, please contact datahelp@gmu.edu. We can also suggest alternative solutions using free and open software.

Access to Data

Almost all library resources, including data, are available from off campus. For subscription sources, be sure to use links to the databases through the library website such as Subject List or the A-Z List so that you will be asked to log in.

Use our InfoGuides on finding data for access to popular data resources. Here are two good ones to start with:

Find Data & Statistics: Best Places to Start – useful for accessing sources for looking up statistics on a topic or building a quick table.

Find Data for Analysis – useful for finding datasets and data sources for data analysis projects.

Again, if you can’t find what you need, ask us.

Software Access

The university has a Virtual Computing Lab that provides access to some of the software through Microsoft’s Remote Desktop application (PC and Mac). With additional needs, it may not be as available as it has been. In addition, many have difficulty connecting to and using it. Those using Stata tend to be the most satisfied with it.

It may be best for students to install or have individual access to software. Here are some options for student access to the most popular software, as well as some alternatives that should be considered. The purchase column lists the lowest cost option.