The program offers a unique opportunity for high school students to gain foundational experience in R programming and apply it to real-world policy challenges related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, guided by University of Chicago faculty.
The SDG Challenge Program is a three-week, non-credit, immersive research experience designed to equip high school students with the tools to analyze and address real-world policy challenges through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students engage in hands-on research and data analysis, examining how public policy is designed and evaluated. Participants gain foundational experience in R, a powerful open-source programming tool, to clean and analyze data. The program includes a lecture series on public policy, normative frameworks, and experiments and development, providing conceptual grounding for applied data work and policy evaluation. Students develop key research skills such as formulating research questions, evaluating data sources, applying data forensics techniques, and designing policy interventions. The program culminates in an SDG-themed Policy Capstone Challenge where students propose evidence-based solutions to global issues. By the end of the program, students will have built a strong foundation in quantitative research methods, gained a deeper understanding of policy analysis, and enhanced their ability to think critically about sustainable development challenges.
A typical day involves a combination of theoretical learning through lectures on public policy and normative frameworks, and applied work with data analysis using R, culminating in collaborative research and policy intervention design.
This program is ideal for highly motivated high school students who aspire to make a social impact and become informed leaders and future decision-makers, particularly those interested in quantitative research methods and policy analysis.
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
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