Fall 2026

Project briefs

One workforce-compensation visualization brief and two distinct data-engineering briefs.

Course boundary: Data Visualization uses a global salary archive for its final written client report. Data Engineering uses the separate climate-risk and EV systems, with a formal handoff between teams. The Data Visualization report and the companion client-project presentation use two separate rubrics.

36-613 · CLIENT 01

Global Data & AI workforce compensation

Decision: which employer, roles, and experience tiers should an executive-search firm prioritize?

Evidence: global salary records for data, AI, and machine-learning roles, supplemented by credible employer strategy sources.

Product: one self-contained HTML client report with a recruiting playbook, reproducibility appendix, and explicit evidence boundaries.

36-613 grading: The 36-613 Data Vis Rubric grades this HTML client report. The Professional Skills Rubric is a separate working draft and does not determine the Data Visualization report grade.

36-613 Data Vis Rubric Visualization brief

36-614 · PROJECT 02

Climate-risk underwriting

Decision: how should an insurer understand changing peril, severity, exposure, and geographic concentration?

Evidence: Storm Events, HURDAT2, GHCN-Daily, NWS, plus selected exposure enrichments.

Product: PostgreSQL system, ingestion, query library, runbook, KT, and receiver evidence.

Engineering brief

36-614 · PROJECT 03

EV fleet siting

Decision: which freight corridors and candidate areas deserve deeper charging-site and grid study?

Evidence: EIA, NREL AFDC, FHWA freight, eGRID, ACS, and OSM/TIGER context.

Boundary: these public sources do not measure transformer/substation capacity; proxies must be labeled.

Engineering brief

Two separate rubrics

Use the rubric for the deliverable being graded

The shared client context does not create one shared grade. The written Data Visualization report and the companion-course client presentation are evaluated separately.

36-613 Data Vis Rubric

Applies to the one-file HTML report and its embedded reproducibility materials. This is the rubric used for the Data Visualization grade.

Open the 36-613 Data Vis Rubric

DRAFT · WORKING RUBRIC

Professional Skills Rubric

Not final. This separate rubric applies to the companion client-project presentation and does not grade the 36-613 HTML report. Consult the companion-course materials for updates and the final version.

Engineering handoff

Build one; receive the other

The Climate and EV projects are intentionally different. On November 13, teams exchange systems, then connect, reproduce, extend, and document the inherited work.

Builder stintDesign, load, query, validate, document

Formal KTAccess, runbook, smallest successful operation

Receiver stintCold start, reproduce, answer, improve

ReadoutWhat transferred, what failed, what changed

Shared evaluation

Standards across projects

Start with the stakeholder’s decision, then choose evidence that supports it.
State grain, source, units, exclusions, validation, and uncertainty.
Make the work reproducible and document what remains unresolved.