Ramapo College Partners with Center for Food Action to Combat Hunger Through Data Science Innovation

Ramapo College’s Center for Data, Mathematical, and Computational Sciences (DMC) has partnered with Center for Food Action (CFA) to use data science in the fight against food insecurity across Bergen and Passaic Counties. Thanks to generous support from the Daffron Family Foundation, this collaboration will provide paid internships for Ramapo students to solve real-world challenges facing our region’s most vulnerable residents.

The partnership centers on four projects supporting CFA’s mission and resource optimization. Students will develop tools to forecast demand and identify funding gaps using real-time food pricing, create systems that consolidate data into standardized reports, build a mobile app for grocery categorization, and design maps to highlight service gaps and improve distribution routes.

Working under faculty supervision, student teams will collaborate directly with CFA leadership over 12 weeks to deliver these solutions. Students will gain hands-on experience with web scraping, statistical modeling, mobile app development, and geospatial analytics while seeing how their technical work directly impacts families facing food insecurity.

This partnership creates a pipeline for socially conscious data scientists while delivering immediate benefits to CFA’s mission of preventing hunger and homelessness in northern New Jersey.

For Students: Join the Fight Against Hunger

Data Science and Computer Science students can apply now for these paid internship opportunities. We’re seeking up to 5 students total: 1-3 seniors or graduate students and 2-3 underclassmen ready to apply their skills for social good. Internships will pay up to $5,000 over the project period (12-15 weeks, ~20 hours/week). We are seeking students with a strong coding background, solid communication and presentation skills, and a genuine interest in social good.

To apply, send your resume to Dr. Scott Frees (sfrees@ramapo.edu) and a brief (250 word) personal statement describing your skills, experience, and interest in the position by October 3rd, 2025. We will be interviewing candidates during the second week of October. Internships will start by the end of October and continue for approximately 12-15 weeks.

For Community Organizations: Partner with Ramapo DMC

Does your organization have data challenges that student teams could help solve? The DMC is eager to create more community partnerships. Contact Dr. Scott Frees (sfrees@ramapo.edu) to explore how our talented students can support your mission while gaining real-world experience.

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