The "big data" revolution has changed the way businesses, government, and research are conducted, generating new information and shaping critical decisions at all levels. Data science competency is essential in today’s data-rich world. Currently, the demand for well-trained data scientists exceeds the supply. Even more concerning is the dearth of educators who have the background, training and materials to teach data science concepts in their classrooms. This project aims to (1) foster data science competency through hands-on research and (2) equip educators with the knowledge and tools to incorporate data science concepts into their classrooms. The project will bring together undergraduate students and high-school teachers, who will work in mixed-group teams. The project will be run in a hybrid mode with a six-week in-person component over the summer, followed by regularly scheduled remote sessions over the fall semester to provide research extension for undergraduates and pedagogical support for educators. These innovative activities will generate unique educational experiences that enable teachers to generate data science teaching materials that will attract a broad range of students and increase the data science workforce. The project aims to advance data science research and data science pedagogy. Program participants will be exposed to the challenges and approaches of working with large-scale heterogeneous and complex real-world data, from their acquisition, storage