Leveraging Big Data and AI to Strengthen Food Security and Promote Sustainable Agriculture
The outcomes of the National High School Big Data Challenge Program — a program that strengthens students’ problem-solving and computational thinking abilities in the real world.
2025
High School Big Data Challenge™
HSBDC offers an extracurricular, interdisciplinary, experiential learning program that strengthens students’ problem-solving and computational thinking abilities and introduces them to open science.
HSBDC™
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partners

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Program Statistics
Participants Grade
HSBDC
48.7%
participants are in grade 10 or less. Grades: 9 - 1.5%, 10 - 12.3%, 11 - 50.8%, 12 - 34.9%
90.38%
checkpoint 1 submission
86.54%
checkpoint 2 submission
Locations
HSBDC
9/10
schools are from Canada. 56% - Eastern Canada, 43% - Western Canada, 1% - Flekke, Norway
Culminating Events
Western Canada Finals
Calgary, AB, February 20, 2026
University of Calgary Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking
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Winners
Winners of Canada’s National Big Data and AI Challenge
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Gracia Dong
Assistant Professor, Human Biology & Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto
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Lin Dong
Professor, Information Technology Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
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Lesley Campbell
Professor, Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University
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Daorui Han
Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University
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Samuel Gyamerah
Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Toronto Metropolitan University
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Vivek Saahil
Manager – Strategic Business Analysis, Planning & Support, Pratt & Whitney Canada
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Stephanie Bach
President & Founder Bach it Up Agri-Consulting Ltd; Board Member, STEM Fellowship
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David Lapides
Vice President, Programs, Let’s Talk Science
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Special Guests
Provides expertise and fosters connections with government academia, and industry to guide initiatives.
Jinoj Titus
Senior Director, Data and AI Engineering, RBC
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Todd Slivinskas
Director, Technology, Let’s Talk Science
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David Lapides
Vice President, Programs, Let’s Talk Science
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Stephanie Bach
President & Founder Bach it Up Agri-Consulting Ltd; Board Member, STEM Fellowship
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Salma Lakhani
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
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Dr. Joel Martin
NRC’s Chief Digital Research Officer and Chief Science Officer
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Edith Dumont
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
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Kelley Charlebois
Executive Director
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eastern Canada Finals
Toronto, ON, February 11, 2026
University of Toronto Hart House Building, Great Hall
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Winners
Winners of Canada’s National Big Data and AI Challenge
No items found.
Gracia Dong
Assistant Professor, Human Biology & Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto
LinkedIn Icon
Lin Dong
Professor, Information Technology Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
LinkedIn Icon
Lesley Campbell
Professor, Chemistry & Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University
LinkedIn Icon
Daorui Han
Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University
LinkedIn Icon
Samuel Gyamerah
Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Toronto Metropolitan University
LinkedIn Icon
Vivek Saahil
Manager – Strategic Business Analysis, Planning & Support, Pratt & Whitney Canada
LinkedIn Icon
Stephanie Bach
President & Founder Bach it Up Agri-Consulting Ltd; Board Member, STEM Fellowship
LinkedIn Icon
David Lapides
Vice President, Programs, Let’s Talk Science
LinkedIn Icon
Special Guests
Provides expertise and fosters connections with government academia, and industry to guide initiatives.
Jinoj Titus
Senior Director, Data and AI Engineering, RBC
LinkedIn Icon
Todd Slivinskas
Director, Technology, Let’s Talk Science
LinkedIn Icon
David Lapides
Vice President, Programs, Let’s Talk Science
LinkedIn Icon
Stephanie Bach
President & Founder Bach it Up Agri-Consulting Ltd; Board Member, STEM Fellowship
LinkedIn Icon
Salma Lakhani
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
LinkedIn Icon
Dr. Joel Martin
NRC’s Chief Digital Research Officer and Chief Science Officer
LinkedIn Icon
Edith Dumont
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
LinkedIn Icon
Kelley Charlebois
Executive Director
LinkedIn Icon
How do our conferences look?
Watch the recap of STEM Fellowship Eastern Canada Conference
Blue and white cartoon owl figurine sitting on a pile of assorted closed books with worn covers.

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Previous Project
HSBDC
2025
Leveraging Big Data and AI to Strengthen Food Security and Promote Sustainable Agriculture
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HSBDC
2024
Harnessing AI and Open Data Analytics to Combat Social Inequities Among Adolescents
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HSBDC
2023
Leveraging Generative AI and Data Cybersecurity to Conserve and Foster Local Biodiversity
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HSBDC
2022
Fair Housing: a Blueprint for Equity in Life, Work and Play
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HSBDC
2021
Cleaner Energy at the Individual and Community Levels
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HSBDC
2020
Using the Power of Open Data to Learn: Paving the Path to True Equality and Equal Access in Education
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HSBDC
2019
New Climate and Information Realities: From Oceans to Glass of Water
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HSBDC
2018
Sustainability: Think Global and Act Local with Big Data
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