Title: A case study on integrating real-world data infrastructure development into an undergraduate data science curriculum through internships

Authors: Nicholas Harkiolakis; Abhijit Dasgupta; Akul Ameya; Aayush Aneja; Kayana Agarwal; Maulik Bhardwaj; Ayati Arora; Cahyani Putri; Harshitha Senthilkumar

Addresses: New England College, Northcentral University, 98 Bridge St, Henniker, NH 032427, USA ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India ' SP Jain School of Global Management, Lodha VIOS Tower, 5th Floor, Wadala Truck Terminal, New Cuffe Parade, Mumbai-400037, India

Abstract: Experiential learning is vital in undergraduate data science, yet little is known about how infrastructure-centred projects shape learning. This case study examines a summer internship where seven students built a client-server system for research on stock-market emergence, including data ingestion, database design, query optimisation, and interface development. Reflections and feedback indicate gains in technical competence, problem-solving, and professional identity. The main difficulty was the scale of financial data, which created bottlenecks, costs, and provider-reliability issues; these challenges ultimately deepened learning and reinforced incremental design and collaborative, cost-aware engineering. The internship effectively operationalised Kolb's experiential learning cycle and fostered adaptive expertise relevant to domains such as healthcare analytics and urban informatics. Recommendations include preparatory workshops, partnerships with data providers, and structured reflection. Overall, research-driven internships can bridge academic learning with the technical and professional demands of data-intensive practice.

Keywords: data science education; undergraduate internships; client-server infrastructure; stock market data; experiential learning; project-based learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2026.155418

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2026 Vol.16 No.3, pp.226 - 243

Received: 16 Nov 2025
Accepted: 24 Nov 2025
Published online: 31 Jul 2026 *

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