When local families dial PA 211 for help with food, housing or utilities, Slippery Rock University students are behind the scenes using data to help community agencies respond faster and smarter.
This vision was developed by Xintong Wang, associate professor of economics, who transformed her econometrics course into a real-world impact project. Through a partnership with a local software company, Wang connects students with nonprofit clients, giving them opportunities to apply classroom learning to solve local community challenges.
Leading up to SRU’s 2025 spring semester, Wang began exploring ways to bring real data into her Introduction to Econometrics course to provide students with meaningful, hands-on experience. She reached out to John Golden, managing director of SRU’s Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator, who connected her with MAPS Technologies, a Franklin-based company that provides customer relationship management software to nonprofits.
