The Director of the U.S. Census, Robert L. Santos, recently visited the University of Utah to keynote the 2024 Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) Annual Conference. The conference brought in researchers from across the U.S. to present high impact analyses utilizing restricted-use confidential data that the Census Bureau and its partner agencies make available through the FSRDC network.

The U of U hosted the FSRDC Annual Conference because we are home to one hub of the FSRDC network: the Wasatch Front Research Data Center (WFRDC). The WFRDC is a secure research environment where researchers with analyze restricted data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies. Major research institutions along the Wasatch Front, including the University of Utah, Utah State University, Brigham Young University and Departments within the Utah government all utilize the WFRDC to better understand demography, population health, economics, and geographic and spatial analysis.

A good example of how the U of U builds bridges between researchers and the people of Utah.

Video courtesy of AVPR Jakob Jensen.