What happens when you mix analysts, clinical research staff, directors, PhD students, marketing leaders, agile operations managers, and add walk-up songs and a Party Rocker?
You get the first-ever DMS Trivia Challenge at Love Data Week 2026.
Hosted by the Becker Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Team, the event brought together 11 teams representing roles across campus, from Statistical Data Analysts to Chief of Staff, and from Clinical Research Coordinators to Executive Directors.
A Trivia Game with Energy (and Strategy)
The challenge featured:
• Four themed rounds (five questions each)
• A championship NIH DMS policy round worth double points
• An individual tie-breaker round for the bold
Phones down. Buzzers ready.
Before the trivia began, each team selected (or was assigned) a walk-up song. After a short clip played, team members introduced themselves, setting a fun and energetic tone for the session.
Teams came prepared—not just with knowledge, but with creativity. Team names like Carpe Datum, Love at First Dataset, Sources of Truth, Data Zambonies, Ladies of OHIDS, PID Masters, DMS Dynamos, and Bech2Brain added personality to the competition.
Highlights from the Challenge
• Ladies of OHIDS earned a perfect score in the FAIR Data round
• Walk-up songs and team introductions brought energy and personality to the room
• Intense table huddles and enthusiastic celebrations filled the session
• Participants asked to revisit slides so they could capture key information
One standout moment came during an individual tie-breaker round, when a participant correctly answered “Toy Story 2” before the question was even fully read—a testament to how engaged and prepared attendees were.
What Participants Said
At the end of the session, participants described their experience in one word:
“Fun.” “Hard.” “Challenging.” “Informative.”
The word cloud captured the spirit of the event and reinforced its goal: making data management and sharing both engaging and enjoyable, while reinforcing key concepts in a way that lasts.
More Than a Game
Data management and sharing is often seen as a requirement—something researchers have to do rather than something they want to engage with. The DMS Trivia Challenge aimed to shift that perception by making the experience more interactive, approachable, and even fun.
By turning key concepts into a collaborative and game-based format, participants were able to engage with topics like FAIR principles, file naming conventions, and NIH DMS policy in a way that felt natural and enjoyable. This kind of experience not only lowers barriers to learning but also helps the information stick well beyond the session itself.
A Soundtrack for Data
To set the tone, a Love Data Week 2026 Spotify playlist was created and used throughout the event. The playlist, along with a party rocker, helped create a lively atmosphere and added an extra layer of fun to the experience.
Explore Event Materials
The slides and handouts from this session, along with recordings and materials from other Love Data Week events, are available on the Love Data Week 2026 home page.
Acknowledgements
This event would not have been possible without the support of colleagues who helped bring it to life. Special thanks to Marcy Vana, Maze Ndukum, and Xing Jian for assisting with logistics, coordinating setup, and helping run the event.
Looking Ahead
The response to the event was overwhelmingly positive, with many participants asking whether it will be offered again.
This may have been the first DMS Trivia Challenge—but it likely won’t be the last.
Sign up for the Becker DMS newsletter so you will be the first one to find out when we organize another one!