Teach Data Science and They Will Come

• Activity Number: 294
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Jennifer Bryan*
• Companies: The University of British Columbia

Abstract

Statistics departments are experiencing increased demand from around the university to train people in data science and to perform data analysis. We've played these roles for a long time, but the scale and scope of our past activities simply won't cut it in the coming years. I am referring to our historic emphasis on theory and methodology over applications and mastery of state-of-the-art computing skills. The question is: will we grow to meet this challenge or hang back and watch others take this on? As an Associate Professor cross-appointed in Statistics and a biotechnology-focused department, I regularly teach our graduate courses in data analysis and statistics for genomics. I will discuss recent successes and struggles in delivering more comprehensive data scientific training to a growing and increasingly diverse pool of students.