Pi Mu Epsilon Undergraduate Colloquium

Speaker:	Immanuel Williams, Rutgers University
Title:	Introduction to Data Science

Abstract

Teachers at times may find it difficult to relate subject matter to what students deem as interesting and relevant. This may lead to students not fully grasping material which will then lead to poor performance. The purpose of this presentation is to exhibit many examples of how a complicated topic can be broken down for students in such a way that they not only find the subject matter applicable but they also want to learn more about the subject. The general theme of the presentation is data science. Data science utilizes programming and statistical techniques to extract of information from data. During the presentation, I first give a brief description of my background and struggles with mathematics and statistics. This is important because I am able to relate to students who feel as though they cannot do math. I then go into why data science is significant to the generation that is entering college and the workforce. I present real life examples of how data science can be applied to familiar applications and entertainment such as Facebook and predicting football outcomes. One example I go into detail is using data science to answer who is/was the better basketball player, Michael Jordan or LeBron James. In addition, I connect data science to Chemistry and the development of medication. This presentation also includes an activity with the students so that they understand how anyone can become a data scientist.

Bio

The presentation will be administered and coordinated by Immanuel Williams.  Immanuel Williams has a bachelors degree in mathematics, a masters in statistics, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education, Measurement and Statistics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Mr. Williams possesses over four years of experience tutoring individuals of all ages.  For the past two years he has been volunteering on Saturdays with a program in South Jersey named Program for Acceleration in Careers of Engineering (PACE). PACE is aimed at exposing high school students to computer science, engineering, and other STEM fields.