Saturday, March 9, 2024
8:00am - 9:00am
Hunter Glanz, Ph.D & Brennan Davis, Ph.D., California Polytechnic State University
Integrating Data Science into the Undergraduate Curriculum
Data Science programs are growing across the country in concert with the increased professional opportunities for graduates with analysis skills. How can we introduce students to this fast-moving field of study? What might a general education course in data science look like and how might it complement established collegiate math courses like Introductory Statistics? What skills are most important to emphasize and how might they serve a distinct student population?
Hunter Glanz is an associate professor of statistics and data science at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo). He received a BS in mathematics and a BS in statistics from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo followed by an MA and Ph.D. in statistics from Boston University. He maintains a passion for machine learning and statistical computing, and enjoys advancing education efforts in these areas. In particular, Cal Poly’s courses in R, SAS, and Python give him the opportunity to connect students with exciting data science topics amidst a firm grounding in communication of statistical ideas. Hunter serves on numerous committees and organizations dedicated to delivering cutting-edge statistical and data science content to students and professionals alike, including being a founding board member of the California Alliance for Data Science Education. In particular, the ASA’s DataFest event has been an extremely rewarding experience for the teams of Cal Poly students Hunter has had the pleasure of advising.
Brennan Davis is the Richard and Julie Hood Professor and Director of Analytics Programs at the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. He has a Ph.D. from The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine, an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in mathematics from UCLA. He teaches upper-division undergraduate and graduate analytics courses. He is a member of Cal Poly’s Data Science & Analytics university initiatives committee.