糖心vlog视频

In today鈥檚 technology-driven world, data is all around us. Through every tap, click and voice command we give to our devices, more data is being generated and stored than ever before. With the increase in data output, there also comes a rapidly growing sector of jobs devoted to analyzing and interpreting data. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,鈥痙ata science jobs are expected to grow 36% in the next decade. 

To help prepare students for careers in this area, the 糖心vlog视频 has launched a new major in Data Visualization, with its first cohort beginning this quarter. 

鈥淏ecause data is such a ubiquitous facet of our society right now, there鈥檚 almost an endless number of ways you can apply data visualization across academic disciplines and various industries toward an endless number of goals,鈥� said Dr. Joseph Ferrare, associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 exciting about this program is that whether you have more social or environmental objectives or you want to serve businesses or technology, the possibilities are limitless.鈥� 

Reimaging an old major听

While the Data Visualization major officially launched this fall, it is a reimaging of the program formerly known as Mathematical Thinking & Visualization. What first began as a simple rebrand to more accurately capture the curriculum with a new name soon became an opportunity to reconceptualize the program itself. 

The program had a greater focus on math and science, but there was a disconnect between the curriculum and the actual skills students were learning and how they related to the field at large, said Dr. Caleb Trujillo, IAS assistant professor. 

鈥淲e wanted to connect that curriculum more directly to this broader movement of data visualization,鈥� Trujillo said. 鈥淎nd when we began conceiving this new curriculum, we realized that there were a lot of students who really wanted a liberal arts perspective on data. They wanted to understand it from a human angle and to serve communities and organizations as part of an interdisciplinary team while still being prepared for the technologically entrenched world.鈥� 

To better meet the interdisciplinary goals of students, the new major is offered as both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. Similarly, Data Science and Data Analytics minors are also offered as a way to complement other majors.  

鈥淲hen we look at where our graduates are embarking on their careers, it鈥檚 really across the spectrum,鈥� Ferrare said. 鈥淲hether in a more business and technology-centric position at Boeing or a job at King County that focuses more on community, we have students who are literally being plugged into every aspect of society.鈥� 

He noted that while many of the MTV students double majored in other areas, this new major offers even greater opportunities to blend art and science. 

鈥淏ringing together the creative and the scientific side isn鈥檛 something you really get to do in a lot of majors,鈥� Ferrare said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 often get to make things beautiful and solve complex computational problems all in the same kind of project. It鈥檚 amazingly impressive to see students doing that.鈥� 

Rooted in data science听

For 2022 alumnus Alec Radliff, the MTV major was appealing for how it could easily lend itself to a career in data engineering. Now, as a data analytics engineer for the tech company Arity, he puts the skills he learned in the program to use by working with data to improve transportation. 

鈥淭he program aligned perfectly with my goals of getting a career in tech,鈥� Radliff said. 鈥淢y research work under Caleb Trujillo in the major was a significant talking point in all my job interviews and applications. The foundational change in statistical and analytical thinking I received from the MTV major has been an important component of my job. I process large amounts of company data, and to verify that data is accurate I have made specific visualizations to show data consistency.鈥� 

Abbie Kinaro (鈥�22), also an alumna of the program, plans to someday work in finance and consulting as a data analyst or data scientist. For her, the MTV major was the best fit for her desired career path. 

鈥淢TV offered a nice balance between social and technical aspects, and the program鈥檚 classes, advisers and professors were all supportive,鈥� Kinaro said. 鈥淐aleb Trujillo鈥檚 guidance was instrumental in my academic journey, and I owe much of my success to him. He wrote my graduate school recommendations. My confidence in academia today started because he believed in me even when I struggled with introductory R [programming language] assignments.鈥� 

Kinaro added that she鈥檚 also grateful to Trujillo for writing a recommendation for graduate school. She is currently pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in Data Science at Harvard University and will be graduating in May 2025. 

鈥淚 know this is common advice, but it鈥檚 worth repeating: Take full advantage of the small class sizes and the close-knit campus at UW Bothell,鈥� she said. 鈥淵our professors are invaluable resources and can offer so much insight and wisdom. 

Unleashing the storytelling capabilities听

The new curriculum in Data Visualization is particularly attractive to students looking to work in the tech sector but wanting to go beyond the task of programming. 

For many, Trujillo said, jobs in computer science and software engineering can offer opportunities for social mobility, and yet the programming work these jobs require can often be an obstacle to reaching that goal. 

鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a different way of viewing the world that isn鈥檛 about computers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that what is so useful for the student in this program is the centering of communities and people 鈥� and recognizing that every single number in your spreadsheet is from a person with a story to tell.鈥� 

What makes this new program unique, Ferrare added, is that the math and science aspects take on a supporting role, while the primary focus lies in the mastery of storytelling with data. 

鈥淭his program is not just a technical degree where you learn how to code and crunch numbers, and produce data dashboards. There鈥檚 also a communication component,鈥� Ferrare said. 鈥淗ow do you understand who your audience is and how their various identities will interact with what you are trying to say? And how do you then anticipate that in a way that allow you to speak broadly in a pluralistic society? 

鈥淎nyone can learn these technical skills, but to do so in a way that allows you to understand cross-cultural context and conflicts, that鈥檚 where I feel like we鈥檙e bringing something special to the community.鈥濃�� 

Plugged into every aspect of society

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of Data Visualization, it also pairs well with a variety of other subject areas when students want to double major and/or view another area of interest through the lens of data visualization. 

鈥淔or students with a socially oriented objective, these skills can be used to make a difference in the community directly, whether it鈥檚 through climate, social justice, housing, education, health care or any other area,鈥� Ferrare said. 鈥淏asically, there鈥檚 now an abundance of data everywhere, and our students are now learning how they can tap into that data and serve as storytellers for a variety of stakeholders. I think for a lot of them, that鈥檚 really exciting.鈥�