NYU Data Science newsletter – May 27, 2015

NYU Data Science Newsletter features journalism, research papers, events, tools/software, and jobs for May 27, 2015

GROUP CURATION: N/A

 
Data Science News



R vs Python for Data Science: The Winner is …

KD Nuggets


from May 26, 2015

At DataCamp, our students often ask us whether they should use R and/or Python for their day-to-day data analysis tasks. Although we mainly offer interactive R tutorials, we always answer that this choice depends on the type of data analytical challenge that they are facing.

Both Python and R are popular programming languages for statistics. While R’s functionality is developed with statisticians in mind (think of R’s strong data visualization capabilities!), Python is often praised for its easy-to-understand syntax.

In this post, we will highlight some of the differences between R and Python, and how they both have a place in the data science and statistics world. If you prefer a visual representation, make sure to check out the corresponding infographic ”Data Science Wars: R vs Python”.

 

astronomers.io

Jonathan Sick


from May 23, 2015

astronomers.io is a nice place for astronomers to chat. Whether your want to talk about some cool astronomy, discuss a paper, geek out over code, or hash out a social issue in our field, this is your forum.

 

Big Bytes

Harvard Medical School, Harvard Medicine magazine


from May 26, 2015

Effective July 1, HMS will add a new Quad-based department to its roster. The establishment of this new entity, the Department of Biomedical Informatics, will, according to HMS Dean Jeffrey S. Flier, emphasize the vital role the field of bioinformatics has at HMS and underscore the prominent role the School has played in the field’s development throughout the past half century.

 

2014 Data Science Salary Survey

Domino Data Lab, O'Reilly


from May 23, 2015

If there’s one thing folks in the data community are good at, it’s using their analytic skills to find high paying jobs. Our data science survey showed a mean salary of $98,000 (US).

 

Relax, the Terminator Is Far Away

The New York Times


from May 25, 2015

… Next month, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a Pentagon research arm, will hold the final competition in its Robotics Challenge in Pomona, Calif. With $2 million in prize money for the robot that performs best in a series of rescue-oriented tasks in under an hour, the event will offer what engineers refer to as the “ground truth” — a reality check on the state of the art in the field of mobile robotics.

A preview of their work suggests that nobody needs to worry about a Terminator creating havoc anytime soon. Given a year and a half to improve their machines, the roboticists, who shared details about their work in interviews before the contest in June, appear to have made limited progress.

 

My bittersweet experience becoming a big data engineer : datascience

reddit.com/r/DataScience


from May 26, 2015

I’ve been reading this subreddit for nearly a year, perhaps longer. Many of the posts here seem to be asking about how one can break into the field of data science, however few seem to be about actually doing it. So, I figured I would share a short blog post I wrote reflecting on my experience recently becoming a big data engineer at Apple. This marks me breaking into the field.

In short, it was rough. The job search and interview process were not easy, and I feel that other readers of this subreddit have had or are going through similar experiences. Maybe we can commiserate. For me, in the end, things came out positive.

 

Why the Chief Data Officer is the Hottest Job of the 21st Century

SmartData Collective


from May 20, 2015

… 61% of CIOs wanted to see a CDO hired within a year and put incharge of leading business initiatives that assist CIOs in interpreting overwhelming quantities of information.In fact, 47% of those CIOs said their key barrier to success is the sheer volume of data they must manage. The continuously growing trend has been on Gartner’s radar for some time. In early 2014, the Gartner stated that 25% of large global organizations would have appointed CDOs by 2015.

“Organizations are creating, accessing and using more sources and types of information than ever before,” the announcement said. “This trend, combined with the increasing need to understand how data is being used within a company, is driving the need for Chief Data Officers.”

 

Which is the safest city in the world?

The Guardian


from May 26, 2015

It’s not a recent initiative, but as far as unusual – and effective – measures to improve road-traffic safety go, mime is still hard to beat. In the mid-90s, Bogotá’s then-mayor, Antanas Mockus, employed more than 400 mime artists to stand guard at pedestrian crossings, showing wordless displeasure to reckless pedestrians and drivers who violated traffic rules and put lives at risk.

The experiment was included on the list of 100 Promising Practices on Safer Cities, a collection of global initiatives commissioned last year by UN-Habitat – the branch of the United Nations which looks at how to make an increasingly urbanised world work best. In recent years, however, various initiatives introduced in Bogotá to make walking and cycling safer have slipped. Bogotá is by no means the world’s safest city. So where is?

 

Weighing The Promises Of Big Genomics

BuzzFeed News


from May 21, 2015

… We live in an age of hype. But the overselling of the Age of Genomics — the hype about the hope, the silence about the disappointments — gobbles up funding that we might spend better elsewhere, warps the expectations of patients and the incentives of scientists, and has implications even for people who pay genetics scant attention. Many hospitals, for instance, are now collecting genetic information from patients that they may market to “research partners” such as drug companies. Some take more care than others do to secure informed consent. (Had blood drawn lately? Read everything you signed that day?) It’s not just that they’re selling you this stuff. They may well be selling you. And the sale depends on an exaggerated picture of genetic power and destiny.

 

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