July 2020
Dear new student of Data Science,
Over the course of three years you will acquaint yourself with various aspects of data analysis. There are many elements to this. Sometimes we act like a sleuth on the lookout for clues about the world with nothing but the data to guide us. Sometimes we act as a helping hand to experts in other fields, who wish to use data to address a certain question that they have in mind. John Tukey, who was a pioneer in statistics among many other things, is attributed to saying
''The best thing about being a statistician is that you get to play in everyone's backyard.''
This is very much true, and part of the fun, but it also means that we need to navigate a space of many different subjects and be versatile in translating back and forth between domain-specific questions and our technical representation. When we do it right, we hold an immense power, but we also have to be very responsible not to mislead.
Over the next three years, you will build yourself a toolbox as well as knowledge on how to use those tools responsibly.
When you come in August you should bring a small toolbox with enough essential tools to get you started:
1. Laptop. You will use the laptop during classes and for group work.
2. Books. Get the reading material for your courses. Required materials are listed on the course pages in LearnIT.
3. Mathematics. You will need all the mathematical tools from high school. To get an idea of what these are, and perhaps revise any that you are unsure about, have a look at http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~ifischer/calculus.pdf (excluding the section on differential equations).
We will be doing a lot of programming and, since you are not expected to have any experience with programming before joining ITU, I strongly recommend that you make the most of the various primer sessions offered at ITU.
I look forward to welcoming you in August,
Therese Graversen
Head of Programme
Academic activities for new students
ITU offers a range of interesting academically based activities for you as a first semester student. The activities are optional and we encourage you to participate, as they can help you improve as a student throughout the semester. You can read more about BootIT, Study Lab and Live Coding below.
BootIT for Data Science is a 3 part series of help sessions, within the first 2 weeks of the programme, meant to get you and your computer ready for class. You are required to attend these sessions until you master all parts and your computers are ready. The material will not be repeated in class.
Contents:
- Getting your computer ready
- Getting to know the bash shell
- “Hello world” with bash and Python. What is where?
When: To be decided
The sessions will be run by the Teaching Assistants from your course "Introduction to Data Science and Programming".
You will also find it in the 1st year DS schedule in TimeEdit as Study Assistance 1st year.
After the first two weeks you will have StudyLab (Study assistance). Time and place to be decided.
Live Coding will give you hands-on experience with programming. A Teaching Assistant (TA) will show you how coding can be done by actually writing the code in front of and with the students. Live Coding closely follows the course 'Introduction to Data Science and Programming'.
When:
Mondays 14-16.00
StudyLab is a place where you can get help in becoming even better at topics covered in your courses. It could be by discussing academic themes that you are curious about, or getting help with difficult material. StudyLab additionally hosts interesting activities such as review sessions and minor courses on relevant but non-curricular topics. StudyLab is run by experienced ITU students.
Opening Hours for StudyLab:
From week 37 you will have StudyLab (Study assistance). Time and place is to be decided.