Month: November 2012

An emerging occupation: Data scientists

Data science is an emerging occupation that employs thousands of people without any standard for credentials. In some instances, data scientists have no formal higher education credentials.

Hilary Mason, the chief scientist at bitly, said this is because new technologies have made the cost of entering the field so small. One of the social media services she cited that has developed from the “fundamental reduction in friction” is Dark Sky, a weather forecast app for the iPhone, iPad and Android. It was created by two men using public data from th eNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Insights on successful industry-college partnerships

Successful community college collaborations with industry do not just flow from a simple request for help.

Effective partnerships take time to develop. They require attentive listening and thoughtful discourse during one-on-one conversations and at industry advisory committee meetings, according to business leaders who partner with public two-year colleges housing Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Centers. The centers, funded by the National Science Foundation, are designed to prepare technicians for careers in advanced technology fields.

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