Data Science Roles and the Types of Data Science Programs

A growing field, data science (and, by extension, analytics) integrates concepts across a range of domains, such as computer science, information systems, and statistics. While the number of data science programs continues to increase, few discussions have examined how we should define this emerging educational field. With this in mind, during the 23rd Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS’17), a panel discussion explored emerging questions regarding data science and analytics education. This paper reports on that panel discussion, which focused on questions such as what a data science degree is and what a data science program’s learning objectives are. The panel also debated if there should be different types of data science-related programs (such as an applied data science program or a business analytics program) and, if so, should there be a common core across the different variations of programs. Information system educators who can gain a better understanding of current trends in data science/analytics education and other information system researchers who are interested in how data science/analytics might impact the broader field of information systems and management education should find interest in this report

Birds, Groundhogs, and Squirrels

It takes a strong data science community and many stakeholders to make disparate types of data work so that you and I can continue to explore and learn. Being proactive by including diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices, along with evaluating liaison/outreach roles and established programs and tools, will go a long way in strengthening the library, its staff and services, and the institution. Fighting for the “food” you need to grow the profession and data services is key to the future of the RDM library community

The Challenges Faced by New Science Teachers in Saudi Arabia

Growing demand for science teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fed by increasing numbers of public school students, is forcing the Saudi government to attract, recruit and retain well-qualified science teachers. Beginning science teachers enter the educational profession with a massive fullfilment and satisfaction in their roles and positions as teachers to educating children in a science classroom. Nevertheless, teachers, over their early years of practice, encounter numerous challenges to provide the most effective science instruction. Therefore, the current study was aimed to identify academic and behavioral classroom challenges faced by science teachers in their first three years of teaching in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, new science teacher gender, school level and years of teaching experience differences in perceptions of the challenges that they encountered at work were analyzed. The present study also investigated various types of support that new science teachers may need to overcome academic and behavioral classroom challenges. In order to gain insights about ways to adequately support novice science teachers, it was important to examine new science teachers\u27 beliefs, ideas and perceptions about effective science teaching. Three survey questionnaires were developed and distributed to teachers of both sexes who have been teaching science subjects, for less than three years, to elementary, middle and high school students in Al Jouf public schools. A total of 49 novice science teachers responded to the survey and 9 of them agreed to participate voluntarily in a face-to-face interview. Different statistical procedures and multiple qualitative methodologies were used to analyze the collected data. Findings suggested that the top three academic challenges faced by new science teachers were: poor quality of teacher preparation programs, absence of appropriate school equipment and facilities and lack of classroom materials and instructional supplies. Moreover, excessive student absenteeism, student readiness to learn science and student lack of interest in science were the three most behavioral challenges encountered by beginning science teachers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results also indicated that the perceptions of academic and behavioral classroom challenges may vary according to new science teacher gender, school level and years of teaching experience. More importantly, to become more effective science teachers, novice science teachers are expecting to receive more and better support from their schools. School principals and administrators should provide opportunities for beginning science teachers to attend effective new teacher orientation programs, use complete and well-developed curriculum materials with detailed sequence of teaching procedures, help in dealing with classroom management, and opportunities to participate in successful mentoring programs, coherent in-service training programs and regular professional development programs. Implications for Saudi Arabia government and policy makers, school principals and administrators, students and their parents were discussed and recommendations were made

Foreign Science and Engineering Presence in U.S. Institutions and the Labor Force

[Excerpt] The increased presence of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs and in the scientific workforce has been and continues to be of concern to some in the scientific community. Enrollment of U.S. citizens in graduate science and engineering programs has not kept pace with that of foreign students in those programs. In addition to the number of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs, a significant number of university faculty in the scientific disciplines are foreign, and foreign doctorates are employed in large numbers by industry. Few will dispute that U.S. universities and industry have chosen foreign talent to fill many positions. Foreign scientists and engineers serve the needs of industry at the doctorate level and also have been found to serve in major roles at the masters level. However, there are charges that U.S. workers are adversely affected by the entry of foreign scientists and engineers, who reportedly accept lower wages than U.S. citizens would accept in order to enter or remain in the United States. NSF data reveal that in 2005, the foreign student population earned approximately 34.7% of the doctorate degrees in the sciences and approximately 63.1% of the doctorate degrees in engineering. In 2005, foreign students on temporary resident visas earned 30.8% of the doctorates in the sciences, and 58.6% of the doctorates in engineering. The participation rates in 2004 were 28.5% and 57.3%, respectively. In 2005, permanent resident status students earned 3.8% of the doctorates in the sciences and 4.5% of the doctorates in engineering, slightly above the 2004 levels of 3.7% and 4.2%, respectively. Many in the scientific community maintain that in order to compete with countries that are rapidly expanding their scientific and technological capabilities, the country needs to bring to the United States those whose skills will benefit society and will enable us to compete in the new-technology based global economy. The academic community is concerned that the more stringent visa requirements for foreign students may have a continued impact on enrollments in colleges and universities. There are those who believe that the underlying problem of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs is not necessarily that there are too many foreign-born students, but that there are not enough native-born students pursuing scientific and technical disciplines. Legislation has been introduced in the 110th Congress to attract foreign students in the scientific and technical disciplines. H.R. 1645, the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007, would provide, among other things, an expansion of the types of individuals who would no longer be subjected to the annual limits on legal immigrants. Included in this group would be those who (1) hold an advanced degree in science, mathematics, engineering, or technical fields and who have been working in the United States in a related field for three years on a nonimmigrant visa; and (2) been awarded a medical specialty certification based on post-doctoral training and experience in the United States

Birds, Groundhogs, and Squirrels

It takes a strong data science community and many stakeholders to make disparate types of data work so that you and I can continue to explore and learn. Being proactive by including diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices, along with evaluating liaison/outreach roles and established programs and tools, will go a long way in strengthening the library, its staff and services, and the institution. Fighting for the “food” you need to grow the profession and data services is key to the future of the RDM library community

Emerging Pathways: A Teacher/Researcher\u27s Reflexive Journey Implementing Literacy-Based Science Interventions With Adolescent English Language Learners

This study explored the impact of instructional interventions with four Middle School English Language Learners in Science. The initial focus was to determine the impact of explicit academic vocabulary instruction, including cognates, and small-group guided discussions in order to facilitate the acquisition of cognates, academic vocabulary, and comprehension of scientific concepts. To accomplish this, various methods were implemented to gather data: observational and reflective field notes, a cognate-circling task, along with group and individual interviews. Upon the initial data analysis, an emerging question surfaced which added an additional dimension to the research, and shed light on the complexity of the teacher/research role. Thus, data analyzed and reflected both original and emerging questions, uncovering various patterns that impacted students’ learning. It also provided insight into how a researcher’s roles can affect the types and quality of data. Implications are provided for researchers, classroom teachers, bilingual teachers, professional development providers, and university programs developing new teachers

Development of a professional competency framework for UK food science graduates

© 2019 Institute of Food Technologists® Food science-based graduates are a significant proportion of the United Kingdom (UK) food and drink industry's workforce. Aside from technical standards, there is no cohesive competency framework to support key stakeholders; employers, students, and degree providers. Clarity of desirable competencies for the range of graduate opportunities available would enable students to undertake effective career planning and personal development, and educators to refine programs to satisfy market needs. Using a previously developed language tool, a Likert style, industry-wide online survey in UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI) was conducted involving 218 participants from a broad range of food science-related employment areas, evaluated by a combination of descriptive and multivariate data analysis. The survey outcomes indicate types of desirable competencies in a food science graduate. The tailored competency framework, Competencies for Food Graduate Careers (CFGC), is a set of 48 elements across eight themes, outlining which are desirable for each of 14 typical initial graduate roles. To enhance the quality of “oven-ready” graduates entering the food industry, it is recommended CFGC be used for careers education and competency development in higher education. The framework is aimed to have further applications for job specification development and also to improve awareness of careers in the food industry

Changes in academic libraries: Evolution and innovation in research support services

Academic libraries support researchers with a range of services, including the development of collections and the provision of reference, information, and instruction services. New services are emerging in response to technological, political, economic and social changes in the operating environment, particularly developments in national research policy and networked data-driven science. Studies of library responses to the opportunities offered by e-research have been conducted in North America, but there has been limited investigation in other countries. The present study aims to complement surveys of emerging practice from the United States by investigating services in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. The research questions are: What specialist research support services are being offered in the academic libraries? What new services are libraries planning? Are library staff constrained in providing specialist research support services? Do staff require additional education, training and support in research support roles? and How might library and information science schools respond to the evolving role of research support services in academic libraries? Emerging findings reveal varying levels of engagement with different types of research support services across the four countries. Bibliometric support services seem to be more prevalent than research data management at present, but data management services are more prominent in reported plans for service developments in the future. The results will also inform the design of education and training programs for the current and future library workforce

Integrated Honey Bee Education and Research Aids for Promoting Pollinator Conservation

Extension and outreach programs combine University instruction and research, with off-campus outreach and service to the community. Successful public education requires training in which colleges and their education services provide programs relevant to today’s needs. To better engage with the public, institutions and Extension professionals often partner with private and not-for-profit organizations to provide training opportunities. The following thesis reviews one such partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard that provides science-focused, on-farm experiences and agriculture production training programming. Chapter 1 reviews their partnership since it began in 2005 and highlights examples of current farm-to-table education and conservation programs emphasizing the roles beneficial insects play in agroecosystems. Given the popularity of beekeeping, the reasons for keeping bees and demographics of beekeepers have greatly diversified over the past decade. With the evolving needs in beekeeping, innovations are necessary to provide scientifically vetted, evidence-based, and time-tested tools for beekeepers. Chapter 2 provides an evaluation of alternative honey bee hive structures comparing productivity and colony performance across three hive types to assess advantages and disadvantages for each. Results indicate minor differences in overall colony productivity, including some differences in brood and adult population, wax, pollen and nectar production levels between colonies managed in smaller boxes (Supers) compared to the other two hive types, but with no significant differences in overall honey yield, mite counts nor survivability. Data suggests that using alternative hive structures that require less physical labor such as smaller boxes (Supers) or hives that expand horizontally (Brummels) will be comparable to using the standard Langstroth hive structures (Deeps) and will not impact colony performance measures. The results of this study identify alternative options for managing bee colonies without the heavy lifting requirements of the standard Langstroth method and promotes local engagement regarding the importance of pollinator-friendly landscapes and practices that support healthy landscapes for managed and wild bees. Advisor: Judy Wu-Smar

The relationship between thinking style differences and career choice for high-achieving high school students

The intent of this study was to study high achieving students\u27 career decision-making associated with thinking styles and to examine factors influencing career choices. A causal-comparative research design and correlational research design were used, with a sample of 209 high school students. Data were gathered from two International Baccalaureate (TB) programs and a Governor\u27s School Program. Students responded to two types of questionnaire---the Thinking Style Inventory, and A Questionnaire Related to Career Choices and Students\u27 Sensitivity toward Environmental Forces.;The findings of this study demonstrated that the effect of program on different thinking styles was significant (p \u3c .05), and the effect of gender on different thinking styles was significant ( p \u3c .01). Also, the findings showed that an external thinking style was a good predictor for choosing the social science area for future careers. However, students with a higher external thinking style chose computer and math areas 73% less than students with lower external thinking style. Also, the findings of the study demonstrated that students\u27 passion for a specific subject and family environment were also important factors influencing career choices of high achieving high school students.;The study suggested the importance of taking thinking styles into consideration for the career development of high-achieving adolescents. In addition, the environmental influences of parents, family, and schools are also important considerations for students\u27 career development, along with students\u27 inherent interest in a subject. Therefore, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors should recognize their own critical roles in shaping students\u27 career development