In today\u2019s 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,\u202fdata science jobs are expected to grow 36% in the next decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help prepare students for careers in this area, the University of Washington Bothell has launched a new major in Data Visualization,<\/a> with its first cohort beginning this quarter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause data is such a ubiquitous facet of our society right now, there\u2019s almost an endless number of ways you can apply data visualization across academic disciplines and various industries toward an endless number of goals,\u201d said Dr. Joseph Ferrare, associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/a>. \u201cWhat\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 足彩app哪个是正规的 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe wanted to connect that curriculum more directly to this broader movement of data visualization,\u201d Trujillo said. \u201cAnd 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. 足彩app哪个是正规的y wanted to understand it from a human angle and to serve communities and organizations as part of an interdisciplinary team while still<\/em> being prepared for the technologically entrenched world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> and Data Analytics<\/a> minors are also offered as a way to complement other majors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we look at where our graduates are embarking on their careers, it\u2019s really across the spectrum,\u201d Ferrare said. \u201cWhether 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBringing together the creative and the scientific side isn\u2019t something you really get to do in a lot of majors,\u201d Ferrare said. \u201cYou don\u2019t often get to make things beautiful and solve complex computational problems all in the same kind of project. It\u2019s amazingly impressive to see students doing that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c足彩app哪个是正规的 program aligned perfectly with my goals of getting a career in tech,\u201d Radliff said. \u201cMy research work under Caleb Trujillo in the major was a significant talking point in all my job interviews and applications. 足彩app哪个是正规的 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Abbie Kinaro (\u201922), 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMTV offered a nice balance between social and technical aspects, and the program\u2019s classes, advisers and professors were all supportive,\u201d Kinaro said. \u201cCaleb Trujillo\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kinaro added that she\u2019s also grateful to Trujillo for writing a recommendation for graduate school. She is currently pursuing a master\u2019s degree in Data Science at Harvard University and will be graduating in May 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know this is common advice, but it\u2019s worth repeating: Take full advantage of the small class sizes and the close-knit campus at UW Bothell,\u201d she said. \u201cYour professors are invaluable resources and can offer so much insight and wisdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Take full advantage of the small class sizes and the close-knit campus at UW Bothell. Your professors are invaluable resources and can offer so much insight and wisdom.”<\/p>Abbie Kinaro (Mathematical Thinking & Visualization \u201922)\u00a0<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n 足彩app哪个是正规的 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut there\u2019s a different way of viewing the world that isn\u2019t about computers,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that what is so useful for the student in this program is the centering of communities and people \u2014 and recognizing that every single number in your spreadsheet is from a person with a story to tell.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis program is not just a technical degree where you learn how to code and crunch numbers, and produce data dashboards. 足彩app哪个是正规的re\u2019s also a communication component,\u201d Ferrare said. \u201cHow 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? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnyone can learn these technical skills, but to do so in a way that allows you to understand cross-cultural context and conflicts, that\u2019s where I feel like we\u2019re bringing something special to the community.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 足彩app哪个是正规的 of data visualization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor students with a socially oriented objective, these skills can be used to make a difference in the community directly, whether it\u2019s through climate, social justice, housing, education, health care or any other area,\u201d Ferrare said. \u201cBasically, there\u2019s 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\u2019s really exciting.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new major in Data Visualization blends art and science for endless possibilities in visual storytelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":31414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,1],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-31413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","category-uncategorized","school-school-of-ias"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nReimaging an old major<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rooted in data science<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unleashing the storytelling capabilities<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Plugged into every aspect of society<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n