Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Workshop for Analytical Visualization and Exploration (WAVE)


This workshop is designed for people who are preparing for jobs in industry and who want to develop important visual and cognitive skills that complement the ACME curriculum. I don't know how to give a better pitch than Edward Tufte did in his book The Visual Display of Quantitative Information:

"Modern data graphics can do much more than simply substitute for small statistical tables. At their best, graphics are instruments for reasoning about quantitative information. Often the most effective way to describe, explore, and summarize a set of numbers--even a very large set--is to look at pictures of those numbers. Furthermore, of all methods for analyzing and communicating statistical information, well-designed data graphics are usually the simplest and at the same time the most powerful."


Here are the details of the workshop:

When: 10 November 2016 (Thursday) from 7:00-8:30 pm
      or 12 November 2016 (Saturday) from 1:00-2:30 pm
Where: Talmage Building ACME lab (room 150)
What: Design and communication skills for ACME rockstars

Saul Bass said "Design is thinking made visual." Our responsibility is to make sure that the rigor of our visual and verbal communication matches the rigor of our mathematics.

Topics we will cover:

-Exploratory Data Analysis
-Color Theory
-Composition
-Visual thinking and statistics
-How to use words to communicate quantitative ideas

Here are some links to get you excited:

Visual Introduction to Machine Learning
Gun Deaths in America
The best stats you've ever seen
Data Visualization for Human Perception

Questions and Comments and RSVP to derekmiller@byu.edu

There is a nonzero probability that there will be some food or refreshments if enough people RSVP. Please include your name and which session you will be attending (Thursday or Saturday). I'll be using your email to send you some materials for the workshop. If you can't make it to either one of these, send me an email and I'll try to find a time for all those who can't make it.