Student Seminar

12:00 - 12:50 PM, Wednesday, March 24, via ZOOM

Graphics Reporting and Data Visualization Yingshi (Dennis) Lew
Data visualization and effective data storytelling are key components in conforming to today’s increasing demand for clear and accurate information. This project highlights the importance of using data, research, and storytelling to shed light on social issues across the United States, as well as globally. For my exploration, I focused on using Tableau Prep and Python to tidy and explore the data in a systematic way through the means of exploratory data analysis. In addition, the outcomes were also visualized using Tableau and Python’s Seaborn package. Tableau and Python were compared regarding their efficiency and effectiveness of producing visualizations. The reporting method used for this project is a blog site that showcases both the visualizations and the outcomes. The intent behind this mode of graphical reporting is so that people can read and learn about the prevalent social issues. Throughout this project, the outcomes illuminate the racial and gender disparities embedded in the various social issues that were highlighted. Though much work remains to be done to alleviate these problems, more and more people today are using data to help spread awareness and offer data-driven solutions.
Kriging and ArcGis Pro: A Geostatistical Introduction Andrea (Dre) Lo Biondo
	ArcGis Pro is one of the most common packages that are utilized in the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) field, offering plenty of tools to analyze and interact with data. Some insight about its main features will be provide, along with a brief description of kriging and its application to earthquake data.

Student Seminar

12:00 - 12:50 PM, Wednesday, March 17, via ZOOM

Business Data and Strategy Support at Fastenal Sam Broberg
As a part of the Data team at Fastenal my focus, for most of the summer, was on combining different forecasting methods to create a faster and more accurate forecasting process for various parts that Fastenal distributes to its hubs and then to its customers. Along the way, I added some process automation and database relation techniques to help with these projects. In this presentation I will be discussing the overall problem I was presented with, the process I created to address the problem, the different forecasting methods, and the outcomes.
Business Intelligence Consulting and Development with PowerData Solutions Sam Andrews
	Joining the small team at PowerData Solutions, I interned as a Business Intelligence Analytics Developer. My job primarily involved consultant work with Nemadji, a medical data analytics company based in Duluth, MN in addition to more intermittent internal work for PowerData itself. The primary discussion in this presentation will revolve around what it is like to work in such a role, in addition to the project-based nature of the role itself. I will also speak to challenges related to communication and investigation of potential problems.

Student Seminar

12:00 - 12:50 PM, Wednesday, March 10, via ZOOM

Consulting Project with Prairie Island Indian Community Tyler Wiederich
I worked alongside water quality analysts to provide a holistic view of the health of the Mississippi River near Red Wing, MN. In this presentation, I will be discussing how I addressed the summarization of many water quality parameters, as well as how I dealt with irregularities in the data.
Experiences with Performance Testing Donny Johnson
	Donny will share his experiences working at Accenture Software Utility Services doing system performance testing. The systems being tested were airline reservations systems for global airline carriers. This presentation will cover how the data were collected, organizational standards, as well as professional conduct that is needed to drive completion of these types of projects.

Grad School Panel

12:00 - 12:50 PM, Wednesday, March 3, via ZOOM

	Gabe Mancino-Ball ('18) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Gabe is pursing a PhD in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.  Gabe graduated with a BS in Math in 2018.  Gabe studies nonlinear programming and distributed computing at RPI.  In 2020, Gabe was awarded a fellowship from Rensselaer-IBM Artificial Intelligence Research Collaboration.  Gabe enjoys rock climbing and playing card games in his free time.
	Emily Robinson ('17) University of Nebraska – Lincoln Emily is pursuing a PhD in Statistics at UNL.  Emily graduated from WSU in 2017.  Emily has taught introductory statistics at UNL and has experience in consulting with researchers from various departments across the university.  Emily’s research area is in statistical graphics. In her free time, you might find Emily at a local coffee shop or rock climbing.
	Tyler Wiederich ('21) Winona State University Tyler is a senior here at Winona State University. Tyler plans to attend graduate school in statistics starting Fall 2021.  Tyler has not yet decided which school he will attend.  Tyler has interest in statistical consulting and enjoys programming in R.

 

2020-2021 Distinguished Lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics

Dr. Lisette de Pillis

Harvey Mudd College

Modeling Nature: What Happens When You Assume...?

Abstract:  Mathematical models hold the keys to understanding some of the most interesting and complex phenomena in the natural world! In this talk, we will explore how to harness the power of mathematical modeling to answer challenging questions that may at first seem unsolvable. Can an overflowing bathtub help us figure out how to achieve herd immunity in a pandemic? Can the behavior of a lynx help us understand how human immune cells fight cancer? By making a few simplifying assumptions, we can draw parallels between natural systems that may appear radically different on the surface to unlock new levels of understanding the world around us.

Tuesday, March 2^nd,
7:00—8:15pm via Zoom