Data Science: What and why

Reading

Discussion question

Why did you decide to take a class called “data science”?

Standard definition

Data science, defined as the intersection of CS, stats, and “business knowledge.” Source: https://www.kdnuggets.com/2020/08/top-10-lists-data-science.html

  • The intersection of computer science/software engineering, statistics, and “business knowledge”

  • But this defines data science in terms of tools and techniques, not epistemic and practical goals. Compare:

    • An ecologist is someone who spends most of their time collecting specimens in the field and processing them in a lab, vs. 
    • An ecologist is someone who studies interactions among organisms and their environment

Discussion questions

  • What are the epistemic and practical goals of your scientific field?

  • How do you think “data science” will be useful for pursuing those goals?

References