Data Science: Introduction¶

Goal¶

insight from data

Fab Futures ¶

introductions

fab labs ¶

Fab Academy ¶

Academany ¶

FAB23 ¶

21st-century vocational skills¶

immediately applicable skills addressing local needs

format¶

rotating one-month hands-on immersions
30 minute review, 60 minute interactive lectures
videoconference etiquette
student notebooks
credit all sources used (including AI prompts), otherwise it's plagiarism
document as you do
assignment evaluation
completion certification
train trainers
diploma cycle
open content

goals¶

familiarity with concepts
ability to do sample applications
directions for further study

schedule ¶

Examples¶

John Snow (1854)¶

Florence Nightingale (1863)¶

Charles Joseph Minard (1869)¶

Captain Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey (1898)¶

Edward Tufte (1983)¶

Santa Fe Institute (1993)¶

Michael Mann et al. (1999)¶

Moneyball (2011)¶

LHC (2012)¶

Otherlab (2018)¶

Nadieh Bremer (2025)¶

Sports Analytics (2026)¶

Taxonomy¶

data are plural¶

singular is datum, or data point

types¶

regression: fitting a continuous function
classification: assigning data to discrete categories

uses¶

interpolation: filling in points within a data set
extrapolation: projecting points outside of a data set
classification: assigning categories in a data set
detection: identifying events in a data set
smoothing: reducing noise in a data set

parameters¶

parametric: fitting a function to data with meaningful parameters
non-parametric: fitting a function to data with parameters whose values are not meaningful
hyperparameters: variables that determine model architecture and training before fitting

learning¶

supervised: labeled data with an input-output relationship
unsupervised: finding structure in unlabeled data
reinforcement: maximizing return in e.g. games, finance

modeling¶

training: developing a model
inference: using a model

data analysis¶

offline: data analyzed after it is collected
online: data analyzed in real time
big data: data sets that are beyond the capacity of conventional systems

Resources¶

Assignment¶

Select and document a data set to analyze
Connect to a JupyterLab server and become familiar with the user interface

Review¶

(c) Neil Gershenfeld for Fab Futures, 12/14/25