Visualization for Everyone: An Excercise on the Importance of Intuitive Data Visualization
By Daphne Yang
"A couple years ago, I took an undergraduate biostatistics course here at UC Berkeley and vividly remember one of the first discussion section activities on interpreting data and visualizations. From this activity, I learned about why, as data consumers, we must always be aware of not only what visualizations are really representing but also understanding where the data is really coming from. While this might seem obvious, this has been one of the most valuable lessons as an aspiring data scientist/enthusiast. I learned the importance of analyzing and understanding data with respect to context. Now, a couple years later, I went and conducted the same exercise with some of my friends. It went something like the following..."
To learn more about how Daphne improves data visualization, view Daphne's full blog here!
- Job Opportunity at D-Lab -
D-Lab is hiring two MAXQDA Instructors
We are hiring two paid MAXQDA Instructors to lead our workshops. Applicants should have experience using advanced features of the software and be willing to design new workshop content. This role will work closely with D-Lab's Executive Director. Advanced workshop topics include using MAXQDA to write a literature review or research paper. Please apply here.
- Research Data Spotlight -
Introducing CJARS, a New Data Platform for Integrated Criminal Justice Research
In partnership with the US Census Bureau and federal and state justice departments, the University of Michigan has just launched CJARS: the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System. Updated daily, CJARS provides a nationally integrated repository of longitudinal, multi-jurisdictional data harmonized and linked to track individuals through the criminal justice system across space and time. It has been built for integration with socio-economic survey and administrative Census data, making it a rich and important resource for multi-faceted criminal justice research. As a restricted-use dataset, CJARS is only available through the Federal Statistical Research Data Center Network, of which Berkeley is a member.
To jumpstart research a CJARS-NSF fellowship competition is currently underway which will grant $10,000 stipends to recipients. To find out more see the CJARS website starting with the introductory webinar.
- Summer Session -
Sign Up For CALI-DH Online Today!
Are you interested in developing transferable competencies that are attractive to employers and academic programs? In our digital humanities program, the UC Berkeley Cultural Analytics Learning Institute for Digital Humanities (CALI-DH), you will explore questions about art and culture using digital tools. By pairing computational methods and domain specialization you can better understand complex phenomena and cultures and how computational analysis influences what you see. CALI-DH Online will guide you through the entire process of identifying relevant cultural artifacts and archives, curating your own subset of data, conducting advanced research, and communicating your findings.
To learn more about the courses offered this summer please visit here!
- Featured Job Opportunity -
Computational Social Science Lab Instructor
The sociology department is recruiting a GSI or Lecturer to serve as the Lab Instructor for
Computational Social Science this Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. This two-semester course
provides a rigorous introduction to methods and tools in advanced data analytics for social
science doctoral students. The goal of the course is to provide students with a strong foundation
of knowledge of core methods, thereby preparing them to contribute to research teams,
conduct their own research, and enroll in more advanced courses. The course will cover
research reproducibility (fall), machine learning (fall), natural language processing (spring), and
causal inference (spring).
The application deadline is April 12. Click here for more details and to learn how to apply!
- Featured Working Group -
Computational Text Analysis: What are topic models for? April 2 | 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM | Register for Zoom Link
Cody Hennesy and David Naughton from the University of Minnesota will report back on a project using topic models to generate new hypotheses about 85 years of scholarly literature in library & information science. Cody will also (1) talk about Constellate, a new platform that provides text mining access to millions of scholarly articles, historical US newspapers, and digital archives, and (2) ask for your data cleaning advice on a new web scraping project.
This workshop will introduce methods for working with geospatial data in QGIS, a popular open-source desktop GIS program that runs on both PCs and Macs as well as Linux computers. Participants will learn how to load, query, and visualize point, line, and polygon data. We will also introduce basic methods for processing spatial data, which are the building blocks of spatial analysis workflows. Coordinate reference systems and map projections will also be introduced.
This workshop helps you to step up your R skills with functional programming. The purrr package provides easy-to-use tools to automate repeated things in your entire R workflow (e.g., wrangling, modeling, and visualization). The end result is cleaner, faster, more readable and extendable code. I highly recommend you to take this workshop (1) if you still write copy-and-paste code, (2) exclusively rely on for loops for automation, and (3) want to know about the joy and power of R functional programming.
An introduction to programming basics in Bash and GitHub that are often assumed, but that you might have never had good instruction on!
The first half of this workshop will introduce you to navigating your computer’s filesystem and basic Bash commands...The second half of this workshop will introduce you to Git, a powerful tool for keeping track of changes you make to the files in a project.
This workshop will introduce students to the basics of designing a survey instrument using the Qualtrics platform, such as randomization and survey flow. We will also cover more advanced topics like implementing embedded data and using javascript, as well as tips and tricks on how to use your design to maximize the number of quality responses you get.
This workshop will provide an introduction to graphics in R with ggplot2. Participants will learn how to construct, customize, and export a variety of plot types in order to visualize relationships in data. We will also explore the basic grammar of graphics, including the aesthetics and geometry layers, adding statistics, transforming scales, and coloring or panelling by groups. You will learn how to make histograms, boxplots, scatterplots, lineplots, and heatmaps as well as how to make compound figures. The bonus challenge walks you though how to make geographic maps using the Google Maps API.
R Data Wrangling and Manipulation April 12 | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM | Register for Zoom Link
It is often said that 80% of data analysis is spent on the process of cleaning and preparing the data. This R workshop will introduce tools (notably dplyr and tidyr) that makes data wrangling and manipulation much easier. Participants will learn how to use these packages to subset and reshape data sets, do calculations across groups of data, clean data, and other useful stuff.
Python Data Wrangling and Manipulation W/ Pandas April 12 | 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM | Register for Zoom Link
Pandas is a Python package providing fast, flexible, and expressive data structures designed to make working with 'relational' or 'labeled' data both easy and intuitive. It enables doing practical, real-world data analysis in Python.
In this workshop, we'll work with example data and go through the various steps you might need to prepare data for analysis.
HTML/CSS Toolkit for Digital Projects April 12 | 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM | Register for Zoom Link
If you've tinkered in WordPress, Google Sites, or other web publishing tools, chances are you've wanted more control over the placement and appearance of your content. With a little HTML and CSS under your belt, you'll know how to edit "under the hood" so you can place an image exactly where you want it, customize the formatting of text, or troubleshoot copy & paste issues. By the end of this workshop, interested learners will be well prepared for a deeper dive into the world of web design.
Cultural Analytics Fundamentals Parts 1-3 April 13, 20 & May 11 | 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM | Register for Zoom Link
Part 1: Intro to Network Analysis: This will be a 3 hour workshop on the theories, methods, and tools useful for Social Network Analysis.
Part 2: Intro to Digital Humanities: Digital Tools and Methods (will begin at 11am): This workshop goes over the different forms of digitizing analog objects, from books to artifacts.
Part 3: Intro to Optical Character Recognition (OCR) (will begin at 11am): This workshop covers the many different tools and methods for Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
For this workshop, we'll provide an introduction to visualization with Python. We'll cover visualization theory and plotting with Matplotlib and Seaborn, working through examples in a Jupyter (formerly IPython) notebook. The following plot types will be covered: line, bar, scatter, boxplot.
To see a calendar view of our upcoming April 2021 Workshops, click here!
- DSUS Workshops -
Want to learn data analytics, data visualization, and data management skills??
The students in the Data Science Undergraduate Studies (DSUS) are hosting a peer-led workshop series April 6th through April 15th. The goal of the workshop series is to provide attendees a brief overview of data science tools and applications such as Plotly, R, SQL, and methods for social science. The series will be led by DSUS Data Peer Consultants. Come to any or all that are of interest to you.
See workshop descriptions below and click HERE to sign up.
Applied Methods for Social Sciences April 6 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Python is rapidly becoming a favorite in the social sciences due to its ease of use, readability, and widespread support. In this workshop, we will explore commonly applied methods, such as regression modeling and associated statistical analysis for the social sciences in Python.
Intro to Plotly April 9 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Plotly is a versatile and flexible plotting Python package to create dynamic and interactive visuals, and is used in industry as an advanced data analytics platform. This workshop is intended for those with basic Python programming and data visualization experience (Data 8).
Intro to R April 13 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
R is an extremely versatile language for data analytics and seeing useful data visualizations. It is commonly used in the industry as well as in research. This workshop caters to students who have little to no experience in R.
Intro to SQL April 15 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
SQL is an important language for data management with many relevant applications in the industry today. This workshop aims to provide an introduction to the language, its significance, and dive into programming basics with it. This workshop is open to anyone -- even with no prior programming knowledge.
To RSVP and receive the zoom link for these upcoming workshops from DSUS, click here!
The deadline to RSVP is Monday, April 5 at 11:59 PM PST.
- Upcoming Event -
The Long History and Present Surge of Anti-Asian Violence
An online panel discussion presented as part of the
Berkeley Conversations and Matrix on Point Series
Please join us on April 1 at 5 PM for an online panel discussion on rising anti-Asian violence in America. This timely panel will consider both the long history of anti-Asian racism and present-day patterns linked to the pandemic and to cultural anxieties about Asian ascendancy and Western decline.
Professor Deirdre Mulligan and Associate Professor Jenna Burrell are seeking a Postdoc Researcher to work on a year-long project funded through the Public Interest Technology - University Network’s, (PIT-UN) 2020 Network Challenge Grants.
The application deadline is April 16 at 11:59pm (PT). Click here for more details and to learn how to apply!
GIS Web Programmer
The Informatics and GIS Program in the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources is recruiting a GIS web developer. This is a great opportunity for someone with a background in open source GIS and web development, who enjoys building information tools to support natural resource management and agriculture. This new position will be based at Davis or Berkeley, with the possibility of working remotely.
The application deadline is May 2, 2021. For more info and to apply, see the announcement!
BIMI Academic Coordinator
The Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) at the University of California, Berkeley is seeking applications for an Academic Program Coordinator. BIMI is a campus initiative to advance research, training and public outreach on human mobility, immigrants’ integration and the ways migration transforms societies around the world. The expected start date of this full-time, 2-year position is April 2021. The position may be renewed for an additional year.
The application deadline is April 19 at 11:59pm (PT). Click here for more details and to learn how to apply!
Simons Institute Law and Society Fellowship
The Institute invites researchers from the humanities, social sciences, law, and related disciplines to apply for the semester-long Law and Society Fellowship, for the Spring 2022 programs on "Causality" and "Learning and Games" and the Fall 2022 program on "Data-Driven Decision Processes." Note, for the Spring 2022 semester, the Law and Society Fellow can join either or both Spring programs. Descriptions of these programs and other information about the Institute can be found at simons.berkeley.edu.
The application deadline is April 30. Click here to learn more and apply!
Division of Computing, Data Science and Society:
Director for Academic Programs
The Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS) is looking to hire a Director of Academic Programs. This position works in close collaboration with the Associate Deans, EAD, CDSS department managers, and others to support the Data Science undergraduate major as well as supporting the development of graduate programs for the division. This position provides leadership that demonstrates and communicates a big picture understanding of the organization, its interrelationships, and priorities; and ensures time, resources, learning opportunities, and actions are focused on priorities that matter to the changing workplace.
Postdoctoral Scholar - Data Privacy: Public Policy and Practice - Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity
The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity is searching for a Postdoctoral Scholar to assist in the development of an emerging research program focused on studying how firms, customers, citizens, and other relevant stakeholders have reacted to and been impacted by Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) & California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). The objective is to extend empirical understandings about reactions to and consequences of these laws.
The application deadline is April 9 at 11:59pm (PT). Click here to learn more and apply!
Postdoctoral Scholar - Systematic Approaches to Reducing Digital Harms - Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity
The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity is searching for a Postdoctoral Scholar to assist in the development of an emerging research program focused on new ways to define, measure, and mitigate globally and culturally contextualized harms of digital products. The objective is to extend economic, cultural, and other conceptual understandings of how societies deal with physical waste streams (such as carbon) and other externalities, to the digital environment as a means of developing practical solutions that mitigate harms.
The application deadline is April 9 at 11:59pm (PT). Click here to learn more and apply!
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