Education
Report: 59% of employed data scientists learned skills on their own or via a MOOC
The majority of employed data scientists gained their skills through self-learning or a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) rather than a traditional computer science degree, according to a survey from data scientist community Kaggle, which was acquired by Google Cloud earlier this year. Some 32% of full-time data scientists started learning machine learning or data science through a MOOC, while 27% said that they began picking up the needed skills on their own, the 2017 State of Data Science & Machine Learning Survey report found. Some 30% got their start in data science at a university, according to the survey of more than 16,000 people in the field. More than half of currently employed data scientists still use MOOCs for ongoing education and skillbuilding, the report found, demonstrating the potential of these courses for helping people gain real world skills. Data scientist took the no. 1 spot in Glassdoor's Best Jobs in America list in 2016 and 2017, and reports a median base salary of $110,000.
Best Python Data Science and Machine Learning Course? • r/datascience
I've nearly finished the Coursera John Hopkins course on data science with R. It was pretty decent, some sections were definitely better than others. I know want to move on to a python data science course. I have used both Python and R for data science extensively, though I have probably used R more. I've been using Python for a couple years now along with many of the data analysis libraries such as Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, seaborn and their R equivalents. I was wondering if anyone knew what the best python data science course is?
QMDP-Net: Deep Learning for Planning under Partial Observability
Karkus, Peter, Hsu, David, Lee, Wee Sun
This paper introduces the QMDP-net, a neural network architecture for planning under partial observability. The QMDP-net combines the strengths of model-free learning and model-based planning. It is a recurrent policy network, but it represents a policy for a parameterized set of tasks by connecting a model with a planning algorithm that solves the model, thus embedding the solution structure of planning in a network learning architecture. The QMDP-net is fully differentiable and allows for end-to-end training. We train a QMDP-net on different tasks so that it can generalize to new ones in the parameterized task set and "transfer" to other similar tasks beyond the set. In preliminary experiments, QMDP-net showed strong performance on several robotic tasks in simulation. Interestingly, while QMDP-net encodes the QMDP algorithm, it sometimes outperforms the QMDP algorithm in the experiments, as a result of end-to-end learning.
The biggest headache in machine learning? Cleaning dirty data off the spreadsheets
If you imagine the life of a machine learning researcher, you might think it's quite glamorous. You'll program self-driving cars, work for the biggest names in tech, and your software could even lead to the downfall of humanity. But, as a new survey of data scientists and machine learners shows, those expectations need adjusting, because the biggest challenge in these professions is something quite mundane: cleaning dirty data. This comes from a survey conducted by data science community Kaggle (which was acquired by Google earlier this year). Some 16,700 of the site's 1.3 million members responded to the questionnaire, and when asked about the biggest barriers faced at work, the most common answer was "dirty data," followed by a lack of talent in the field.
Dartmouth College Professors Who Conducted Sex Studies Accused Of 'Misconduct'
Three Dartmouth College professors whose research included studies on sexual attractiveness and desire have been placed on paid leave as a criminal investigation into sexual misconduct takes place. The Hanover, N.H., Ivy League school is the latest string of sexual misconduct allegations taking place in professional settings ranging from Hollywood to Washington D.C. New Hampshire Public Radio reports they've been put on paid leave and their access to campus is currently restricted. New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald said his office is working with five law enforcement agencies as part of the joint criminal investigation into the alleged "serious misconduct" on campus, the college's student paper, The Dartmouth, first reported. The professors are all male, tenured faculty members. A 2012 research paper from Dr. Heatherton and Dr. Kelley studied how images of food and sex affect the brain.
The 10 Statistical Techniques Data Scientists Need to Master
Regardless of where you stand on the matter of Data Science sexiness, it's simply impossible to ignore the continuing importance of data, and our ability to analyze, organize, and contextualize it. Drawing on their vast stores of employment data and employee feedback, Glassdoor ranked Data Scientist #1 in their 25 Best Jobs in America list. So the role is here to stay, but unquestionably, the specifics of what a Data Scientist does will evolve. With technologies like Machine Learning becoming ever-more common place, and emerging fields like Deep Learning gaining significant traction amongst researchers and engineers -- and the companies that hire them -- Data Scientists continue to ride the crest of an incredible wave of innovation and technological progress. While having a strong coding ability is important, data science isn't all about software engineering (in fact, have a good familiarity with Python and you're good to go).
'We can't compete': why universities are losing their best AI scientists
It was the case of the missing PhD student. As another academic year got under way at Imperial College London, a senior professor was bemused at the absence of one of her students. He had worked in her lab for three years and had one more left to complete his studies. But he had stopped coming in. Eventually, the professor called him.
Deep Learning Specialization by Andrew Ng -- 21 Lessons Learned
I recently completed all available material (as of October 25, 2017) for Andrew Ng's new deep learning course on Coursera. I found all 3 courses extremely useful and learned an incredible amount of practical knowledge from the instructor, Andrew Ng. Ng does an excellent job of filtering out the buzzwords and explaining the concepts in a clear and concise manner. For example, Ng makes it clear that supervised deep learning is nothing more than a multidimensional curve fitting procedure and that any other representational understandings, such as the common reference to the human biological nervous system, are loose at best. The specialization only requires basic linear algebra knowledge and basic programming knowledge in Python.
self-driving-school-bus
Hannah pulls up to the curb, opens the doors, and welcomes the kiddo inside. "We're headed to Darwin Elementary." That's where he goes to school, after all. For Milo's parents, there is good news and there is iffy news. The good news is that they don't have to cut babysitting checks for Hannah, because Hannah is a self-driving school bus.
Unleash Machine Learning: Build Artificial Neuron in Python
Get your team access to Udemy's top 2,000 courses anytime, anywhere. In this course you will begin Machine Learning by implementing and using your own Artificial Neuronal Network for beginners. A neuron is a cell that processes and transmits information through electrical and chemical signals. What logical function is it? Put the results in a table.