Graham Harrower on Favorite Major Courses and the InSight Program
Graham Harrower, '23
Division
Information Technology & Sciences
Major
Data Science
Minor
Math
Pronouns
They/Them
Hometown
Saratoga Springs, NY
I feel less worried about having the resources for a career once I graduate.
What do you like about your major?
I get to use some great data analysis tools, and I have access to labs and resources that let me do some cool things with data. The professors are entertaining and insightful, making intense statistics and difficult math actually fun. The major is quite small so you get to know everyone else really well and rely on each other.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken at Champlain? What made it special?
My favorite class I've taken was Data Visualization. You learn a lot about how to clean data, analyze data and write about your results. You also learn how to present your data in a visually appealing and insightful way. I also really enjoy good design and mixing that with data is awesome.
What have you learned through the InSight program? How will it help you in the future?
The InSight program helps to ensure that every student is prepared for the world ahead of them once they graduate. The events run by the Career Collaborative in conjunction with InSight milestones give students relevant experience with writing resumes, cover letters and presenting yourself in a professional manner. I feel less worried about having the resources for a career once I graduate.
Diogo Ribeiro on Data Science, Living on Campus, and Advice for Prospective Students
Diogo Ribeiro, '23
Division
Information Technology & Sciences
Major
Data Science
Pronouns
He/Him
Favorite Class
Intro to Data Analytics
If you decide to come to Champlain and are not too certain about what you want to major in, come in with an open mind.
Can you tell us a bit about your major?
What I really like about my program is interacting with different types of audiences. In Data Science, you need to explain your data to different types of people; some may know what you are talking about, and others might not. Therefore, acquiring presentation skills is something I really enjoy in order to present my data.
What's the best part of living on campus?
Having most of my friends living close to me. I really like that I can go get food at IDX whenever I feel like it as well.
What advice do you have for students thinking about coming to Champlain for college?
If you decide to come to Champlain and are not too certain about what you want to major in, come in with an open mind and just experience the classes that your advisor puts in your schedule. Your advisor is going to help you find out what major fits best depending on what you like.
Alex Dustin on Data Science Classes, Working with Practical Data Application, and Interning With the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Alex Dustin, '21
Division
Information Technology & Sciences
Major
Data Science
Double Minor
Computer Science and Mathematics
Hometown
Milton, MA
Pronouns
he/him
Internship
Assistant Data Analyst at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, MA
Favorite Class
Advanced Data Analytics
This internship will give me a competitive advantage when I graduate, because now I have experience dealing with real-world problems in a professional working environment.
What is the best thing about studying Data Science at Champlain?
I love the major. It's relatively small, so I know everyone in all of my classes. I have all the same professors for most of my classes, and it's nice to have a consistent classroom environment. With the Upside-Down Curriculum, I was engaged in my major from the start of my first semester.
Have you worked on any particularly rewarding projects?
One project I worked on in my Advanced Data Analytics class analyzed how names are pronounced. With that information, we generated a list of believable and pronounceable names. I found this particularly rewarding because I was able to use my knowledge from the class to make a practical application using our data.
Can you tell us about your internship?
I was an Assistant Data Analyst for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in their Office of Performance Management & Innovation. My classes prepared me for this experience because the problems I tackled at my internship were similar to ones I'd already faced in the classroom. This internship will give me a competitive advantage when I graduate, because now I have experience dealing with real-world problems in a professional working environment.
Sean Harple on the Emergent Media Center, Data Science, and the Rock Climbing Club
Sean Harple, '21
Division
Information Technology & Sciences
Major
Data Analytics (now Data Science)
Hometown
Hillsboro, OR
Pronouns
he/him
Internship
Intern at the Emergent Media Center in Burlington, VT
The topics I learned about in class served as a base for me to build on during my internship experience, which also made it easy to bring the skills I learned in my internship back to class.
What do you like best about your major?
I think the most valuable and enjoyable part for me has been learning how to use graphing and prediction software to analyze different datasets. My class projects have been the most rewarding, analyzing everything from Chipotle sales to sports statistics.
Can you describe your experience working with the Emergent Media Center?
At the Emergent Media Center, I worked alongside a team of other interns to research, develop, and present our findings on emerging technologies. The topics I learned about in class served as a base for me to build on during my internship experience, which also made it easy to bring the skills I learned in my internship back to class. Because of this internship, I have a fuller résumé, and I already have experience in the workforce, which will put me a step above other applicants.
Are you involved with any extracurricular activities?
I participate in Climb Champlain, our rock climbing club. I enjoy it a lot because it's a fun, full-body workout, and it fits nicely into my schedule.
Your advisor is going to help you find out what major fits best depending on what you like.
Diogo Ribeiro '23 // Data Science
Jon Trusheim on Changing Majors, Solving Dataset Puzzles, and Finding a Place in the Information Technology & Sciences Community
Jon Trusheim, '20
Division
Information Technology & Sciences
Major
Data Science
Double Minor
Computer Science and Mathematics
Hometown
Acton, MA
Pronouns
he/him
Internship
Research Associate Intern for MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation In Cambridge, MA
I love the puzzle of working with different datasets. Each one has a question to answer, and it's a fun adventure to figure out if the data answers or doesn't answer that question.
You switched majors from Game Programming to Data Science. How was that experience?
The Upside-Down Curriculum helped me realize that Game Programming wasn't for me, but I knew I wanted to stay at Champlain because of the small classes and few tests. Dean Lawson—my advisor—and Wei Chan, the Assistant Dean for the division, suggested Data Analytics* because it was the mix of business and computer science that I wanted.
*Program name changed to Data Science for Fall 2020
What do you like most about the Data Science program?
I love the puzzle of working with different datasets. Each one has a question to answer, and it's a fun adventure to figure out if the data answers or doesn't answer that question. I've also loved all my classes with Narine Hall, because she is so willing to change up the class pacing based on how well we understand the material.
Do you feel prepared to graduate?
Yes. A lot of the master's degrees that I was looking at seem to overlap a lot with the work that I was doing already in my classes. So yes, I do feel prepared for going out into the workforce.