Data Science Conversations: Montgomery College and Wake Technical Community College

Moderator:
Nicholas Horton - Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Amherst College

Speakers:
Norene Kemp - Department Head Programming & Information Sciences, Wake Technical Community College

Rachel Saidi - Associate Professor & Data Science Certificate Program Coordinator, Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Data Science, Montgomery College


5 min lightning talks from Montgomery College and Wake Technical Community College followed by moderated discussion and audience Q&A. The focus will be on approaches and challenges of implementing data science programs at 2 years colleges.

Montgomery College is a two-year college located outside of Washington, D.C., ranked Most Diverse TYC (in continental US) by Chronicle of Higher Ed, and has an enrollment of approximately 55,000 total students across three campuses. The first cohort to join the College’s Data Science Certificate program in 2017 included 30 students. To date, we have over 200 students who are either currently enrolled in or have taken data classes in the past.

Wake Tech is North Carolina’s largest community college, serving more than 70,000 adults annually, with six campuses, three training centers, multiple community sites, and a comprehensive array of online learning options. Wake Tech is accredited and offers more than 200 associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates that prepare students for university transfer or immediate employment. WTCC's Associate of Applied Science degree, in Data Science and Programming Support Services, prepares learners to design and develop desktop and web application with an emphasis on business logic and data‐driven applications.


The discussion will focus on the questions:
Who are the students we serve?
What are the academic and career goals of these students in terms of our data science courses?
How can we fill data science needs in our community?
What are the skills needed from data science faculty?