workshops_251

In DATA lab, there are certain aspects of experimental science that will change every week –exactly which equipment you will use, the models that you use to analyze your data – and there are aspects that are prevalent throughout science – documenting and communicating your work effectively, defining and understanding the uncertainty in your data. The learning goals of DATA Lab have been designed around each of these aspects – sophisticated use of equipment, deep understanding of uncertainty, and effective communication of science – and all three aspects are threaded throughout our course activities.

We understand that the way you will be asked to work in DATA Lab might be different from other lab experiences with which you are familiar. To support your development, we have designed “workshop” style activities for the beginning of the semester. Each workshop focuses on particular aspects of science (measurement, analysis, uncertainty, and documentation), and they are intended as low-stakes introductions to the experimental skills you will be developing throughout the course. To help, weekly feedback will be provided based on how you work and what you submit at the end of class.

As with other course activities, the more you put into the workshops, the more you will benefit from them. The in-class rubric is a bit different for these weeks, as the workshops are more focused on participation and communication than deep experimental work. You will be assessed on how you engage in the lab as well as the notebooks you turn in at the end of class.

The first two workshops are focused on how to be thoughtful regarding uncertainty. The first week will emphasize measurement – how we take data, what we report as our values, and the confidence intervals we set. The second workshop regards analysis – how we combine data, the way random and systematic uncertainties emerge, the impact of experimental design on data analysis. The third workshop is primarily about documentation – how we record and report our experiments such that they are reproducible and clear, keeping notes that propel our studies, and how we critique our peers constructively.

Workshop 1: Uncertainty in Measurement
Workshop 2: Effective Documentation
Workshop 3: Analyzing Experimental Data

  • workshops_251.txt
  • Last modified: 2019/08/13 20:50
  • by rachel