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Data Scientists

15-2051.00 Bright Outlook Bright

Develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Apply data mining, data modeling, natural language processing, and machine learning to extract and analyze information from large structured and unstructured datasets. Visualize, interpret, and report data findings. May create dynamic data reports.

What EWU math students are doing right now

See all 6 projects →

Hospitality Dynamic Pricing

2024
Partner: Hospitality company (New Orleans)

Pricing strategy optimization for vacation rentals. Students built predictive models that adjust rates based on demand, seasonality, and competitor pricing.

Data science Predictive modeling Python SQL SAS
Outcome: MAA-sponsored industry partnership

Providence-St. Luke's HRV App

Ongoing
Partner: Providence-St. Luke's, EWU CS faculty

Apple Watch app for real-time heart-rate-variability monitoring of patients with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Students process biosignal data and surface clinically relevant patterns to clinicians.

Signal processing Python Clinical data iOS health frameworks
Outcome: Ongoing interdisciplinary clinical research

Wearables Biosensor Survey

2024
Partner: Internal research

Survey of data-science methods for streaming wearable biosensor data. Foundational research informing future EWU work on IoT health data.

Data science IoT systems Big data methods
Outcome: Literature foundation for ongoing wearable-data research

How EWU courses prepare you for this work (12 of 16 O*NET tasks have course evidence)

  • Apply classical solution techniques to differential equation models of physical systems
  • Construct partial differential equation models for physical systems
  • Contextualize partial differential equation models of physical systems
  • Independently research mathematical concepts
  • Synthesize pertinent mathematical background material
  • Apply group theoretic concepts to solve mathematical problems
  • Apply group theoretic concepts to the natural sciences
  • use numerical schemes to find approximate solutions to initial value problems utilizing mathematical software such as Matlab or Mathematica.
  • set up and solve second order, constant coefficient differential equations that arise from physical systems such as mass-spring systems and RLC circuits.  In addition, students will have a strong intuition of the phenomenon of resonance.
  • employ Laplace transforms to solve differential equations with discontinuous forcing terms.
  • Model a physical signal by using mathematical functions, and solve the equations when excited by an arbitrary function.
  • Explain the relation between the time and frequency domains, and apply techniques for converting from one domain to another.

Work with the applications of geometric transformations in the sciences

  • Employ the appropriate numerical technique to approximate a solution of an initial value problem, boundary value problem, or partial differential equation, with careful consideration of initial or boundary data.
  • Construct finite-difference schemes in order to approximate solutions to differential equations and analyze their order of approximation

Apply the techniques of multiple integration and partial derivatives to applied problems

  • Apply differential and integral calculus techniques to trigonometric functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions and the inverses of these functions
  • Demonstrate knowledge of relationships between exponents and logarithms and their derivatives

Apply number theoretic techniques to cryptography

  • Solve simple differential equations focusing on topics in economics.
  • Apply basic linear algebra to economic problems.
  • Utilize qualitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations
  • Utilize quantitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations

Employ and analyze a prescribed method to find a root of a nonlinear equation (with knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the approach);

  • Use mathematical software to approximate solutions of biological models
  • Construct model equations from a description of a biological system
  • Implement a program that uses an array to solve a problem.
  • Write, compile and execute a complete program for a given problem.
  • Implement code that reads information from a file.
  • Create an interpreter or compiler from a Backus-Naur specification. (iv)
  • Make practical use of Regular Expressions

Write rigorous correctness proofs for algorithms.

  • Demonstrate the ability to analyze algorithms to interpolate data with polynomials.
  • Employ the appropriate numerical technique to approximate a solution of an initial value problem, boundary value problem, or partial differential equation, with careful consideration of initial or boundary data.

use numerical schemes to find approximate solutions to initial value problems utilizing mathematical software such as Matlab or Mathematica.

Utilize qualitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations

Apply differential and integral calculus techniques to trigonometric functions, exponential functions, logarithmic functions and the inverses of these functions

Work with the applications of geometric transformations in the sciences

Employ and analyze a prescribed method to find a root of a nonlinear equation (with knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the approach);

Perform in-order, pre-order, post-order, and possibly Euler traversals of a tree.

Program a memory management simulation.

  • Summarize the professional report in an oral presentation
  • Independently research mathematical concepts
  • Write a professional report adhering to scholarly standards
  • Synthesize pertinent mathematical background material

Work with the applications of geometric transformations in the sciences

Visualize models graphically

Demonstrate the ability to analyze algorithms to interpolate data with polynomials.

Utilize qualitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations

Program a memory management simulation.

Use mathematical software to approximate solutions of biological models

Model a physical signal by using mathematical functions, and solve the equations when excited by an arbitrary function.

Visualize models graphically

  • Sketch the qualitatively valid graph of the derivative of a function presented graphically (formulas not used)
  • Demonstrate the role of continuity in evaluating limits graphically and numerically

Interpret output from statistical software correctly

Demonstrate the ability to analyze algorithms to interpolate data with polynomials.

  • Utilize qualitative methods to analyze linear and non-linear systems of differential equations
  • Illustrate changes in the solution structure via a bifurcations diagram

Compute areas between graphs of function

Demonstrate a facility with curves given parametrically

Work with the applications of geometric transformations in the sciences

Interpret output from statistical software correctly

Use mathematical software to approximate solutions of biological models

Implement code that reads information from a file.

Demonstrate the ability to analyze algorithms to interpolate data with polynomials.

Program a memory management simulation.

  • Understand and use the heap data structure and its applications in sorting and priority queue.
  • Analyze the asymptotic performance of algorithms.
  • Interpret output from statistical software correctly
  • Apply non-parametric statistical tests

Implement code that reads information from a file.

Demonstrate the ability to analyze algorithms to interpolate data with polynomials.

  • Apply group theoretic concepts to solve mathematical problems
  • Apply group theoretic concepts to the natural sciences

Understand sampling theorem, upsampling and downsampling.

Apply non-parametric statistical tests

Analyze a communication system and measure a performance in terms of probability of

Investigate properties of a statistical estimator based on characteristics of bias, efficiency, consistency and sufficiency

Perform reductions and simplifications of linear models

  • Write a professional report adhering to scholarly standards
  • Independently research mathematical concepts

Write a professional report adhering to scholarly standards

Independently research mathematical concepts

Apply basic linear algebra to economic problems.

Recent regional postings for this occupation

View all 1808 postings from the last year →

5 most recent CareerOneStop listings for this occupation. "Live" in Quick Facts counts only postings the scraper re-confirmed in the last 7 days; older real postings still appear here until they age out.

Where to focus your applied learning (4 taskes without course evidence yet)

These O*NET tasks don't have direct course-objective evidence in the Math BS catalog yet. Each is an opportunity to gain hands-on preparation through an applied project, MAA-sponsored partnership, elective, or internship. The "What EWU math students are doing right now" panel above shows examples of exactly this kind of project-driven learning.

More O*NET details for this occupation (skills, knowledge, tools & technology)
Skills (42)
Basic Skills: Active Learning
Basic Skills: Active Listening
Basic Skills: Critical Thinking
Basic Skills: Learning Strategies
Basic Skills: Mathematics
Basic Skills: Monitoring
Basic Skills: Reading Comprehension
Basic Skills: Science
Basic Skills: Speaking
Basic Skills: Writing
+ 32 more on O*NET
Tools & technology (30)
Analytical or scientific software: Google Looker Analytics
Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics
Analytical or scientific software: Kubeflow
Analytical or scientific software: Mathematical software
Analytical or scientific software: Mlflow
Analytical or scientific software: SAS
Analytical or scientific software: StataCorp Stata
Analytical or scientific software: Statistical software
Analytical or scientific software: TensorFlow
Analytical or scientific software: The MathWorks MATLAB

O*NET's tools-and-technology list aggregates software encountered across the occupation's many sub-roles, so the list can be broad. Treat it as a directory of what people in this job might use, not a checklist of what every job requires.

Where this data comes from. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills, and education-incumbents survey come from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 30.2. Washington-state pay and employment projections come from WA Employment Security Department and the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Live job postings come from CareerOneStop, refreshed nightly from a scrape that tracks the original posting date and the date our system last saw each posting live.

How we connect courses to occupations. Course catalog descriptions and program-level learning outcomes are indexed alongside O*NET task statements. Where a course's language aligns with a task an occupation requires, we mark it as evidence of preparation. Faculty review each candidate match and either confirm or veto it; only confirmed matches surface in totals.

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