Data science with a literary touch
Data science with a literary touch
You've completed your data science project. What next?
With a combined 10+ years of experience in science communication, we have the skills to mentor you through the process of sharing your work in an articulate and accessible way.
As editors of Snipette magazine and assistant physics professor at Georgia Gwinnett University, we’ve been involved in intensive editing projects with authors from both ends of the spectrum: professional researchers working to communicate their technical work, and high school and college students eager to further their learning process through writing.
There’s no point in science writing if people aren’t interested in reading it, which is why we specialise in adding a humorous touch—infusing technical writing with a dash of literary flair to help explain complex issues.
Anyone can describe their work to their peers—but reaching the general public is harder. Our program will help you draw parallels with familiar concepts to better explain complicated topics in a short space. You will also work on grounding your findings in everyday experience and answering the question: how is this relevant to the layperson?
There’s no better way to understand a field than to explain it to someone who knows nothing—a fact observed by no less than the brilliant physicist Richard Feynman himself.
Articulating your process work and findings for a lay audience will help you understand your own process better and streamline how things get done. On top of that, making your work accessible will spread awareness beyond your niche and help make you and your work more known to a wider audience.
Since this program is intended mainly for the communication aspects of data science, you are expected to have a data science project ready to be presented before applying. The topic, methods, and datasets will be left to your discretion—we come in to help you polish things up and lay it all out. Towards this, we will be screening participants with a quick questionnaire about their projects.
Our team has unique expertise at the interface of data science and content creation. We think these are life-changing skills that enable your dream job: following your passions, showcasing what you learn along the way, and making a sustainable income in the process.
This course is based on our experience in private informal sessions and the Snipette Writers' Programme. We understand that no two peoples' ideas or problems or finished products will be identical; hence a lot of how the course works depends on your personal needs. However, here's what will remain constant:
1
Your workplace will begin as a Google Docs sheet. This is where you will be brainstorming ideas and figuring out what area you want to research. In the meantime, you will also be in touch with the team over email.
2
Depending on your project, you may also use a Google Colab notebook to document the technical side of your project including data analytics, methods, and visualization.
3
We will guide you in constructing a compelling data based story based on your analyses, going back and forth with our editors to discuss the finer points of the piece.
4
Meanwhile, you will probably read up on related topics online, to build out your story and help link your project with them and add to the depth of the article.
5
Once your conclusions are ready, you will move back to Google Docs to present your findings.
6
When all is done, you will be ready for publication! This happens as two different versions in two publications:
Emergent Phenomena is a space for innovative work at the interface of data, storytelling, and society, filling a much-needed niche for in-depth analyses on societal issues backed by data.
For this publication, you will write a more technical overview of your work, along with graphs, stats, and links to raw data. This is aimed at being shared with the data science community.
Snipette is a magazine seeking to explain the world in a fun and accessible way. It offers both web and print versions, and uses literary techniques like suspense and metaphor to get the point across.
For this publication, you will write general-purpose article which gives a broad overview of your chosen topic and provides context for where your work fits in. This is aimed at spreading awareness of the topic and your findings to the general public.
Once both versions of your article are published, you will receive a certificate of completion from Snipette/Emergent Phenomena and a print copy of the edition in which your article appears. The whole process is expected to take 6-8 weeks. Given that the course is wholly unique and tailored specifically to each participant, timings may vary from person to person.
