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Apr 21: Statistics in Practice

Statistics in Practice

In this week’s Brief we take a look at Python vrs. R, and feature some conversations with data scientists.  Our spotlight is on our introductory statistical programming courses:

Or, carry it further with our 3-course Programming Mastery Series – for Python or for R.

See you in class!

– Peter Bruce

Founder, Author, and Senior Scientist


Conversations with Data Scientists about R and Python

Are you wondering whether to develop your R skills?  Python? Something else? Check out these conversations with a number of data scientists to learn more about which language they use, when, and why […]


New BookPractical Statistics for Data Scientists

Practical Statistics for Data Scientists was a best seller for O’Reilly when it came out in 2017.  Using illustrations in R, it presents the discipline of statistics for those who’ve had some exposure to statistics but need a useful guide specifically for data science, without the arcane baggage of traditional statistics courses and textbooks.  A second edition adding Python went to press a couple of weeks ago, and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Peter Bruce is a Senior Scientist at Elder Research, Inc., and the Founder of Statistics.com, where he teaches Resampling Methods, as well as Introductory Statistics.

Peter Gedeck is a Senior Data Scientist at Collaborative Drug Discovery where he develops machine learning algorithms to predict properties of drug candidates.  

Andrew Bruce is a Principal Research Scientist at Amazon where he works on optimization of the delivery process.


Training A Team

Is your firm taking advantage of the economic downturn to catch up on training & skill development?  If you have a team that could benefit from custom training in analytics and data science, online or in-person, please contact Janet Dobbins at jdobbins@statistics.com, and tell her how many people would be involved in the training and what the goals are.

To help sharpen your understanding of what we can do for your training program, while supplies last, we’ll offer you a free copy of your choice of:

Mining Your Own BusinessMining Your Own Business:  A non-technical primer on how organizations bridge the gap between technically-valid data science models and actual deployment success, by Gerhard Pilcher and Jeff Deal, CEO and COO, respectively, of Elder Research.

Practical Statistics for Data Scientists:  The O’Reilly book described above, by Bruce, Bruce and Gedeck.

Just email Janet Dobbins at jdobbins@statistics.com, and tell her which book you’d like, where to send it, how many people would be involved in the training and what the training goals are.


Course Spotlight

This month we spotlight our introductory programming courses for R and Python.  These courses are organized into 3-course sequences that constitute a Mastery, which gives you considerable savings over taking the courses individually.   Choose between

Or, get started with just a single course:

See you in class!


Digital Badges

Digital Badges ACE Credit

Digital badgesDigital Badges ACE Credit provide employers and peers concrete evidence of what you have learned and the skills required to earn your credential. Each badge’s digital image holds verified metadata describing your qualifications and the mastery required to earn them.


Contact Us To Learn More

If you have any questions on our courses, certificates, and degree programs and how they can apply to you, your work, and to your career, please get in touch. We’re here to help you succeed.