Podcasts and Videos

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March 29, 2021
Using near-real-time, anonymous WiFi data from more than 1300 wireless access points on campus, students working with the Rensselaer IDEA's Data INCITE program during the Summer and Fall 2020 terms created an app to help students easily identify crowded and open spots around campus.
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RPIrates Tutorial: Simple Database Access with R
March 11, 2021

Take some time out from your busy week to talk about database access with R!

In this informal tutorial we'll share some recent experiences using remote and in-memory SQL databases (MySQL and SQLite) to access and analyze near real time, aggregated RPI WiFi data for the RPI SafeCampus and StudySafe applications. As time permits we may also cover our use of ElasticSearch, esp. in our COVID Twitter project, and SPARQL endpoints (Blazegraph, StarDog) as data sources.

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Make cool videos with OBS Studio and OpenShot Video Editor!
March 09, 2021

You don't have to be a MacHead to produce cool videos! Mature open source tools like OBS Studio (video recording and streaming), OpenShot (video editing) and Audacity (audio editing) bring awesome video production capabilities to any desktop.

In this entry-level tutorial we'll introduce you to these tools from the perspective of a Linux user and demonstrate some of the tricks we've learned during these COVID times. Maybe you want to step up your game for pre-recorded lectures or talks; maybe you want a cool alternative to Webex's screen sharing. Show up and ask questions! If time permits we'll demonstrate how to make those video choir videos...

This will be very interactive and very informal!

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Tackling COVID-19 Using Data Analytics
March 08, 2021

Highlights from 112 Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Rensselaer Data INCITE Lab During COVID-19 Pandemic

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February 18, 2021
Data transformation and management are key to success with R, so we'll talk about Hadley Wickham's 'tidyverse', a collection of R packages that reinforce the principles of his "Tidy Tools Manifesto": * Reuse existing data structures. * Compose simple functions with the pipe operator. * Embrace functional programming. * Design for humans.
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RPIrates Tutorial: Rock your Dataviz World with ggplot2!
February 11, 2021

RPIrates: The RPI R Users Group and the Rensselaer Data INCITE program present this version of the famous ggplot2 tutorial, re-constructing a famous figure from The Economist step-by-step. Demonstrates current R methodology including tidyverse and many aspects of ggplot2.