I am a professor of data science at Nevada State University where I mostly teach statistics and programming courses. I got my degree in chemical engineering, but my thesis project on high-throughput analyses of nanoparticle trajectory datasets sparked my involvement in data science. I am also a game author of several Reacting to the Past educational roleplaying games, including a statistics-themed game "Cigarette Century: Tobacco and Lung Cancer, 1964-1965."
Find Chad on Bluesky: @derchadmeister.bsky.social
Why did you decide to go into Statistics/Statistics Education?
During my thesis work, I collected a ton of video data of nanoparticles under the microscope that quickly became unmanageable. In order to get the skills I needed, I began taking some programming courses. Then biostatistics and epidemiology, and what do you know-- my degree took a data science spin after that.
What's a class/workshop at your workplace/university that you wish you could take and why?
We have some fantastic faculty in our Environmental & Resource Science Department, and I have gone on a few hikes with a few geologist colleagues. I would love to sit in on a class some time. I loved to collect rocks as a kid but never ended up taking a single geology course.
What Statistics Topic do you think is the most difficult to teach well?
That's a hard one to pin down, but conceptually I think understanding the idea of a probability distribution. As an engineering student who was really good at hands-on stuff, they were just too abstract for me to fully feel comfortable with. Even if students can get by with the calculations, there are a lot of misunderstandings that persist.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to teaching statistics?
Keep a folder of cool ideas, even if you can't use them all at once, and keep tweaking small parts of your course.
What is your go-to source for data?
I have the Datasets for Teaching and Learning page on the NC State University Libraries website bookmarked. This is collection of collections of cool datasets that I pull from regularly.
What statistics class(es) are you currently teaching? What statistics classes do you enjoy teaching the most?
I teach a biostatistics course to upper division biology students. They always find it challenging, as it is one of the most technical courses in their major. It is one of my favorites to teach too, as the application side of things helps students see how cool statistics can be. I currently use a historical roleplaying game that lets students recreate debates between anticontagionists and contagionists during the 1854 cholera outbreak in Soho-- including John Snow's famous map. It's data-driven and fun, as well as helps students refine their statistical thinking and communication skills.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I love to read, usually juggling 7+ books at once. Currently reading a history of the Russian revolution; a history of Lawrence v. Texas, a Supreme Court case that advanced LGBTQ rights; and doing a re-read of A Series of Unfortunate Events with my kids.
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