Skip to main content

Blog

Close crop of Claude Code in the desktop app: the model's thinking, which starts "I need to find their git folder and create a dated folder there, likely ~/git", above the first command it ran. See alt-text in blog for full image text.

Incorporating AI in the Classroom: Using AI to Learn, and Learning the AI

teaching
AI
Incorporating AI in the Classroom

There are 2 things I want students to get out of AI in class: using AI to learn something, and just doing stuff to learn the AI.
Oct 7, 2026
10 min
Close crop of Claude Code's status bar in a terminal: it's my turn, the model is Opus 5.5 at extra-high effort, this session has cost $1.51, and auto mode is on.

Incorporating AI in the Classroom: Reviewing with an Agent Harness

teaching
AI
Incorporating AI in the Classroom

In my first month teaching with AI, an agent did the typing in my review sessions while the class read and judged its commands.
Sep 27, 2026
8 min

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Marathon

data science
life
R
Using data from the Vancouver Open Data Portal, some vibes, and lots of checking We have the Vancouver Cherry Blossom (Ultra?) Marathon!
Mar 30, 2026
22 min

Using OBS for Online Teaching

teaching
tutorial
Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is a featured and popular used to lay out your screen for recording and streaming. V26 of OBS Studio was released mid October 2020, and it…
Oct 27, 2020
5 min

Upgrading Marlin 2.0+ with Mesh Bed Levling CR-10s

making
tutorial
Video guide from “The First Layer”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rOZpOiWYxM
May 24, 2020
2 min

Python Environments with Conda

workflow
tutorial
Python
Anaconda (and these days miniconda) has been my go-to for getting Python and the scientific/data science software stack installed on my computer (even on my Arch linux…
Feb 29, 2020
14 min

R Hex Bowtie

making
R
If you were at rstudio::conf you may have seen me walking around with my conference badge and wondered what everything is.
Jan 30, 2020
3 min

My time as an RStudio Intern

life
RStudio internship
I’ve had a lot of time to think about my time as an RStudio intern. When I do, I usually end up with a few words in my head before I’m flooded with (good) emotions and…
Jan 29, 2020
6 min

Table of Model Results using kable and kableExtra

data science
tutorial
R
I’m at the R/Medicine conference (no it’s not a Reddit thing) and got to help Alison Hill with her R Markdown for Medicine workshop. One of the questions I got to tinker…
Sep 13, 2019
5 min

R or Python, which One to Learn (First)?

data science
R
Python
I’ve been asked a few times lately about whether one should learn R or Python.
Aug 28, 2019
5 min

Git Squash and Merge Workflow

workflow
tutorial
RStudio internship
I have a love-hate relationship with Git. It took me years of following cookbooks and following strict set of commands to get a sense of how it works. I still have to spend…
Aug 27, 2019
11 min

Inconsistencies with the == operator in R

programming
R
RStudio internship
One of the cool things about working on gradethis (grader need to be renamed) is that we end up doing things that aren’t common in R (i.e., grading and comparing code).
Aug 6, 2019
4 min

Mounting Oclus Rift Sensors on the Wall

making
I was initially going to get some small bookshelves to put my Oculus sensors on, but you can take your Oculus sensors off the stand! This way you wont have an awkward way to…
Aug 3, 2019
4 min

New Website a la Blogdown!

workflow
R
RStudio internship
I finally got everything moved over to blogdown with the Hugo Academic theme. Thanks so much to Allison Hill, who ran the summer-of-blogdown tutorial for us RStudio interns.
Jul 23, 2019
2 min

RStudio internship week 2

programming
R
RStudio internship
The main topics and events of last week were:
Jun 18, 2019
7 min

And we’re off! RStudio internship week 1, complete.

programming
R
RStudio internship
I’m still pinching myself about being one of the RStudio interns this year. It’s an unbelievable opportunity and I’ve been half panicked and fighting imposter syndrome since…
Jun 10, 2019
5 min

rstatsnyc as told by @brookLYNevery1, @dataandme, and autographs

data science
conference
R
EDIT: I’ve added the notes from @dataandme and linked to people’s twitter and slides (if I found them). This is probably going to be an ongoing process…
Apr 22, 2018
9 min

Analysis-Based Project Templates

data science
workflow
One of the most annoying things you hear people say when they are working with some common code base is “It works on my machine…”. Conversely, one of the more satisfying…
Jan 23, 2018
8 min

From VMs to LXC Containers to Docker Containers

workflow
Linux
Since I’ve joined SDAL, the lab has undergone a few infrastructure related changes, mainly how applications are run on the servers. From what I remember, we started using Vir…
Jul 7, 2017
8 min

Project Templates

data science
workflow
Project templates provide some standardized way to organize files. Our lab uses a template that is based off the Noble 2009 Paper, “A Quick Guide to Organizing Computational…
May 30, 2017
6 min

Changes in Higher Education

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
As a PhD student who already has a Master’s degree, it’s safe to say that I’ve been in school for a long time. One of the things in higher education that I started to…
May 1, 2017
2 min

Preparing for the Summer

teaching
data science
Preparing the Future Professoriate
As the semester comes to an end, preparing for my lab’s Data Science for the Public Good Program begins. I’ve started a GitHub group to dump the various components we will…
Apr 24, 2017
2 min

NYC R Conference

data science
conference
R
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Just got back from the 3rd annual NYC R Conference this past weekend. I have been honored to be one of the few speakers for the 3rd year in a row. This year’s talk, “So You…
Apr 24, 2017
1 min

Working While Pursuing a PhD

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
My lab has extended me an opportunity to be a research scientist and helping out our current senior data scientist with the daily analytics and IT support the lab needs.…
Apr 17, 2017
1 min

Open Access

research
higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
“Open” has played in important role in my life the last few years. It all began when I was an attendee at a Software-Carpentry workshop back in 2013. Before then, I only…
Apr 10, 2017
3 min

Education in the United States

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
As people start sharing their educational experiences from around the world, I realized how lucky I am to have been educated in New York City, and how much less the United…
Apr 10, 2017
1 min

Tech & Innovation in Higher Ed

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
How faculty (higher education) are using and/or reacting to social media, MOOCs, and/or other “disruptive” technologies.
Apr 3, 2017
3 min

The People that Keep Me Sane

life
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Coming from CUNY Hunter College, I never really had the typical ‘college experience’. Going to college for me was almost no different than going to high school since so many…
Apr 3, 2017
2 min

A ‘Simple’ Neural-Network Model

research
My previous blog post summarized the main points of the Watts 2002 paper. At the very end of the post I mentioned ways we can extend the Watts model with neural-networks.…
Mar 30, 2017
4 min

Should You Attend Grad School?

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
I’ve been asked a few times about whether one should attend graduate school. I usually follow up by asking whether they are planning to do a Master’s or a Doctorate.
Mar 27, 2017
1 min

Scientific Programming

research
higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Software-Carpentry played an integral part of who I am today. I am always trying to learn and follow best practices in the context of scientific programming, which I think…
Mar 27, 2017
1 min

From NYC to Blacksburg, VA

life
Preparing the Future Professoriate
I’m from New York City. Born and raised in Queens, and went to school in Manhattan for high school, college, and masters. So, coming down to rural Blacksburg, VA has been a…
Mar 20, 2017
1 min

My Story

life
Preparing the Future Professoriate
How did I get to where I am today.
Mar 20, 2017
4 min

What You Call Yourself is Important

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
I am a PhD Student, not a candidate… yet.
Mar 13, 2017
1 min

Research Ethics

research
higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) oversees and directs Public Health Service (PHS) research integrity activities on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services…
Mar 12, 2017
2 min

Some Modest Advice for Graduate Students

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Some Modest Advice for Graduate Students by Stephen C. Stearns
Mar 6, 2017
2 min

How Learning Works

teaching
higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Susan Ambrose’s book “How Learning Works” is probably one of the best investments for people who teach. The next best (time) investment is reading Greg Wilson’s paper on “Sof…
Mar 6, 2017
1 min

Teaching and Mentoring

teaching
higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Software-Carpentry1 has made be a better teacher because of the way we collect feedback during our workshops. When teaching a technical class, we use low-tech sticky notes…
Feb 27, 2017
1 min

Where Do I Fit in Academia?

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
It’s always a good idea to take a break and think about all that’s going on in life in perspective. As I approach the end of the coursework phase of my PhD program, I need…
Feb 20, 2017
1 min

Communicating Science

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
The communication science workshop at class reminds me of the various acting warm-up exercise I did when I took an acting class in high school. The drills require…
Feb 13, 2017
1 min

Impostor Syndrome: Am I Qualified?

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome) is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize…
Feb 6, 2017
2 min

Accessible Education in the United States

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
In the United States, higher education aims to be accessible to everyone. Although historically, college and university degrees were mainly for privileged, white males…
Feb 6, 2017
1 min

Journal: Why am I Journaling?

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
I’m taking “Preparing the Future Professoriate” this semester at Virginia Tech, which is one of the core classes for the “Future Professoriate Certificate”.
Jan 30, 2017
1 min

Mission Statements

higher ed
Preparing the Future Professoriate
Mission statements and reflections on higher education institutions (plus one high school) that I’ve attended.
Jan 30, 2017
5 min

SWC: What the Carpentries Mean To Me

teaching
Software Carpentry
https://carpentries.org/blog/2016/10/what_swc_means_to_me/
Oct 26, 2016
1 min

Expanding the Watts Model

research
I wrote a blog post and gave a seminar talk about the Watts 2002 paper. The next step is thinking about expanding the binary decisions with externalities model to a psycholog…
Sep 29, 2016
6 min

A Simple Model of Global Cascades on Random Networks

research
Duncan J Watts wrote a paper that was published in 2002 titled “A simple model of global cascades on random networks” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
Aug 31, 2016
5 min

Scientific ‘Purity’ in the ‘Connected Age’

research
I just started reading Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age by Duncan J. Watts. It’s a book on network theory and related to the Multi-Agent Neural Network project…
Mar 14, 2016
2 min

SWC: Software Carpentry as a University Course

teaching
higher ed
Software Carpentry
https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2016/02/swc-as-a-university-course.html
Feb 5, 2016
1 min

SWC: Teaching Bimodal Workshops with a Large Range

teaching
Software Carpentry
https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2015/11/teaching-extreme-ranges.html
Nov 5, 2015
1 min

SWC: Assessing Our Learners Part I

teaching
Software Carpentry
https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2015/06/learner-assessment-part-01.html
Jun 23, 2015
1 min

Getting Started with Data Science and Analysis

data science
Software Carpentry
I’ve been an instructor for Software-Carpentry (SWC) over a year now. It’s been a facinating experience and I’m proud to be a part of an open source movement promoting best…
May 5, 2015
4 min

SWC: Cookie Cutter

teaching
Software Carpentry
https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2015/02/cookie-cutter.html
Feb 10, 2015
1 min

Open Source A Python Project I

workflow
tutorial
Python
I started my first open source project towards the end of summer 2014 I began working at the Social Decision Analytics Laboratory at the Virginia Informatics Institutee. The…
Feb 5, 2015
6 min

SWC: Revamping the Instructor Survey

teaching
Software Carpentry
https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2014/11/revised-instructor-survey.html
Nov 2, 2014
1 min

Hacking Your MetroCard to $0.00

life
Earlier this month, Ben Wellington wrote a blog post about How Memorizing “$19.05” Can Help You Outsmart the MTA. A few days later, after the post went viral, the MTA respond…
Sep 29, 2014
4 min

Welcome to Jekyll!

You’ll find this post in your _posts directory. Go ahead and edit it and re-build the site to see your changes. You can rebuild the site in many different ways, but the most…
Sep 7, 2014
1 min

SWC: Our First High School Workshop at Rockefeller University

teaching
Software Carpentry
https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2014/07/high-school-students-at-rockefeller.html
Jul 7, 2014
1 min

Absolute and Relative Directories in Python

programming
tutorial
Python
One of the most common tasks (for me at least) is saving or getting data from another directory from where the current python script is running. However, for many of the…
May 16, 2014
1 min

Installing Eclipse in Ubuntu 13.10

workflow
tutorial
Linux
Adapted answer from Shubhmay and TimD on askubuntu on installing Eclipse.
Feb 4, 2014
2 min

Setting Up Repast Simphony 2.1 in Linux

research
tutorial
Linux
Repast Simphony is a Java based collection of agent-based modeling and simulation software.
Feb 4, 2014
1 min

webdav01

Setting up a WebDAV Client for Courseworks

workflow
tutorial
Columbia University’s Courseworks website allows you to download files for a registered class.  A problem arises when multiple files needed to be downloaded simultaneously.…
Sep 4, 2013
7 min

01-pickISO

Setting up VirtualBox

workflow
tutorial
Edit: March 31, 2014: As an assignment for Software Carpentry I made a screencast to follow along with these steps, here
Feb 21, 2013
6 min
No matching items