Kementari Whitcher

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Primary Title:  
Lecturer
Institution:  
Smith College
Department:  
Statistical and Data Sciences
Email Address:  
kwhitcher@smith.edu

FYS- Don't Panic

"Don't Panic!" is a saying that applies to all areas of "Life, the Universe and Everything." This phrase will be a touchstone for this first-year seminar course where we will discuss how to make the most of your university education while also thinking collaboratively about some of the problems in the world around us. We will develop a basic understanding of how economics is applied across various fields and think critically about the solutions and policy that economists provide.

FYS- 9 to 5: Sociology of Work

Work - much of our lives revolve around it. In fact, many of you are starting at UMass this fall to ultimately land a job in a career field you are passionate about. As sociologists, we are fascinated by the deeper social processes and interactions that occur in the workplace. In this course, we are going to spend some time exploring how sociology can help us understand the intricate workplace social processes that shape our work experiences.

FYS- How Computers Work

Have you ever pondered the inner workings of your trusty companion, your computer? This seminar offers a journey through the essential components that power our digital age and will help you grasp the roles and significance of GPUs, CPUs, motherboards, and more, as you uncover the architecture behind every computing marvel. This seminar is designed so that you will not only understand the inner workings of PCs but also gain the confidence to assemble your own in the future.

FYS-Clear Visual/Data Visual

We see data visualizations everywhere; from health data we collect on our smartphones to weather and rideshare apps. But what really counts as a visualization? And, what makes a good one? In this course, you will learn how to detect visualizations in your everyday life, evaluate visualizations for different use cases, tell when a visualization is lying to you, and even create your own visualizations.

FYS-What's Next? BeyondChatGPT

This course will explore creating an application programming interface (API) for a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT), such as ChatGPT. We will use a variety of online resources and tutorials to accomplish this, and no programming background is expected or required! We will also explore functional concepts such as software engineering, human computer interaction (HCI), natural language procesing (NLP), machine learning (ML), AI, learning sciences, and inference. The course ends with students either providing a capstone presentation or creating a low fidelity project.

FYS- Math Puzzles

If you were a pirate trying to steal gold from other pirates, what would you do? If you were forced to deduce the color of your friend's hat to escape an eccentric magician, how might counting help? If you were waging a war of wits against an evil professor (welcome to college, by the way), why might a chessboard come in handy? There's a colorful, magical world of math that is far away from the boring or difficult reputation it often gets, and it involves fun, creative thinking, and often unexpected connections to deep ideas in theoretical research.

FYS- Math Puzzles

If you were a pirate trying to steal gold from other pirates, what would you do? If you were forced to deduce the color of your friend's hat to escape an eccentric magician, how might counting help? If you were waging a war of wits against an evil professor (welcome to college, by the way), why might a chessboard come in handy? There's a colorful, magical world of math that is far away from the boring or difficult reputation it often gets, and it involves fun, creative thinking, and often unexpected connections to deep ideas in theoretical research.
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