A Data Science Podcast That Really Mixes it Up

People   |   Susan Currie Sivek   |   Feb 9, 2021 TIME TO READ: 5 MINS
TIME TO READ: 5 MINS

You seek adventure and the thrill of breakthroughs.

So do we.

That’s why we’ve launched Data Science Mixer, a podcast for aficionados and connoisseurs of all things data science.

From career opportunities to cocktails, you’ll learn about the latest breakthroughs in the field with data science content that isn’t out of your reach.

I chatted with Data Science Mixer host, Susan Currie Sivek, about what you can expect from our new podcast.

Mads: Tell us about the vibe of the new Data Science Mixer Podcast.

Susan: People talk about [data science] as “the sexiest job of the 21st century” and all that jazz, and truth be told, there are certainly some pretty unsexy parts of data science, but there’s a lot of really fascinating things that are happening.

So this podcast is definitely going to go for that cool, laid back vibe, but we want to retain a lot of the really heavy, important, significant things that are going on in the data science field. While we want it to be fun and relaxed, we’re going to chat about drinks and food, and we’re going to have some awesome music here and there!

Cheers!

Join in the fun and figure out the details of our “data-driven” cocktail recipe in our Weekly Challenge!

Mads: And you mentioned drinks and snacks … tell me about that?

Susan: Yeah, so I mentioned the mix of topics that we plan to feature on the show in our data science discussions, but we also want to go for that other meaning of mixer as well, which is of course being able to use different kinds of mixers to make delicious beverages. Sometimes those might be adult beverages!

So we might enjoy one of those on the show. We might also just have some coffee or some tea or some other kind of tasty drink, and naturally we have to have some snacks to go with that. So drinks and snacks will definitely be a fun recurring feature on the show!

Check out some of the data science connoisseurs we’ll have on the show: Margot Gerritsen, co-founder of Women in Data Science; Alex Engler, fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Kristen Werner, director of data science and engineering at Snowflake.

Mads: So, I am not a data scientist, but I do consider myself as having a curious mind, and data science is definitely one of those topics that really intrigues me. What can I expect as somebody who isn’t a data scientist?

Susan: Sure. It will be a mix of levels of content. We’ll have some stuff that will be at the level of somebody just coming into the field, who’s curious about the field, who wants to learn about the career opportunities and paths. And we’ll move from that all the way into more technical topics where folks will see what’s on the cutting edge, and what’s the latest and greatest in research, possibilities, and opportunities in the field.

We’ll get into some of those more technical concepts, but knowing that we’re going to have all kinds of folks as listeners, we want to be sure that it stays accessible and it’s something that you’ll still enjoy listening to. You won’t feel like your brain is exhausted afterward.

Plus, you might be having a beverage at the same time, so you want to be sure it’s still something that’s at the right level. It’s really an opportunity to learn, whatever level you’re at with regard to your data science expertise.

The podcast is hosted by Susan Currie Sivek, Ph.D., data science journalist for the Alteryx Community. She’s a writer and self-proclaimed data geek who loves figuring out the best ways to share complex ideas.

Mads: One thing that I want to point out to our audience is that the benefit of having Susan as our host and having this be a Community-driven podcast is that everybody in the Alteryx Community is so invested in learning. Susan, I want to hear from you some other ways that people can continue their learning experience beyond just tuning in for the podcast.

Susan: Yeah, we talked a little bit about accessibility earlier, making sure that the content of the podcast is available to everybody in terms of the expertise that’s required to understand it. On the Community, we will definitely have some complementary blog posts to explain certain topics as we go along. If there’s something that maybe needs a few extra resources or a little more explanation, you can watch for those blog posts. We’ll also have some Weekly Challenges, so we’re excited about offering those as extra learning opportunities.

And, of course, the Community has discussion boards. So if you have questions or things that you would like to see followed up, or you want to talk to other listeners and Community members about these topics, there will definitely be places for those discussions on the Community.

Thirsty for More?

Listen

Listen to the full episode on the Alter Everything Podcast.

Subscribe

Subscribe to the Data Science Mixershow page and participate in our weekly “Cocktail Conversation.”

Tune in

Tune in to the podcast bi-weekly, Mondays at 10:00 p.m. MST (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?) or find it on-demand on your favorite podcast app:

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