Factors affecting Math Score by SHWETHA RAJAGOPALAKRISHNAN
Department of Computer Science
Tomasz Imieliński is a professor of computer science at Rutgers University. He has served as chairman of computer science department at Rutgers from 1996 till 2003. In 2000 he co-founded Connotate Technologies – web data extraction company based in New Brunswick NJ. Since 2004 till 2010 he has held multiple positions at Ask.com, from Vice president of data solutions to executive vice president of global search and answers and Chief Scientist. He has also served as VP of Data Solutions at IAC.
“Big Data,” algorithms, and statistics are everywhere today. But how do you tell good data from bad? Misinformation from useful analysis? And who owns the information about our lives and decisions?
We will debate important social issues in the COURT OF DATA - where the only acceptable arguments will have to be based on data and data only.
Data 101 will help you improve your data literacy and develop a healthy skepticism about empirical claims presented in the popular media. We will explore examples of erroneous, rushed and ad hoc conclusions based on so-called “big data,” and you will get hands-on experience analyzing and using data to make persuasive arguments. You will also learn to make more informed decisions about what you find and share online. Along the way, you will learn fundamental concepts in statistics and probability and acquire basic programming skills that will benefit you in your future coursework and beyond.
This course is recommended for students from all schools and disciplines. (The course does require placement into Intermediate Algebra or above, or credit for 01:640:025.)
Data 101 can be used to meet the SAS Core Curriculum goals in 21st Century Challenges [21C], Quantitative and Formal Reasoning [QQ or QR], and Information Technology and Research [ITR].
Rebecca has acheived the highest overall score in the entire class. This is quite an honor and achievement. Congratulations!
Here is what Rebecca says about herself:
"Hi everyone, my name is Rebecca! I'm a double major in Business Analytics & Information Technology (BAIT), and Data Science. I knew that data analytics was a field that I wanted to pursue, but this class really elevated that passion for me. The best attributes of this class were how engaging and thought-provoking all of the topics were, and all credit goes to Dr. Imielinski for that; it's abundantly clear how passionate he is about this field! The prediction challenges were a great way to get hands-on experience with coding and finding patterns, and the Data in Society assignment was really interesting (especially the Climate Change Court of Data!) You'll definitely get a lot out of this course and be able to more critically analyze all of the data around you; best of luck!
Thanks once again for this opportunity, and for everything that you did in the class! I normally have a little difficulty focusing on lectures, but your clear excitement about the subject matter, as well as how the information was presented, was thoroughly engaging! Both you and the TAs were extremely helpful and willing to explain concepts, and I'm grateful for the positive experience I had in your class. I hope to keep in touch; have a great summer break!"
QiGui is the winner of this year prediction challenges. Thus, he has won the Quinlan award and gold medal. In addition, QiGui is also one of the top 10 overall scorers in the data 101 class.
Here is QiGui in his own words:
Hi everyone! I’m QiGui Weng and I am a sophomore majoring in computer science and possibly minoring in Data Science. I came to this class expecting it to be difficult and tedious after hearing lots of rantings from previous students who had taken this class. However, I found the class to be really enjoyable as Professor Imielinski kept the class entertained with his humor. His clear explanation and the textbook that he created made it easier to understand statistical topics that are taught in his class. While the course covered the fundamentals of R code and analytical thinking, I believe it is best for one to learn by challenging themself, applying what they learn and use it in the prediction challenges. Thank you to Professor Imielinski for instructing the course and hope the best to everyone who’s taking it!
Navid is one of the top 5 overall scorers in the entire data 101 class of over 200 students. In addition Navid, has tied for the "podium" (third) in overall ranking for prediction challenges.
Here is what he says about himself:
Hi, my name is Navid and I’m a freshman planning to double major in Computer Science and Data Science. Before coming to Rutgers, I had initially only planned on majoring in CS with a possible minor in economics or mathematics. But after taking Data 101, I now know that data science is a field I definitely want to delve deeper into. Prior to taking this course, I had minimal knowledge of data science as I didn’t even know what R was. Now, even after only learning the basics, I know what a powerful tool R can be. I also especially liked participating in the prediction challenges because even though they were difficult, it was rewarding to see my accuracy go up as I tried my best to figure out the hidden pattern. Thank you Professor Imielinski for this amazing class!
Nideesh has achieved one of the top overall scores in the entire class in addition to placing in top 10 of the overall leaderboard of prediction challenges. In addition, Nideesh has won one of the challenges.
Here is what Nideesh says about himself:
"Hey! I'm Nideesh and I'm a rising sophomore graduating in 2026 with a focus on Computer Science and Data Science. I expected Data 101 to be an intro to the field of data analysis and exploration but I learned a lot more about the field through the prediction challenges. I HIGHLY recommend you participate in the prediction challenges as you gain TONS of experience which will help you grow your data science skills tremendously. I really enjoyed Professor Imielinski’s class and hope you will gain as much from it as I did"
Jay has achieved second highest overall score in the our data 101 class of over 200 students and in addtion has succesfully competed in prediction challenges series which this year consisted of 5 challenges. He placed in top 5 there as well.
Here is what Jay says about himsef:
"Hello, my name is Jay and I am pursuing majors in Computer Science and Data Science with possibly a minor in Cognitive Science. Data 101 has taught me the basics of R programming as well as the practical applications of data analysis. Also, participating in the prediction challenges throughout the semester has helped me understand the importance of eyeballing and subsetting to find specific patterns that are not easily detected even through rpart() or lm(). Finding hidden patterns in the data sets was a fun experience and I recommend participating in at least some of the challenges if you have the time. I hope what I've learned in this course will help me with future computer or data science courses at Rutgers and my future career goals"
Taneesh is one of top 5 scorers in the whole class. In addition he has won prediction challenge 2, with spectacular accuracy which provided dramatic ending on the Kaggle night!
Here is what Taneesh says about himself:
My name is Taneesh Amin and I am a Freshman (sophomore by the time you see this) graduating in 2026 with a major in Computer Science and the newly announced Data Science Major. Data101 was one of the more intellectually inspiring classes I have taken so far as a student. It really increased my love for Data Science, and I am so glad I am able to gain skills to pursue a career in it. If anyone had any interest in data science I would definitely recommend this course. If you are interested in seeing my continued data journey, I will be sharing it on my github (Taneesh04) and my Instagram (taneesh.am) where I analyze various patterns, mostly in sports using skills that have been taught to me in this class.
Rey has acheived top result (#1) in overall score in entire class (over 100%, maxing also extra credits!). Plus he placed top 5 overall in Quinlan competition for best overall prediction.
Here is what Rey says about himself and he even has something to share!
Hi, I'm a freshman pursuing majors in computer science and cognitive science as well as a minor in either mathematics or data science. I took this course to take my first steps into the field of data analysis, but I would like to stress to any incoming Data 101 students that this course is not about learning the gritty details of coding in R. Professor Imielinski focuses more on data science conceptually as being a way to think and analyze the world around us, which I think is much more useful! As a thanks for reading this far, here is a link to my notes that helped me do well in the class:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MWXHpWIHFV_aoixn6-qkW2PguYojeAai64d1...
And as a final note, if your R code isn't working you probably either made a typo or missed a comma. Good luck to everyone!
Mayeesha has been on of the top 5 students in the class of 200 and also outstanding prediction challenges competitior (in the first two prediction challenges)
Here is what she says about herself and the class
Hi everyone, I’m Mayeesha! I am majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology. I took Data 101 during my last semester as a graduating senior while trying to explore different career paths. I cannot stress enough how much this class has taught me about thinking analytically about the information presented to me. From realizing the role of bias in skewing samples and results to subsetting the data to find meaningful patterns, this class has shown me the importance of being critical about what I read and see on a daily basis. Despite my lack of coding experience, Professor Imielinski has been so encouraging and kind in office hours while showing me how to use R, which I feel much more comfortable with now! I look forward to using the data analysis skills I have gained in my future career and would recommend this course to anyone looking to gain a more keen understanding of how to analyze and present findings in a way that is meaningful to the audience at hand.
Melanie has achieved 2nd highest score in the class (also, like Rey, above 100 with extra credits). She also placed in top 5 of leaderboard for prediciton challenges
Here is what Melanie says about herself.
Hello! I’m a freshman majoring in mathematics and computer science. I took this class because I was interested in exploring data science and am currently considering it as a future career. I had a lot of fun figuring out the patterns in the prediction challenges and I’m thankful to Professor Imielinski for giving me the opportunity to learn and practice R! The skills I’ve learned in this class helped me to get a research position for the summer and I’m excited to apply my statistical analysis and R skills to data in the real world :)
Howard is the winner of 2023 Quinlan competition!
He got the highest combine accuracy from all competitions and won the trophe this year! In addition he placed in top 3 out of 200 students in overall score in the class. He also saved me a few times discovering early on some crippling mistakes like publishing values of prediction variable (the one which is supposed to be missing!)
Here is what Howards says about himself:
Hey there! I'm a sophomore in the class of 2025, majoring in computer science, mathematics, and possibly the newly introduced data science major. I had originally intended to devote myself entirely to artificial intelligence, but I enjoy the statistical elements of CS that this class contains. This course far exceeded my expectations and serves as an excellent foundation for data science purposes. This course teaches many fundamental basics in R for practical applications, which makes it suitable for students across a wide range of majors. I would like to thank Professor Imieliński especially, as I would most likely not be continuing data science if not for him. Thank You!
