This repository contains the course materials for the Fall 2013 Edition of Stat 157, a Seminar on Topics in Probability and Statistics.

TuTh 9:30-11AM 3 Evans Hall UC Berkeley, Fall 2013

The course will cover philosophy, software tools, processes and best practices for reproducible computational research. The software tools will include git, IPython, SQL, LaTeX, laptop-based Virtualization, and Amazon Web Services. There will be a collaborative term project.

Aaron Culich
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
<[email protected]>
Office Hours: TBD
Virtual Office Hours: TBD on ##stat157 channel of freenode.net

Phillip Stark
Department of Statistics
<[email protected]>

Kristina Kangas
Integrative Biology
<[email protected]>
Office Hours: By Appointment

Christopher Shaver
Computer Sciences
<[email protected]>

Units/Credits: 3

Final Exam Date & Time: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 3-6PM

This course will focus heavily on in-class participation in addition to assigned readings from scholarly journals, presentations from guest speakers, several "feedback" assignments, and weekly blog articles in addition to regular practice with the software tools listed in the description.

Your persistent cooperation in group work and contributions to the course will culminate into a collaborative term project. The format will be interactive and will involve your questions, opinions, and participation.

Topics Covered Will Include:

• Reproducibility and Collaboration
• Computational Architecture
• Data structures and formats
• Content v. Presentation; Web standards
• Simulation
• Numerics
• Numerical linear algebra
• Optimization
• Data Visualization
• Code efficiency

This is not a traditional course, and you will not be able to cram and succeed in this course. The instructors and GSIs want you to succeed. Ask for help when you need it, and before you become desperate.

• Lecture Attendance/Participation
• Homework Assignments
• Weekly Reflections
• Collaborative Term Project

We will discuss each assignment in greater detail in lecture.

Guest Speakers: Participation is mandatory. When a guest lecturer is scheduled to speak you cannot miss the class without contacting the instructor or GSI and scheduling a meeting to justify your absence.

Absences at other times: Communication is key. The success of the group depends on the cooperation of its members. You will be held responsible for communicating absences to your group members in addition to the instructor and the GSI.

Electronic Gadgets: Silenced or Off.