Tag: 18IsaacF

GatherIQ

Day 4 – Today we had the privilege of testing an up and coming SAS app called GatherIQ which aims to bring hard to find data to the masses. It often targets hot button topics such as clean water access, immigration paths, and sepsis. I had the privilege of partnering with Kevin Chen, and together we explored the app, testing its usability. While we felt the data was very cool, some of it was very hard to interpret and counterintuitive; not good for an app meant for the general populace. Kevin gave some very honest feedback.

We did see a lot of potential for the app within a school setting, allowing students to examine problems that wouldn’t normally be possible.

At the end of the day, Kevin, Nancy (a person from another school), and I designed and proposed ways to make GatherIQ even more revolutionary. Nancy sketched an interface that resembled Instagram with a top stories page, a search function, and a personal profile page. Kevin thought of an ingenious rewards system that encourages progression and engagement within the app; calling for users to share and create their own graphs to unlock cooler designs and more advanced graphing options. We also brainstormed an idea (which Kevin and Nancy both shot down) to make the experience more customizable. Instead of users just copying and pasting graphs, they would take the vast amounts of variables that SAS has already isolated, and use the database to compare and contrast two variables of their choosing. This would allow people to discover relationships between the relevant variables and GatherIQ would provide the platform to share these discoveries. Then we presented; this is when Kevin really shined.

Have a good weekend.

Day 1 at the SAS Institute of Technology

Today was a wild day. I had flown back in from a debate tournament really late the night before, and I had not really slept that much on the trip itself (case writing was pretty last minute). But in the words of George Washington, “better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” I woke up a bit late, and did regretfully show up seven minutes late; parking was horrendous as well. I apologize to both the SAS institution and Cary Academy for not representing the Charger way. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I was greeted by a smiling Mrs. Dougherty (University Recruiting Director) and the six smiling faces of Matthew Cinoman, Kevin Chen, Matthew Schaeffer, Megan Tunley, Jessica Judge, and Will Parker. That’s when I knew it was going to be a good day.

We first began with an intro session to what SAS was all about. Through the videos, I began to get a better grasp of what data analytics is really all about. I’m pretty sure at its core, it’s all about isolating a multitude of variables and then finding the relationship between the important ones through a series of graphs and info charts. I thought the most intriguing part of this field however, was the human aspect that was still necessary in an industry that’s so saturated by technology. There are still data analysts that have to interpret the data and convey the information to the people that need it, instead of the computer just churning out conclusions and then printing them out on a piece of paper. As AI continues to grow that might not ring as true, but it was comforting to know that as of now, there is still a place for humans in the world of data analytics.

After this session we had lunch in the C building. It was free (although SAS employees have to pay, it’s still very cheap) and delicious; an unbeatable combo. Another thing about SAS’s amenities is that they have soda available everywhere. For a kid that grew up obsessed with sodas it’s a dream come true. However, because of athletic pursuits (haha), I am a bit more health conscious now.

After lunch I went to the finance division of SAS. I was toured around by John Wilson, and the first person I met really just seemed genuinely interested in me. We discussed potential majors, and I got a better idea of what options were available. She majored in accounting, and she does more project based work.  I also learned that FASBY kind of standardizes the field of accounting. Then I met with Mr. Wilson and we talked about basketball, then he showed me a spreadsheet. From what I can tell, I’m pretty sure it did mainly subtraction and found percent change. Lastly, I met with a guy who was super nice. He apparently keeps track of all the expenses, but I thought the coolest part was that he also had to track how much all of SAS’s assets depreciate. In general, these people were incredible at using Excel, and inspired me to learn the power of the spreadsheet.

*I apologize for any grammar mistakes, I’m a bit tired

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