My toolbox is full of shiny tools, do I also need super powers?

Over the past decade the number of different computational tools our students encounter throughout their undergraduate education has increased greatly. But having a toolbox full of shiny tools is not sufficient for the modern student to be a productive statistician or data scientist. The modern student needs to learn to use these tools in harmony with each other. And unlike super heroes that tend to be good at using one super power well, the modern student needs to have practical familiarity with many “super powers”. In this talk I’ll talk about how to integrate various super powers into statistics and data science curricula, e.g., shapeshifting (data manipulation), clairvoyance (predictive modeling), time travel (version control), and perhaps most importantly empathy, as “with great power comes great responsibility”.