Overview

Instructor(s): Shihan Li and Xiying Sun

Time: Friday, March 28, 2025 — 10:00AM-12:30PM CT

Location: Blocker 220 and online via Zoom

Prerequisite(s): Active ACCESS ID; some R programming experience is recommended

Curious about data science? Wondering how it differs from traditional scientific methods? Want to discover its potential applications in geoscience and global carbon cycle research? Join our workshop to explore these questions and more!

This short course aims to provide an intuitive understanding of data science and its applications in geoscience and carbon cycle research. By contrasting emerging data science methods with traditional physics-based modeling methodologies, participants will gain insights into their respective strengths and limitations.

Course Materials

• Data science meets Geoscience: a case study in rock weathering calculations (Spring 2025): PDF

Learning Objectives and Agenda

In this class, attendees will:

• Develop an intuitive understanding of data science concepts and their applications to geoscience and carbon cycle research.
• Gain hands-on experience with practical tools and techniques:
  • R programming basics.
  • Data manipulation, visualization and interpretation skills.
  • Application of machine learning approaches to analyze carbon cycle processes.

This course will be divided into four sections:

• Introduction to Rock Weathering
• Physics-Based Modeling
• Machine Learning Modeling
• Data Visualization, Interpretation, and Model Intercomparison

Note: During the class sessions many aspects of the material will be shown live using the Jupyter Notebook web application. Attendees will follow along and practice these parts on their own laptops.