Amidst all the conversations of how to best pay for healthcare in the United States, we also need to discuss how to best treat patients for those dollars. As with so many areas of our lives, algorithms trained via machine learning are becoming a part of the treatment process. Machine learning techniques look for patterns in data, even to the point of finding patterns their programmers did not expect or know about. Sadly, one common pattern in many data sets is racial bias. Often when an algorithm is looking to replicate … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Healthcare for All
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Science in Review: Seeing the Random Forest for the Trees
We talk a lot about science here, but science isn't just talk. I thought maybe we could roll up our sleeves and try a little science. Our options are limited by the blog format, but it's a pretty good platform for data science and machine learning. Don't worry, the computer will do all the work; you can just follow along if you don't want to deal with code. … [Read more...] about Science in Review: Seeing the Random Forest for the Trees
Science Corner: We Probably Think This World Is About Us
I found a companion piece to last week's musing on science from a child's perspective. Entitled What College Physics Students Can Learn From Little Kids, it's a revealing look at how fifth graders and college freshmen think about basic physics questions in the same incorrect way. The principles in questions are Newton's laws of motion. Based on some simple, unguided observations, most students of both ages suppose that constant force is required for constant motion and objects left to their own devices will eventually … [Read more...] about Science Corner: We Probably Think This World Is About Us
NY Times: Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy
Yesterday, Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy ran on the front page of the NY Times. For 40 years, evangelicals at Bowdoin College have gathered periodically to study the Bible together, to pray and to worship. They are a tiny minority on the liberal arts college campus, but they have been a part of the school's community, gathering in the chapel, the dining center, the dorms. After this summer, the Bowdoin Christian Fellowship will no longer be recognized by the college. Already, the college has … [Read more...] about NY Times: Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy
Why I’m (Still) A Christian – Part I
In my last post, I expressed some surprise at the fact that I am still a Christian, and that was genuine. But at the same time, I also find it perfectly reasonable and rational to be a Christian. Which, as you can probably imagine, is pretty important to someone who is scientifically inclined. And so I thought it was worth exploring a bit more of why it is that I am a Christian and how that fits in with my methodical approach to, well, just about everything (as my long-suffering wife can attest). An important … [Read more...] about Why I’m (Still) A Christian – Part I