Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

"Data science" is a necessary skill for the future

Rin Saito, 3rd year School of Human Sciences
Shuji Tsuruoka, 2nd year student School of Creative Science and Engineering

At Building No. 55 on Nishi-Waseda Campus. From the left: Saito and Tsuruoka

The key point of Waseda University's Data Science Education Program is that any student at the university can take it, and it offers a curriculum that can be applied to one's own field of expertise. Classes are fully on-demand, so you can learn anytime, anywhere. There is also a Data Science Certification System that guarantees data science ability according to the credits acquired. This time, we interviewed Saito and Tsuruoka, who are studying data science. We also asked Abe, a Learning Assistant (LA) at the Math & Stat Center who supports questions about data science, about how to use LA.

Learning "data science" will give you a new perspective!

--What prompted you to take the data science education program? What were your reasons for doing so?

齊藤：データ科学に興味を持ったのは高校生の時で、新型コロナウイルス感染症拡大がきっかけでした。データサイエンティストがコロナの感染者予測をしているという話がニュースで流れてきて、面白そうだなと思ったんです。今は、データ科学系のゼミに入ってデータ分析について学んでいます。

鶴岡：私はビジネスに興味があって、社長になりたかったんです。でも社長って経営のセンスとかカリスマ性とか、そういう真似しにくい特性がないとなれないものだと思っていました。

At that time, I came across a book called "Strategic Theory of Probability Thinking: The Power of Mathematical Marketing Proven at Universal Studios Japan," and learned that business can increase the probability of success by breaking things down into numbers and making logical decisions. From there, I became interested in data science and decided to take the course.

--What are you actually learning?

齊藤：データ科学の基本的な考え方を学ぶことができる「データ科学入門シリーズ」をα→β→γ→δの順に履修しました。「データ科学入門δ」（GEC設置科目）までいくとかなり専門的な内容を学べますが、難易度もかなり高くなる印象です。

鶴岡：そうですね。最初は数字とデータという感じで定量的な内容なのですが、後半はだんだん単純に数字では表せないような定性的な概念になっていきます。機械学習の一種であるクラスタリングとか、そのあたりから抽象度が上がってかなり難しくなります。

齊藤：レベルが上がっていくと、数学や統計学の結構深いところまで勉強するんですよね。私は普段そこまで数式を使うようなことはないので、苦労はありました。

The curriculum teaches students the skills to handle real data from theories. After that, students learn ways of thinking that link knowledge from their own fields of expertise.

--It seems like there were some challenges with the content being so serious. Conversely, what was fun about it?

齊藤：「データ科学入門シリーズ」を学んだ後に履修した、「データ科学実践」（GEC設置科目）という授業が楽しかったです。実際のデータを使って分析を行い、プレゼンテーションして評価も受けます。単なるデータの羅列から、分析して分かったことを形にしていく作業はすごく面白かったですね。私は早稲田大学クイズ研究会（W.Q.S.S）（公認サークル）に所属しているのですが、難しいクイズが解けたときの感覚にちょっと近いかも（笑）。

鶴岡：私は学んだことの“つながり”を感じられたのが面白かったですね。例えば標準偏差や分散とかを使って具体的なデータを評価すると、「何に使うんだろう？」と思っていたものが、「これが評価基準になるんだ！」とつながることに気付いた瞬間は感動しました！

Left: The assignment submitted by Saito in the "Data Science Practice" class. It was a data analysis of the relationship between the number of smokers and the number of people suffering from lung cancer.
Right: Tsuruoka's "Introduction to Data Science β A part of the notes from the course " (GEC)

It's on demand, so it's possible and usable!

What is the appeal of the program?

Saito says that he usually takes classes at home.

齊藤：オンデマンドで好きな時に視聴できるのが良かったです。私は所沢キャンパスに通学しているので、もし早稲田キャンパスで履修となると移動が大変です。これからは文理関係なく、仕事ではデータを扱うことが増えると思うので、今からデータ科学に触れておくと良いと思います。

鶴岡：そうそう、オンデマンドだったのはすごく助かりました！ データ科学教育プログラムは最初から最後まで内容につながりがあるので、後で前回の授業を振り返りたいことが多いんです。実際、私も何度も前の授業に戻って復習していました。最初の方はとっつきやすいので、まずは「データ科学入門α」や「データ科学入門β」（いずれも、GEC設置科目）くらいまでやってみることをお勧めします。

--How do you want to use what you learned in the data science education program in the future?

齊藤：今3年生で、就活中です。ゼミもですが、データ科学教育プログラムで学んだことがインターンシップで強力なアピールポイントになるのでは、と期待しています。

I also often hear in job hunting sessions that "data science skills are in demand in today's world." I myself would like to become a data scientist.

Tsuruoka is working hard to start a company that connects people, with the mission of "continuing to create a cycle of gratitude." The photo shows an event for starting the company.

鶴岡：マネジメントする立場になって、“合理的な組織”をつくりたいと考えています。熱量だとか定性的な要素だけではどうしても説得力に欠けるところで役立つのが、データ科学教育プログラムで学んだことです。実は、学生起業を考えていて、学生と校友（卒業生）をつなぐ会社を立ち上げようとしています。データや数字を活用して、組織づくりに役立てていきたいです。

Please feel free to ask me any questions, no matter how small!

When you have questions about your data science studies, you can rely on the Math & Stat Center (Waseda Campus Building No. 3), where you can get advice face-to-face or online. Data Science LA Abe says, "It's fun to be able to touch on various areas of society through data science" as he studies data science and uses real data. We asked him what kind of things the Data Science LA can help with.

Data Science LA Graduate School of Creative Science and Engineering 2nd year student Taichi Abe

If you bring along your PC, textbooks, and other materials, they will be happy to give you advice (Abe is in the back of the photo).

▲Return to top

Connecting with people and broadening your horizons through community cooperation and contributions

​A university-wide minor that anyone can take on regardless of faculty or year. In April 2024, a new course called Regional Collaboration and Contribution was launched. Students will learn practically by not only taking lectures but also working on practical training (※) to find solutions to problems that the local community is actually facing. We spoke with Ito, who visited Shonan Town, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, and Tanohata Village, Iwate Prefecture, and Yajima, who visited the Tane district of Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture.

(*) The content and duration of each program may vary. There are also capacity limits and deadlines, so please check the website for details.

The interesting aspects of the region that I discovered through my training and studies

Wakana Ito, 3rd year student School of Culture, Media and Society Media and Society

At Toyama Campus

Learning about a region means understanding it

--What prompted you to take the Regional Collaboration and Community Contribution course?

To be honest, at first, I just "just did it." In April of my first year, I thought that since I had entered Waseda, I wanted to take some interesting classes that were more than just sitting and listening. So I took the Regional Collaboration and Community Contribution course, which has a hands-on farming and mountain village experience, because I thought, "It looks like fun to go somewhere!"

-What was it like when you actually went there?

In the spring of 2022, I went to Shonan Town in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, and had the experience of planting seedlings in a field. I had the image that this kind of experience was something you do as a "customer," but that wasn't the case. What was fun was actually hearing from farmers about how the Shonan Roadside Station was established and the challenges they face in farming. I had never been involved with agriculture before, so I was very impressed by the farmers' thoughts.

A field in Shonan Town that I visited during my rural village experience training. I heard they planted perilla seedlings.

In addition, in the summer of 2023, we went to Tanohata Village in Iwate Prefecture for four days for a regional collaboration workshop. The theme of the internship was "Rediscovering the charm of the region," and we interviewed local people. It was difficult to compile the vast amount of interview data in the group work, but we received support from the village office and were able to work together to write a report.

Left: Tanohata Village, Iwate Prefecture, visited in 2023. We toured the village with a young staff member.
Right: With a young staff member from Tanohata Village Office

--What kinds of classes on community collaboration and community contribution are there other than practical training?

There are many things, but the one that made the biggest impression on me was "Regional Collaboration Studies" (a course offered by GEC). I learned the prerequisite knowledge for on-site training, listened online to talks by people who are active in rural areas in other regions, and wrote a report. The classes were all very interesting, starting with an overview of "what is regional collaboration in the first place?" and learning why regional collaboration is necessary and what it is actually like on the ground.

Particularly interesting was the talk by a guest speaker who graduated from Waseda and worked for a venture company called FoundingBase, whose mission is to revitalize depopulated areas. Later, he introduced me to the Regional Revitalization Volunteer Internship, which I participated in.

-What did you learn through the class?

Ito, hosting an NPO event

Regional revitalization is a hot topic these days. However, by actually learning about and participating in the program, I realized that regional revitalization involves a complex interweaving of many different elements, including law, business, community, and urban development.

In fact, this learning prompted me to participate in local activity support for the local NPO Action Port Yokohama from around the fall of my first year, managing an NPO internship and creating the Yokohama Action Map, etc. I feel that it was because of this class that I was able to face the local circumstances in a high-resolution way that would be overlooked if I were just living an ordinary life.

--What are some recommended points regarding local collaboration and contribution to the community?

There is a lot of practical learning and you can meet a lot of different people. I recommend it because you can have serious discussions with students from different faculties and years, and you can get a lot of stimulation from interacting with local people!

▲Return to top

Through community cooperation and contribution, I gained a broad perspective and encountered many people.

Ryo Yajima, 3rd year student School of Human Sciences

At Tokorozawa Campus Building No.100

Go to the site. The answer is there.

--What prompted you to take the Regional Collaboration and Community Contribution course?

I've had a strong interest in local communities since I was in junior high school, and I'm currently studying under sociologist Professor Tatsuto Asakawa (Faculty of Human Sciences). After entering university, I was in a field work class on the Great East Japan Earthquake, and together with my professor, I conducted research on a project related to the reconstruction of the Tohoku region. This led me to take a course on regional collaboration and contribution to the community.

-What interested you about regional collaboration and community contribution?

Yajima says she became interested in the local community cooperation and contributions that she was able to make by visiting the area as part of her classes.

When I conduct research, I basically make it a rule to go to the site, because only there can I find the answer as to whether what I have investigated is correct or not.

For my internship, I went to the Tane area of Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, a place I had never been to before. I thought that by actually visiting the area, I would be able to discover new charms. At the same time, I also wanted to learn about the current situation of the area, which is said to be depopulated.

The Tane area is a small area centered on agriculture, and I had the impression that it was difficult for outsiders to enter, but in fact they actively accept university students from the city. When I went there, many students from all over the country, including other universities, gathered through the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team. Not only do they deepen their relationships with the local people, but it's also amazing that they don't cut ties even after their practical training is over.

Left: August 2023, abandoned farmland in the Tane area
Photo on the right: In May 2024, students working on various projects in the Tane area exchange ideas.

--What kind of activities did you do while you were there?

Organizing the storehouse to build a sauna (May 2024)

What was unique was the attempt to "use a storehouse to build a sauna" in order to revitalize the local area. In addition, I held a local collaboration workshop, assisted with fieldwork studies at other universities, and even traveled around the Tane area myself to interact with junior and senior high school students and listen to their stories about the current situation in the area.

When I participated, I realized that there were more local young people than I had expected who were acting with a sense of crisis. On the other hand, there were also young people who had given up. I think it is important for such young people to come together and build a new town.

--What will you gain from taking the Regional Collaboration and Community Contribution course?

I think you will be able to see things from a broader perspective. For example, if you are studying economics, taking a course on community cooperation and community contribution will give you a new perspective of "economics x community cooperation." You will start to think about how much money you need and, conversely, how much economic effect you can create. I think this will be a great benefit even after you enter the workforce.

Another big attraction is being able to meet a variety of people through community cooperation and contributions. It's stimulating in a way I've never experienced before, and I think it will be beneficial for my future. I hope you'll experience it.

▲Return to top

Interview and text: Yuuki Yamadai
Photo: Shiori Banjo