When Spirituality, Psychology, and Data Science collide.

On a surface level, Data Science may seem to be a strictly statistical and fact-driven field - and indeed, it is! Yet, it also requires an incredible amount of creativity, critical thinking, and ethical considerations to truly excel.

My journey to data science, like many in the field, is somewhat convoluted and began with an intense interest in observing how people actually experience their faith. I have always been fascinated with how to quantify abstract concepts like religiousness and spirituality. These interests led me to the psychology of spirituality and religion, and particularly, how these constructs can be quantified.

Given my background as a social scientist, my interest in the field was never anchored to code or technical skill. Instead, my passion for my work is ignited by the implications of it on the world that God created. It is just as important to me that graduates know when not to optimize algorithms or utilize technology as a solution, as it is for them to understand the math and science behind how to do so. The ability to balance technical skills with a liberal arts perspective enables a deeper understanding of the field of data science.

What continues to fuel my passion as a professor is the transformative effect our programs have on our graduates. Their feedback on the value their skills hold, and how those skills impact their lives and careers is incredibly rewarding.

Although discovering the intersection between psychology, religion, and data science began due to a personal fascination with it, it quickly grew into a career path of helping students gain the wisdom and knowledge to critically contemplate the difficult, society-altering questions that continually arise in life.

Eastern’s emphasis on ethics in data science is truly a distinguishing part of our curricula and equips students with more than just technical skills, but also the ability to think outside of the spreadsheets and databases and look to the world around them for inspiration.