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Data science (inspirational interview)

Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 12:24
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Edited by George Muirhead, Tuesday, 30 Jun 2020, 13:51
https://www.thinkful.com/blog/ask-an-expert-journalism-to-data-science/ Giles, holds a first class degree in physics from the

OU


A true inspiration to any aspiring learner! https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/gilesmcmullen
Tags: motivation, learning, physics, data science
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SXR103 chemistry is fun (2008) :-)
Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 13:17
by Jan Pinfield

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Interestingly, none of the profile I've found for him mention the OU, only Oxford.

Jan

2022_Profile_Pic_G_Muirhead
Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 14:37
by George Muirhead

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Hi Jan, that is interesting, I Inferred the information from his YouTube channel https://youtu.be/HAKErEIFnGo
2022_Profile_Pic_G_Muirhead
Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 14:43
by George Muirhead

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I've attached a screenshot, it's in the comments section on the Youtube video.
SXR103 chemistry is fun (2008) :-)
Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 15:10
by Jan Pinfield

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Thanks George smile

I wonder why he doesn't include it in his various profiles.  It's almost as if he is ashamed of it for some reason. As I said, only Oxford gets a mention, but obviously I haven't found all his profiles.

It would be more inspiring if he gave the OU a mention.  But things have changed a lot at the OU since he completed his Bachelors degree. The big changes really started to hit in 2012, but things were deteriorating in the sciences even before then.  I was fortunate to be able to complete my BSc Life Sci in 2013 with most of the really good bits about the OU still included.  

So maybe he really doesn't want to publicise it the way it is now? I admit, once upon a time, I would have recommended the OU with no hesitation.  Now I recommend, but with lots of caveats.

Jan


2022_Profile_Pic_G_Muirhead
Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 17:12
by George Muirhead

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It's an interesting point you raise smile. In Giles defence - I think it's about having a broader appeal to focus on what he is doing now. (Selling Datascience courses on Udemy) Oxford University arguably has a much broader presence in people's minds than the OU, I think it has been a marketing decision. Projecting his public profile and image further into the International limelight is more of a compelling reason to believe, than what your suggesting. Otherwise why would he still have this video up? I remember listening to a radio program recently, which supported the argument, 'Employers don't care where you got your degree from' What matters to them is that you have one and that it is genuine.
SXR103 chemistry is fun (2008) :-)
Thursday, 25 Jun 2020, 17:44
by Jan Pinfield

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Hi George,

It is interesting that it is still there from 2015.  Maybe he just forgot about it big grin

I checked for any academic references via Google Scholar to see how he was getting on with his hinted at doctorate.  

It seems that he was a contributor to (but not a lead author of) a research paper submitted 2017, published 2018, at which point he was still a BSc.  Mind you, a PhD can take an awfully long time to complete if he was actually working towards one.

https://imaging.onlinejacc.org/content/11/11/1594.abstract

He also seems to have left employment with Oxford University since then, to focus on other things such as online education. There does seem to be a good amount of somewhat vague padding, shall we say... in some of the sites that mention his name.  Of course he may not be responsible for the marketing hype.

I'm not calling into doubt his ability as a python programmer, but I do have concerns over descriptions of his background.

I've learned during my own OU studies to be very careful with validation of sources.

Anyway... it was interesting to check him out.

Jan