S03E02 - The joy of teaching Python - with Reuven Lerner

S03E02 - The joy of teaching Python - with Reuven Lerner

Author: Half Stack Data Science August 9, 2023 Duration: 40:47

In this episode of Half Stack Data Science we continue our season 3, all about data science education, with a conversation with Reuven Lerner.

Reuven is a full-time Python trainer with a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering from MIT, and a PhD in learning sciences from Northwestern University.

In 2020, Reuven published "Python Workout" a collection of Python exercises with extensive explanations, published by Manning. He's currently working on "Pandas workout" a similar collection of exercises using the "pandas" library for data analytics.

Reuven's free, weekly "Better developers" newsletter, about Python and software engineering, is read by more than 30,000 developers around the globe.

Reuven's most recent venture is Bamboo Weekly: Every Wednesday, he presents a problem based on current events, using a public data set. And every Thursday, he shared detailed solutions to those problems using Pandas.

We spoke to Reuven about his love of teaching Python to beginners, what he thinks of notebooks and ChatGPT as educational tools, and how he got banned for life from advertising on Facebook.


Hosted by David Asboth and Shaun McGirr, Half Stack Data Science pulls back the curtain on what it really means to build and deploy data science within large organizations. This isn't a theoretical discussion of algorithms, but a grounded conversation about the messy, human, and often political challenges that define the field in an enterprise setting. Each episode delves into the practical hurdles-from managing stakeholder expectations and navigating legacy systems to communicating value and dealing with imperfect data. You'll hear candid reflections on projects that succeeded and those that didn't, offering a rare, unvarnished look at the day-to-day work beyond the hype. The Half Stack Data Science podcast is for practitioners who want to move beyond textbook examples and for leaders seeking to understand how to foster effective data teams. It’s a dialogue focused on the tools, processes, and soft skills necessary to deliver impact, making it an essential listen for anyone navigating the complex intersection of data, technology, and business reality. Tune in for honest talk about building things that actually work.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 33

Half Stack Data Science
Podcast Episodes
002: The Insight Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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In the second episode of the Half Stack Data Science podcast, David and Shaun talk about the strategy companies can employ to become more data-driven, using what they call "the Insight Journey".
001: What is Half Stack Data Science? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:37
In the first episode of the Half Stack Data Science, David Asboth and Dr. Shaun McGirr answer the question "what is Half Stack Data Science"?