Dr. Jegar Pitchforth
Data Science - Statistics - Machine Learning
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Community Building
Statistical Society of Australia: Assistant Chair of Social Statistics, 2011-2013
The Statistical Society of Australia is the hub for Australian statisticians to meet and share ideas. As the Assistant Chair of Social Statistics I organised meetings and workshops for social statisticians, as well as writing monthly newsletters and contributing to the Society’s magazine.
CSIRO Mathematicians in Schools: Volunteer Service, 2011 - 2012
CSIRO Mathematicians in Schools is a volunteer program connecting academics with primary and secondary students to engage them with maths and statistics in their daily life. Over two years I designed and ran two courses for local Brisbane primary schools for six weeks each. The courses were designed to allow students to play with mathematical concepts by applying them to such diverse ideas as space flight, ecology, finance, sport and computer games.
QUT High Schools Engagement Program: Statistical Consultant, 2012-2013
As part of their mandate to engage with the wider academic community, Queensland University of Technology operates a range of STEM engagement courses for secondary students visiting the campus from around the state. As a statistical consultant I collaborated with senior academics to design a statistics engagement course, then oversaw its delivery. This course has become a successful part of QUT’s secondary engagement program.
Youth Challenge International:
Volunteer, 2002-2003
In 2002 I travelled to Costa Rica for three months as a volunteer for a charity called Youth Challenge International, which has since folded.
During my time there I worked with a close-knit team in two different areas to build community infrastructure in rural villages. These projects provided spaces and resources for future community organisation and social interaction in areas which had been heavily impacted by war, drug trafficking and unemployment.