While it is the subject for another blog post or another blog, Mongol culture has long held my fascination. Thanks to a series of fortunate events, I had the opportunity to bring some of my favorite interests (data, statistics, R, Mongolian) all together to form an unforgettable experience in May 2017. During one week in Ulaanbaatar, I visited three of the oldest, largest, and most important Mongolian universities, as well as the nerve center of Mongolian data, the National Statistics Office.
National Statistics Office of Mongolia
The first and most intensive event was my invitation to present two days of workshops on Data Science at the National Statistics Office of Mongolia (Монгол Улсын Үндэсний статистикийн хороо). On May 8 and May 9, I delivered all-day presentations and interactive training on Data Visualization, Big Data, Reproducible Research, and Data Literacy. The presentation slides in English and accompanying Mongolian translation are available here.
We covered lots of ground, and I was also able to learn about the data environment in Mongolia and some of NSO’s data dissemination efforts such as the 1212.mn data portal. The facilities at NSO were superb, and the audience of 33, consisting primarily of government data professionals from the NSO and other Mongolian agencies were an outstanding group. It was truly a privilege to be able to work with them. An article (in Mongolian) about the event is here.
In particular, I would like to thank Ch. Davaasuren (Research and Development Director of the Mongolian Marketing Consulting Group for arranging the event, to L. Myagmarsuren (Director of Information Technology at NSO) for hosting it, and to A. Ariunzaya (Chair of NSO) for the invitation.
These three can be seen at the opening of the event [at the link below], along with me and my poor Mongolian – уучлаарай (sorry!). I promise it will improve!
NSO Data Science opening remarks
The event was greatly enriched by sponsorship from IASSIST, the International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology. IASSIST is developing outreach efforts to areas around the world, and provided translation services and lunch for workshop participants. We had two days of delicious хуушуур (huushur), сүүтэй цай (milk tea), and other Mongolian specialties at Modern Nomads. Joining IASSIST is a great way to get in touch with a worldwide network of data professionals!
National University of Mongolia
On Wednesday, May 9, I spoke on Data Literacy to approximately 70 students of statistics at the National University of Mongolia (Монгол Улсын Их Сургууль). Even though the talk started at 7:40 am, students were attentive and asked probing questions. Clearly, they are the future of data science –very curious about career trends and the nature of the work and skills required. I am sure they will succeed if they remain as focused as they were that day! Амжилт хүсьё!
Thanks to D. Amarjargal for inviting me, and B. Myagmarsuren for translating!
Mongolian University of Life Sciences
On Thursday, May 10, I traveled to the southern side of Ulaanbaatar to speak at the Mongolian University of Life Sciences (Хөдөө Аж Ахуйн Их Сургууль), giving two presentations on Big Data and Data Visualization to a group of approximately 20 faculty of the School of Economics and Business.
The faculty here were very welcoming and discussed many issues in applying big data and visualization techniques to their work. Many thanks to P. Munktuhya (Head of the Department of Economics, Statistics, and Mathematical Modeling) for arranging the event, to G. Ganzorig (Senior Lecturer in Agricultural and Applied Economics) for translation, and to B. Baasansukh (Dean of the School of Economics and Business) for the invitation.
I was also able to have a very informative and positive meeting with Ts. Sukhtulga (Chief of Administration and International Affairs) to discuss possibilities for cooperation with Rutgers University. An article (in Mongolian) about my visit appeared here. I really regretted not having more time to spend here!
Mongolian University of Science and Technology
My final talk on Friday, May 11 was at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (Шинжлэх Ухаан, Технологийн Их Сургууль), where I spoke on Big Data, Reproducible Research, and Data Visualization, hitting highlights from my earlier presentations during the week.
Approximately 40 faculty and students from MUST’s School of Business Administration and Humanities attended. Once again, the audience was attentive and questioning up until the end, even though the talk was held late on Friday afternoon. I was very impressed by the curiosity and dedication of the Mongolian academic community here, and throughout my trip.
At MUST, I would like to thank J. Oyuntungalag (Professor of Technology Management) for arranging the talk. I also enjoyed a good meeting with U. Batbaatar and P. Jargaltuya of the Office of International Affairs and Cooperation.
On Friday, I was also able to spend some time at the Mongolian Marketing Consulting Group‘s offices to learn more about how they conduct polling, market research, and other data collection, thanks to the hospitality of Ch. Davaasuren.
It was such a memorable and rewarding experience that I must continue to thank those who made it possible, once again Ch. Davaasuren who helped throughout the week, and especially to M. Bayarmaa who worked tirelessly to organize many aspects of the week’s events and behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.
I can only hope that this is the start of a long and productive collaboration with the Mongolian data world.
Би цагийг гайхалтай сайхан өнгөрөөсөн! (I had a glorious time!)
RyanData 