Associate Professor Kean Aw with twin sons Kyvin (left) and Kyson, who graduate tomorrow. Photo / Jason Dorday
Associate Professor Kean Aw with twin sons Kyvin (left) and Kyson, who graduate tomorrow. Photo / Jason Dorday
Proud father will see twins awarded science degrees from his university.
Associate Professor Kean Aw has been looking forward to tomorrow for a long time.
In the morning, the senior lecturer at the University of Auckland's department of mechanical engineering will oversee the graduation of his students, and in the afternoon, that of twin sons Kyvin and Kyson.
The Auckland family, who migrated from Malaysia in 2003, will later celebrate together over dinner in the city, with eldest daughter Kyreen's 23rd birthday making the occasion extra sweet.
A proud Professor Aw said his sons, 21, had worked hard over the past three years to earn their bachelor of science degrees - Kyvin's in chemistry and Kyson's in geology.
Kyson was drawn to geology by a fascination with the Earth's ancient past - and the odd dinosaur - but was now keen to explore the world of sedimentology, with perhaps a career in oil exploration.
His brother couldn't see the appeal: "None of that interests me at all," he said with a chuckle.
Kyvin will instead undertake further study in food science, an area that has interested him for as long as he can remember.
With the world facing the monumental challenge of producing enough food to feed a population projected to reach nine billion by 2050, he expects the topic to become increasingly crucial.
"It's quite important, obviously, and once it runs out, we are kind of screwed ... for lack of a better word."
The brothers said their dad was proud to have his sons attending the university, although they couldn't deny it came with some pressure and expectation.
"With tests and assignments and stuff, it can be kind of scary as he keeps asking, 'What did you get?'" Kyvin said. "But I wouldn't say he has high expectations or expects As and A-pluses - he just wants us to do well."
Modern life means grappling with stacks of data
Pieta Brown still hasn't settled on a description that accurately covers what she does every day.
A data scientist, she explains, can be anyone working at the crossroads of mathematics, statistics and computer science.
Data science isn't new; in some form, the discipline has been around for half a century or more.
Yet the sheer volume of data generated - be it from retail transactions or activity on social media - is colossal.
"People are working with the same techniques they always were, but suddenly the data has just become that much more enormous and complicated," she said.
Pieta Brown sees herself as "lucky enough" to have interests in areas where there are opportunities.
Photo / Jason Dorday
"So I don't see myself as a pioneer, I just see myself as someone who is lucky enough to be interested in all of these things at a time when there are a lot of new and exciting opportunities."
In the future, data science might mean reconfiguring our homes to be smart enough to reorder grocery items, or analysing the capacity of an entire transport network at rush hour so our driverless cars can zoom us to work in the least amount of time.
But for Ms Brown at the moment, her role as an insight manager at Ponsonby-based Lab360 typically involves "wrangling a lot of messy data" for the company's clients.
A self-proclaimed maths geek, Ms Brown initially trained as a statistician before beginning a masters of professional studies in data science at the University of Auckland.
