Sub Topic

Engineering Statistics for Fun and Profit

Half day8:00 - 12:00

Level: Intermediate 

Facilitators:  

Nathan Stubina, Pace Global  
Quoc Hao Mach, Pace Global 

Come join a fun session in which you are guaranteed to taste some smarties while you learn statistics. 

Many engineers struggle to effectively apply statistics, leading to poor decisions, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. This course will explore how to use statistical methods to optimize processes, improve quality, and design better products. Understanding and applying these techniques is critical for boosting profitability, reducing costs, and making informed, data-driven decisions. 

Key Concepts Covered: 

  • Regression Analysis: Learn how to identify relationships between variables and predict outcomes. Understand how to build and interpret regression models to make informed decisions and optimize processes. 

  • Hypothesis Testing: Master the art of making data-driven decisions by testing assumptions and validating results. Learn how to design and conduct experiments, analyze results, and draw reliable conclusions. 

  • Modeling: Discover how to create mathematical models that represent real-world systems. Use these models to simulate scenarios, optimize performance, and improve product design. 

Common Pitfalls and Strategies to Avoid Them: 

  • Confusing Correlation with Causation: Understand the difference between correlation and causation to avoid making incorrect inferences from your data. 

  • Overfitting Data: Learn how to build models that generalize well to new data, avoiding the trap of overfitting, which can lead to poor predictive performance. 

By the end of this session, you will have a clear understanding of how to harness the power of statistics to drive engineering and business success, making smarter decisions based on data rather than intuition or guesswork. 

Short Course Objectives: 

To ensure people are not afraid of statistics ("stats-phobic").  

 

About the instructor:  

Nathan has recently taken the position of CEO at PACE.global and has a long history in the mining industry. This includes his time at Sherritt International as VP Technologies, his work as Managing Director for McEwen Mining as well as at various major mining companies such as Barrick Gold Corp. and Noranda Inc./Falconbridge Ltd. (now part of Glencore). Nathan holds a Ph.D., in Metallurgy and Materials from the University of Toronto and a B. Eng. in Mining and Metallurgical Engineering from McGill University. Nathan is currently a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario and was VP International of the CIM. He is a Past-President of MetSoc (Metallurgy & Materials Society of the CIM) and a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He was named a Fellow of the CIM in 2012 and a CIM Distinguished Lecturer in 2019. He is also a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3). 

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