About Me

My name is Chadwick Spencer. Welcome to my site!

I am passionate about data, especially the topics of data literacy, data ethics, and how we use information and knowledge created from data. It is my hope that we use information to be informed citizens working for a more just society and to improve our lives as well as the lives of those around us. These improvements can come in many forms ranging from our political choices to the automation of dangerous tasks for improved safety. Of course, our personal perspectives will determine how we perceive improvements but hopefully, through the interpretation of data, we will induce as little bias as possible.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Georgia and my Master of Science degree in Mineral Engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. For my thesis I used XRD and SEM to study the distribution of copper and iron oxide minerals in relation to copper deposits in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Currently I am enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Currently, I am the Senior Data Administrator for Barrick Gold – Goldstrike Operations in Nevada. Prior to this I have worked in consulting for Amec Foster Wheeler where I was an auditor focusing on database integrity, data governance, geochemistry QAQC, and exploratory data analysis for resource model development.

It is my hope that you will find my thoughts on data and its role in our lives interesting. Please read my blog posts where I will discuss topics in data literacy and data science and will demonstrate how to use SQL, Python, and Excel to developed informed decisions.