ESP Biography



WILLIAM GEARTY, PhD Candidate in Paleobiology




Major: Geological Sciences

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: 2019

Picture of William Gearty

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I am a PhD candidate studying Paleobiology in the Department of Geological Sciences at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences.
I am interested in extinction, the body size of organisms, and really cheesy science movies.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

M7274: Understanding Big Data: Data Analysis Through Programming in Splash Spring 2019 (May. 04 - 05, 2019)
When most people think about computer science and programming, they think about websites and video games. However, in the age of Big Data, programming has become a vital tool for researchers (such as myself) that need to analyze lots of data. In this class, I will introduce R, an open source programming language for statistical computing and graphics. We'll start at the basics (2 + 2 = 4), and by the end you should be able to analyze any dataset and visualize your results with pretty graphs. We'll practice our new skills using some of the greatest data available (https://www.kaggle.com/rounakbanik/pokemon)!


M6216: Understanding Big Data: Data Analysis Through Programming in Splash Spring 2018 (May. 05 - 06, 2018)
When most people think about computer science and programming, they think about websites and video games. However, in the age of Big Data, programming has become a vital tool for researchers (such as myself) that need to analyze lots of data. In this class, I will introduce R, an open source programming language for statistical computing and graphics. We'll start at the basics (2 + 2 = 4), and by the end you should be able to analyze any dataset and visualize your results with pretty graphs.


M5928: Understanding Big Data: Data Analysis Through Programming in Splash Fall 2017 (Nov. 11 - 12, 2017)
When most people think about computer science and programming, they think about websites and video games. However, in the age of Big Data, programming has become a vital tool for researchers (such as myself) that need to analyze lots of data. In this class, I will introduce R, an open source programming language for statistical computing and graphics. We'll start at the basics (2 + 2 = 4), and by the end you should be able to analyze any dataset and visualize your results with pretty graphs.


M5749: Understanding Big Data: Data Analysis Through Programming in Splash Spring 2017 (Apr. 22 - 23, 2017)
When most people think about computer science and programming, they think about websites and video games. However, in the age of Big Data, programming has become a vital tool for researchers (such as myself) that need to analyze lots of data. In this class, I will introduce R, an open source programming language for statistical computing and graphics. We'll start at the basics (2 + 2 = 4), and by the end you should be able to analyze any dataset and visualize your results with pretty graphs.


B4752: The Biology of Hollywood in Splash Spring 2016 (Apr. 09 - 10, 2016)
What would life really be like if you were shrunk down to the size of an ant or even smaller? Did dinosaurs really look and behave as they are portrayed in Jurassic Park? Would King Kong really have been able to stand up, let alone climb the Empire State Building? Could you really be mutated into a superhero over night? These questions and more will be discussed.


B4452: The Biology of Hollywood in Splash Fall 2015 (Nov. 07 - 08, 2015)
What would life really be like if you were shrunk down to the size of an ant or even smaller? Did dinosaurs really look and behave as they are portrayed in Jurassic Park? Would King Kong really have been able to stand up, let alone climb the Empire State Building? Could you really be mutated into a superhero over night? These questions and more will be discussed.


B4137: What is a mass extinction? in Splash Spring 2015 (Apr. 11 - 12, 2015)
Ever wonder what really happened to the all of the dinosaurs? What caused them to go extinct? What happened afterwards? Mass extinctions have occurred numerous times in Earth's history. We will learn about the "Big Five" extinctions, exploring their causes, effects, and repercussions. To wrap up, we will apply what we have learned about past extinctions to the modern day and determine if we are now in the sixth mass extinction. Are WE the cause? What will be the effects and repercussions? Will we survive to find out?


B4366: Biology (or Lack Thereof) in Hollywood in Splash Spring 2015 (Apr. 11 - 12, 2015)
What would life really be like if you were shrunk down to the size of an ant or even smaller? Did dinosaurs really look and behave as they are portrayed in Jurassic Park? Would King Kong really have been able to stand up, let alone climb the Empire State Building? These questions and more will be answered.