The three-part "Happy Hour from Home" series is now viewable on Willamette University's YouTube channel.
Oregon wine with Professor Jameson Watts
"The Data Science of (Oregon) Wine: Machine Learning with a Decadent Dataset" — Watts asks, what makes an Oregon Pinot so unique? Which taste profiles command the highest price premium? How do Oregon wines compare to famous Pinot-producing regions like Burgundy in France? Using a unique dataset of reviews, ratings and prices, Watts will answer these questions and more. Plus, find out which Oregon wines give you the most bang for your buck.
World leaders with Professor Robert Walker
"Utilizing the database of world leaders – Archigos (Chiozza, Gleditsch, and Goemans)" — Walker uses R's ggplot universe and extensions to explore data on the population of world leaders over nearly two centuries. How long do leaders endure? Do entry circumstances influence tenure? How are entry and exit methods related? How do leaders die? These and comparisons among military and non-military leaders, male and female leaders, political system characteristics and other related issues are constructed as a flipbook to explore both the method of inquiry and the code tools used with the results we uncover.
Craft breweries with Professor Jake D. Hoskins
“Little fish in a big pond: Legitimacy transfer, authenticity, and factors of peripheral firm entry and growth in the market center” — How can small niche firms compete with larger, more established organizations? By examining the rapidly expanding craft beer industry, this study explores how craft breweries are able to both enter the market space of these larger competitors and secure sustained patterns of growth. Specifically, we highlight two factors influencing the success of craft breweries. First, as major beer producers mimic niche products (i.e., faux craft beer), smaller niche firms are allowed to enter the market by exposing the typical consumer to the tastes of craft beer. Second, craft breweries enjoy increased success if they (a) emphasize the local elements of their company, and/or (b) offer a larger number of products.
