MALVERN, Pa. — When Heather Myers registered for a data visualization course this past spring, she anticipated learning techniques and tools to depict large amounts of data. Little did she know she would receive global recognition from Tableau, a leader in business intelligence and analytics software.
A web administrator for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) in Harrisburg, Myers decided to enroll in the Master of Professional Studies in Data Analytics program offered online through Penn State World Campus to further her technical acumen.
At her job, she maintains a variety of websites and social media accounts for the Commonwealth, and serves as a liaison between IT and the business offices for PHMC. Myers saw the degree as an opportunity to take the skills she already has — web and social media analytics, information technology services — and learn new skills. Plus, she had a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology from Penn State World Campus and was accustomed to the online format.
For the course’s final project, Myers was tasked to create a dashboard of individual data visualizations using Tableau. Wanting to integrate her studies with her job, she decided to depict the agricultural history of Pennsylvania — a decade-long initiative of PHMC because of its influence on the state’s economy and people.
Her instructor, Pam Vercellone-Smith, encouraged students to submit their projects to Tableau’s Student Viz Assignment Contest. Myers did — and came in first out of 250 submissions from across the world.
Myers’ winning visualization combines a timeless practice with the latest advancements in technology. Her interactive map of Pennsylvania depicting the value of farms and amounts of livestock provides users with a glimpse into agricultural life in 1850.