Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics & Computer Graphics | Teresa Larsen | TEDxUNLV

We all understand the power of imagery; a picture can convey a clear, compelling, or even deceptive message. Dr. Larsen talks about how we can all communicate visually, especially if we keep in mind just a few simple concepts. Teresa Larsen fell in love with data visualization while earning her doctoral degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. Throughout her academic training she noticed the conspicuous absence of guidelines on how to present data and results clearly. This led her to follow an alternative career path pondering ways to communicate complex information in the best way possible. Along the way, she has earned awards for computer graphic animation and has many of her figures displayed as framed artwork. She respects Edward Tufte’s perspective on data visualization but finds his criticism frustrating because he tells us what’s wrong rather than how to do it right. To address this necessity, Dr. Larsen created a curriculum that teaches the process of going from raw data to a clear visual message. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx