Jon Kishiyama, Applications Engineer, Nikon
Fun Fact: As a prank, I once used a temporary loophole in Arizona state law to get my name in the paper as a candidate for governor.
JMP User since 1998
Another fun fact from Jon Kishiyama: Most pronounce Nikon as Ny-con. The pronunciation is actually Knee-con.What is your favorite feature in JMP?
Oddly enough, journals. My usage of them is more day-to-day custom data visualization meets PowerPoint.
What was your first job (ever)?
My first job was sweeping floors and stocking shelves at a small local store in the neighborhood. I was 10 or 11 years old (I’m not going to mention the year) at the time and was working to purchase a Crossman BB gun.
What is your proudest professional moment?
This is an easy one. Finding 10mV that many folks had been trying to find for about two years. Reviewing what they had done and researching a wee bit more, I observed the DOEs performed previously were on point but not executed with the diligence required to observe such a small difference. Focusing on the key variables from previous work and research, while strictly controlling the execution, provided an “aha” in two months.
How did you get interested in engineering? Is it something you always knew you wanted to do or were you inspired by someone/something?
Like many youngsters, I tore most everything apart to see what was inside. What it actually boiled down to was air conditioning. I worked at a TV repair shop and enjoyed being in the cool confines of the shop as opposed to the 100+ degree summers in Arizona. From there, my interest grew in electronics, so much so that I pursued a degree in electrical engineering.
What do you like most about the work you do?
Finding the answer. Seems like a standard canned answer. I’ve been in the semiconductor industry for a very long time; the one constant has been finding a solution to the problem(s).
How are you currently using JMP?
Today, most of my JMP time is scripting. I’m eight months into a new job and spend a good percentage of my time building reports for things that needed to be done but hadn’t been until I got there. The carrot is the server we should be purchasing so I can look over a wee bit more data using machine learning skills I’ve picked up at previous employers.
What is the first project you worked on using JMP?
That’s a while back. We were just learning the capabilities in the early days. So my early use was with qualifying and matching tools. Simple t-tests, distribution matching, etc.
Is there anything you would like to say to JMP development or John Sall?
Keep up the good work.
How do you see the field of data science progressing in the next 20-50 years?
I’ve seen with my own eyes the capabilities of resourced machine learning projects, and many are currently out there pushing it. For the next 20-50 years, my vision is ubiquitous everything, meaning that every “thing” communicates with most every other “thing.” Of course, you will need the data scientists to “see” what’s going on.
What advice would you give a beginning JMP user?
Three things:
- Learn the basics of statistics, either through your work, JMP STIPS or a stats course so you can qualify discussions of the output in common language.
- Utilize JMP Tutorials, JMP on YouTube, and other online classes to see and reinforce best methods while learning new concepts.
- Seek help and guidance through discussions with other JMP users in your organization to embrace continuous learning and improve. Follow activities on Kaggle and Data Science Central.