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Information Ecosystems


Season 3: Data Science for Social Justice

The InfoEco project seeks to advance a deeply powerful understanding of where data comes from and how it is used, setting the present moment within a century-long history of information supply and its power-laden consequences. At a moment when societies are in urgent need of guidance to navigate rapidly shifting digital terrain, we are coming together to build a deep understanding of the social and political life of data.

In the 2022-2023 Academic Year, we are proud to present a series of podcasts documenting the Data Science 4 Social Justice (DS4SJ) project here at the University of Pittsburgh. One of Pitt’s goals is to leverage knowledge—through  teaching, research, and community service—for  society’s gain. The dominance of the digital sphere, the upheaval of civic life, and the role of technology in accelerating systemic inequality create an unprecedented opportunity to apply “use-driven data science” for social impact. This year, we will hear from numerous members of this project, from Pitt and beyond, about the ways that data science can facilitate a more equitable society.

Apr 1, 2022

The interviewee in this episode is Marcia Rapchak. The interviewer is Briana Wipf. The conversation for this episode focuses on the ethics surrounding the collection of student data by learning management systems. 

This season of the Information Ecosystems podcast is being produced in affiliation with the Year of Data and Society at the University of Pittsburgh. The website for the Information Ecosystems project is https://infoeco.hcommons.org/, and the website for the Year of Data and Society at the University of Pittsburgh is https://yearofdataandsociety.pitt.edu/. For more about Rapchak’s work, visit https://www.sci.pitt.edu/people/marcia-rapchak. This episode was recorded on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.

The Information Ecosystems project seeks to advance a deeply powerful understanding of where data comes from and how it is used, setting the present moment within a century-long history of information supply and its power-laden consequences. At a moment when societies are in urgent need of guidance to navigate rapidly shifting digital terrain, we are coming together to build a deep understanding of the social and political life of data.