15 February – Towards Participatory Democracy in the Big Data Age?

Often referred to as the “Big Data Age”, businesses and governments are now able to collect and process more information than ever before. This has come to play an increasingly prominent role in society by influencing everything from elections to job searches. But the models can also cement biases by using mathematics and programming – and are often designed to serve the interests of a small segment of our societies.
This lecture discusses the ways that these models can both harm and enrich our societies – and how it’s possible to challenge unjustified assumptions by creating fair and competitive models in the Big Data Age.
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Raazesh Sainudiin is a researcher in applied mathematics and statistics at the Department of Mathematics at Uppsala University. His interdisciplinary work focuses on applying custom-built mathematical and statistical models to solve real-world problems. Raaz’s research explores data science – a brand new field within academia .
This lecture will be held in English.
Date: 15/02/2018
Time: 6:15-7:30 PM
Place: Hörsal 2, Ekonomikum
Admission: Free. A one-year membership can be purchased at the event for 100 SEK.
In collaboration with The Reflective Engineer, group within Engineers without Borders, and Folkuniversitetet.