Seminars

Data Visualization with Matplotlib and Jupyter Notebooks

, with Michael Gul

This seminar will introduce some ways to visualize data with Matplotlib, a python library used for plotting and graphs. We will work in a Jupyter Notebook, which is a coding environment where code is run in sections (as opposed to the whole program at once), and results such as graphs are displayed dynamically. We will also learn a little bit of Pandas, another library, which is used for storing data.

Interacting with Data

, with Phyllis Zhang

With data from opportunityinsights.org, we’ll first use Python’s pandas and plotting packages to investigate the data and uncover some interesting patterns. We’ll then use a simple model and see how effective it is in describing our data. Finally, we’ll use some of our web development skills and the D3 package in JavaScript to create our own visualization for this data!

Algorithmic Bias & Surveillance Capitalism: Critical Eyes towards Race, Gender, & Identity

, with Nikhil Dharmaraj

In this seminar, we will explore the myriad ways in which algorithms, particularly AI systems, perpetuate systemic harm along the lines of race, gender, and class in our world — namely, through systems of surveillance capitalism, predictive policing, and more. Examining the works of scholars such as Joy Buolamwini, Ruha Benjamin, Safiya Noble, & Shoshana Zuboff, we will dive into one of the most pressing issues in computer science today and unpack the sociopolitical, legal, and material ramifications of the algorithms we are learning to build.