Dr Linda McIver is Founder and Executive Director at the Australian Data Science Education Institute, and author of Raising Heretics: Teaching Kids to Change the World. In this Episode, Linda describes her early interest in the science of biology, and her migration to a degree in Computer Science at Monash University which would ultimately be the focus for her PhD and wherein she would explore the development of a Genuinely Readable And Intuitive [programming] Language (GRAIL). Linda describes the ways in which gender biases influence students’ attitudes towards and exposure to STEM concepts and skills. We discuss Raising Heretics and why scepticism is so important for practising and teaching data science, and Linda points out that there are no definitively right or wrong answers in the real world, and instead we should focus on evaluating methodologies. Linda argues that we should be constantly challenging orthodoxy and gives a recent example from during the COVID-19 pandemic of false orthodoxy. Linda describes what kids are doing in schools with data science, from Year 11’s doing cancer research, sleep science, neuroscience, astrophysics, and wildlife monitoring to 5 year-olds doing data science projects in their community and analysing the results. We discuss the ascendence and pervasiveness of data science as a paradigm for understanding the world, and the epistemic issues facing the data science industry. We discuss data literacy, the failure of our education system to prepare Australians to be able to make sense of the information that we are now assaulted with daily. Finally, we expore the phenomena of misinformation, some characteristics of how it occurs, how it spreads, and how we can recognise it. https://adsei.org/ https://adsei.org/raising-heretics-how-data-science-education-can-change-the-world/ https://seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Deanne Weir is a lawyer, philanthropist, investor and Chair of AI-Media and Seer Data & Analytics. Deanne invests in founders and storytellers who are changing the world.In this Episode, we talk with Deanne about her early life as a young woman in Horsham in Victoria, her career in pay tv, and her journey to establishing the WeirAnderson Foundation. We learn why Deanne is so passionate about philanthropy and investment as a way to benefit and build society.Deanne talks about why “access for all” is a guiding principle for her investments, and we zero in on the companies she Chairs. She talks about the exciting tech and AI-driven companies emerging in the media and film industries, and how AI is helping storytellers with narrative design and film production.We also talk about big tech, anti-trust and the policy framework in Australia and around the world, and how it is now playing out as policymakers and Governments think through the implications for the data age and what the possible futures could be.Learn more at http://www.weiranderson.com/ https://seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dr Paola Oliva-Altamirano is an accomplished astrophysicist and data scientist who pivoted her academic career researching the evolution of galaxies to the social sector where she now brings data science for benefit of society. In this episode, we talk with Paola about breaking gender stereotypes in Honduras as she defied tradition to pursue a career in STEM. She speaks about the influence of her early teachers and her father who built her confidence as a mathematician which led her to study physics.  We discuss the role of data science in astrophysics and how Paola has applied her skills to her work at the Innovation Lab at Our Community where she has created a groundbreaking classification model of grant funding in Australia.   We discuss the development of the CLASSIEfier tool which is used extensively by the Not For Profit sector to detect and classify not just grants but other digital documents and help summarise the flow of grant funding and attention to various causes. Paola discusses the challenge of algorithmic bias, and the ways in which prejudicial bias can and has been avoided in the development of CLASSIEfier. This tool provides insight into the $80 billion in funding from Australia’s public sector grantmakers that use the Smartygrants platform. Until now, funding for grants has not been well understood and the tool sheds light on where the money is going and how it’s being spent. We talk about the role of Paola’s work in achieving better efficiency through transparency within the many-billion dollar grants sector, in Australia and overseas.  Paola speaks about the joys of learning about the complexities in the community sector and the free tools created by Our Community for all people working in the not for profit sector to build data literacy and to make data-informed decisions.  Resources: NFP data science online tutorials ($48, free with discount code) – designed to be a gentle introduction to data science concepts, combined with practical exercises, resources and templates NFP Data Capability Framework (free) – easy to read primer on not-for-profit data and how it can be used NFP Data Project Guide: (free) – a 15-step guide to scoping and delivering successful data projects (with a consultant on hand to bounce ideas and give advice)  Learn more at www.ourcommunity.org.au or https://smartygrants.com.au/innovation-lab/overview  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ahead of next year’s federal election, Kylea Tink has announced her candidacy as North Sydney’s Independent Candidate for Canberra. A blue ribbon seat held by the Liberal Party for 100 years, Kylea is campaigning on issues that matter to people in her electorate like urgent action on climate change, a forward focused economy, a federal integrity commission, and bettering the treatment of women and marginalised groups. Kylea shares her motivations to join the independents movement and shares why she believes now is a critical time in politics for Australian society. She shares why she wants to hold the powerbase in Canberra accountable and her big motivating moments to run to represent the people of North Sydney who she says care about faster action on climate, integrity and equality.  We talk about Kylea’s history as a successful executive in communications, government health policy and as the CEO of the McGrath Foundation. Kylea describes the recent proliferation of independent candidates as a reaction to a dissatisfaction that many feel in the lack of true representation and lack of integrity demonstrated by their historically party-affiliated federal representatives. Kylea urges us to take the opportunity to disrupt and recreate this system. Kylea observes that Australia is 1st globally for women’s education, with significantly more female university graduates than men, but 50th in the world for the gender pay gap, and 70th in the world for women’s workforce participation. Kylea paints the future of Australia as a sustainable energy super-power, with a favourable landscape and conditions for solar and wind power. Kylea argues that we need a robust plan for transitioning off fossil fuels. We talk about the role of data in political campaigning, and whether we’re likely to see data used as ubiquitously and effectively here in Australia as it has been in the US. Kylea describes her openness toward the use of data for personalisation of content online, but also reflects on how easy it is for untruths to be used in political campaigns without consequence for the originator and admonishes Australians to be aware of our echo chambers and to seek alternative sources of information. We discuss misinformation, and what to do about it. Kylea underscores the importance of discourse between people with different opinions and perspectives for facilitating individual and collective sense-making and regrets the apparent preference for group think within the mainstream political parties. Kylea describes her passion for more open public debate. We then ask Kylea for her view on the question of whether charities should be allowed to engage in advocacy and still retain Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status with the Australian Charities and No-For-Profit Commission (ACNC). We discuss the issue of Government influence on freedom of speech and the challenge that many NFPs may face with the introduction of new legislation to disqualify NFP organisations from DGR status. ‘Don’t muzzle them’: charities should be allowed to lobby for political change, tribunal finds | Charities | The Guardianhttps://seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dr Ian Oppermann is the NSW Government Chief Data Scientist working within the Department of Customer Service, Seer Data & Analytics Board Director and Industry Professor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Ian shares the story of his journey from telecommunications to Data Science and the NSW Data Analytics Centre (DAC) via wireless network planning and optimisation and autonomous robotics.Ian describes the inception of the DAC and initial responses within government agencies to the (then) new idea of taking a data-lead approach. Ian recounts an early project with NSW Fire and Rescue to provide staff with predictive intelligence on the nature of fire alarm calls.We discuss the importance of asking the right question, and how the DAC became known for probing recursively to help agencies distil their intuitions into testable hypotheses, and how this was applied to help guide Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance reform.Ian discusses the ways in which the findings of a data analytics project can be challenging to communicate when sensitive subjects are involved. Ian describes one project which challenged the long-held belief that investment in infrastructure projects has long term beneficial impact on jobs and skills. Another project which culminated in development of the Human Services Dataset saw the linkage of 44,000 life journeys of children as captured in data from Education, Health, Justice, and Family and Community Services (FACS) which challenged the presumption that “doing something” is always better than “doing nothing”. Ian reflects on the importance for the success of these projects of considered messaging and taking stakeholders on the journey.Ian introduces the AI assurance framework in development to assist AI practitioners in putting into practise the Mandatory Ethical Principles for the use of AI outlined in the NSW Government AI Ethics Policy; Fairness, Privacy and security, Transparency, and Accountability. We discuss the approach of NSW Government to establishing trustworthiness in the use of data and AI, and how the framework can be applied to AI technologies such as facial recognition and chat bots.We also touch on the new Australian Data Strategy and how this strategy will relieve some of the historic barriers to Government sharing data. Ian pans the three main objections typically raised to sharing Government data of “Unwilling”, “Unable”, and “Not allowed”; and discusses how the Australian Data Strategy is important for addressing the last of these, as well as other frictions like inter-state “rail gauge” issues and mutual recognition of data access licenses.www.seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Natalie Egleton is the CEO of FRRR (Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal). In this Episode, we talk with Nat about the role of data to support regional and rural community groups to change the authorising environment and put the power back into the hands of local groups to get a seat at the decision-making table. Natalie has dedicated her career to working with community groups, service agencies, governments, corporate business and philanthropy to effectively support medium-long term recovery and to build awareness of the complex and dynamic nature of community recovery.In September 2021, FRRR commissioned the Heartbeat of Rural Australia study, exploring how not-for-profits and community groups in remote, rural and regional Australia are faring, in the wake of nearly two years of constant disruptions. The qualitative and quantitative data articulates the vital role that community organisations play in the social, economic, cultural, and environmental resilience and vitality of their communities and regions. It highlights the cumulative impacts of natural disasters, and COVID-19.The goal of making the data from the study accessible as a dataset (as well as a report) is to amplify and give greater authority and influence to local organisations in the design of policies, investments, and solutions for their communities’ sustainability and vitality.We talk about the real impacts of multiple crises on social capital, and what would happen to our communities if it didn’t exist. Investing at the local level is key to keeping our communities vital and alive. Nat talks about empowering community organisations with data and what actions policy makers and grantmakers could be taking to support regional and rural towns through crisis recovery. The Heartbeat of Rural Australia Study Access to the dataset and resources www.frrr.org.au www.seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nick Abrahams is the Global Leader of Technology & Innovation for Norton Rose Fulbright. In this episode, we talk with Nick about the remarkable mainstreaming of cryptocurrency and what it means. We talk about crypto-related ETFs; what they are and why the first listing on the ASX of this type of asset class smashed previous first-day trading volume records within the first 15 minutes. Nick explains the difference between fiat currencies and Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies that are based on a distributed ledger. Nick explains Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) and why you need to know about them. We talk about the metaverse and the risks and opportunities, including what personal data will be able to be collected in the metaverse, and what that could mean for the future of society.The Bragg ReportThe Metaverse: The evolution of a universal digital platformA report by Norton Rose Fulbright explaining what the metaverse is, what its potential is for disruptive change, and some of the key legal and regulatory issues future stakeholders may need to consider. Anatomy of an NFT | Knowledge | Global law firm | Norton Rose FulbrightNon-fungible tokens (NFTs) have recently exploded to the forefront of modern pop culture and are taking on an ever-increasing number of forms. Andreessen Horowitz | Software Is Eating the WorldAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, California, that backs bold entrepreneurs building the future through technology.Everydays: the First 5000 Dayswww.seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dr Toby Cumming, formerly research Fellow at the National Ageing Research Institute and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, talks with us about his early career and recent pivot to research manager at Sustainability Victoria working on the Victorian Healthy Homes Program. Toby leads the program which is trialling home energy upgrades to 1000 Victorian homes with the aim of improving indoor winter temperatures and reducing household energy bills.It’s the first Randomised Control Trial ever conducted by an Australian Government agency. Toby describes the trial, the design of the study, the kinds of data collected, and the challenges of collecting data to draw salient conclusions from complex systems like homes and the potential for impacting policy.We delve into Toby’s first research focus in the field of cognition, studying the mechanisms and impacts of stroke, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Toby describes what it is like to study patients of cognitive impairment using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology and the collection of data to study the potential link between stroke and dementia.Toby speaks about the ground-breaking research of Philippa Howden-Chapman into household mould and the impacts of dwelling quality on the people’s health, and how this research inspired the Victorian Healthy Homes Program at Sustainability Victoria. We talk about the policy changes implemented in New Zealand and the significant reduction in savings achieved through preventative health.Toby observes that around the world, excess deaths are recorded in winter months, but that, paradoxically, regions with warmer climates tend to record higher excess deaths in winter than colder climate regions. Toby describes the ways in which homes get built without adequate heating and insulation, resulting in cold homes that contribute to poorer health outcomes.We discuss the potential policy changes that could be supported by the findings of the Victorian Healthy Homes Program, and how the benefits could be realised without disproportionately favouring homeowners. Toby paints a vision of the future in which our various living and transport systems are increasingly electrically powered and the transition from oil and gas as energy sources.On a different note, we encourage our listeners to avail themselves of a copy of Toby’s book “The golf courses of Vern Morcom” which documents the story of the 90 Australian golf courses designed by Vern Morcom, one of Australia's most influential golf course architects.https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Adam and Kristi discuss the power and importance of algorithms. Adam describes the experience of watching a machine learn in real time. We discuss our essay An algorithm for altruism in which we observe worsening wealth inequality globally and particularly the recent trend of declining standards of living. Kristi talks about her motivation toward philanthropy and altruism, observes that access to data is important for the success of communities wanting to make change and describes the emergence of a “data divide” between organisations with access to data and those without. We discuss the three pillars of Data Science; Mathematics and Statistics, Coding, and Domain Knowledge. Adam describes what is Data within the paradigm of Data, Model, Prediction, Decision. We discuss bias in Machine Learning, and the risk that automated systems can perpetuate biases, particularly where they operate without human oversight.An algorithm for altruism - Griffith Reviewwww.seerdata.aiwww.thefoil.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of The Foil Podcast we’re joined by Professor Alan Duffy, Astronomer / Astrophysicist / Cosmologist and Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University.We hear from Alan about what inspired him to study the universe on its largest scales. Alan talks to us about the mysterious substance that makes up much of the matter in our universe known as dark matter, how we know it’s there, what we know about it, and what we don’t. We hear about how dark matter is the best explanation for astronomical observations given Einstein’s theory of General Relativity and discuss competing hypotheses. Alan explains the importance of well-designed scientific exploration which uses orthogonal lines of enquiry to draw clear conclusions.We talk about the various types of data that astronomers gather and analyse, how that data is collected and the effort involved in cleaning and analysing that data using supercomputers. We discuss the recent imaging of a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy by an international team of astronomers under the project known as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration. The result Alan refers to as the “Impossible Picture” and describes the enormous data collection and processing effort involved.Alan talks to us about the role that AI is playing in filtering and analysing the vast amounts of data generated by astronomical instruments around the world. Alan shares his concern for the “unknown unknowns” that AI might miss in searching our skies for interesting discoveries because we are currently limited to training them to detect only objects that we are familiar with or expect. Alan tells us about the Zooniverse and the role of citizen scientists in helping to identify and surface oddities in our observations such as Hanny’s Voorwerp and bias in our data that AI might take for granted unless we’re careful. Alan describes the risk of confirmation bias in data analysis as it manifests in the field of astronomy and modern techniques for avoiding it.We reflect on Alan’s Ted Talk and the power of asking simple questions, and the role of intuition and experience as a guide for finding simple questions to ask.Alan talks to us about his technology start-up mDetect which is repurposing muon detection technology developed for sub-atomic particle experiments to see inside the structures of buildings and subterranean or submarine environments. The technology helps identify and monitor structural weaknesses for safety risks. Alan describes how the company got started and his journey as a founder.http://astronomy.swinburne.edu.au/Daily Zooniverse | mrniabocHanny’s Voorwerp – History of a mysterywww.seerdata.ai See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.