Latanya Sweeney, Professor, Harvard University, talks with Lisa Martin at Women in Data Science (WiDS) 2018 at Stanford University. #WiDS2018 #theCUBE https://siliconangle.com/2018/03/13/redefining-women-of-all-ages-through-data-science-wids2018/ Redefining women of all ages through data science The first black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in computer science at MIT in 2001, Latanya Sweeney’s journey was riddled with hurdles. Despite her hard work, Sweeney felt discouraged at the time with the pressures of impressing her professors. With the help of mentors and armed with a doctorate degree, Sweeney is now in a position to redefine what it means to be a data scientist within her industry of choice. “It’s just huge to see all of these walls broken down,” said Sweeney, who currently sits in the government department at Harvard University. “There have been these angels in my life who made a big difference.” Sweeney, professor at Harvard University, spoke with Lisa Martin (@LuccaZara), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Global Women in Data Science Conference (or WiDS) in Stanford, California. They discussed the evolving role of data science and her efforts to promote women in data sciences, from the classroom to the boardroom. Data sciences in politics As a keynote speaker at the WiDS conference, Sweeney shared insights on how data science is making an impact in the political spectrum. Her biggest takeaway is that technology design is driving policies, and that’s a dangerous place for the government to be. The proliferation of fake news in recent years is a real-world example of how technology impacts the laws and regulations now being put into policy. Data could save the government time and resources by quantifying the effects of certain technologies over time, Sweeney argues. “We could, in fact, use data science to monitor, to show the unforeseen consequences. And in the examples that we’ve done that, we’ve had big impact on the world,” Sweeney said. Technology is challenging democratic values, according to Sweeney. By leveraging the prediction powers of data science, Sweeney attracts the attention of those that can best boost her efforts to improve government efficiencies: journalists, advocates and regulators. In her role as professor, Sweeney also works with undergraduate and graduate students on these real-world projects. Sweeney’s class is “Data Science to Save the World,” where students are left to do independent projects and published papers. The students tackle the big problems. For example, the election vulnerabilities in 2016 and privacy of publicly available data were two hot topics on their agendas. Sweeney is impressed at how this conference has invigorated young and mature professionals in technology. She said freshman year ignites the “spark,” and for the older students, it’s helping them redefine themselves with data science. “If you look at even the range of talks in the conference today, you get a great sense of not only new tools in different areas, but just the sheer spectrum of areas in which data science is playing — and that these women are already working it, already have the impact,” Sweeney concluded. Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Global Women in Data Science Conference. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Women in Data Science Conference. Neither Stanford University, the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)