30/07/2020

Hallison Paz warns that we need to reflect on how we send out data.

The development of data science has enabled great advances in the technological field but, on the other hand, it has made the world we live in even more complex. “Everything becomes data, and we need to look at that. It is important to reflect on what we want to share and with whom we want to leave our traces in the digital environment,” warned Hallison Paz, PhD student at the Computer Vision and Computer Graphics Laboratory (Visgraf), in the webinar “Data Science: the future is now” , on Wednesday (29).

The meeting is part of the series “And what does mathematics have to do with it?”, promoted by the Sidarta Institute in partnership with Itaú Social and with the support of IMPA. Also participating in the debate were Professor André Carvalho, Vice-Director of the Institute of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at USP (ICMC-USP) , and Maitê Salinas, teacher at Colégio Sidarta and trainer for Mathematical Mindsets . The journalist and director of the data intelligence consultancy Lagom Data , Marcelo Soares, moderated the discussion.

Hallison highlighted three pitfalls that prevent what is considered "healthy" circulation in the digital environment. "Indiscriminately giving out data without knowing if the recipient will use it ethically; the manipulation of truth, which can be intentional and trap us in bubbles; and the spread of hate speech through interaction," he pointed out.

Hallison , co-creator of the YouTube channel Programação Dinâmica , highlighted the importance of bringing current topics into the classroom. "Data is very much about human beings, and mathematics permeates all of that, which helps break down the barrier many students have when they think, 'What am I going to use this for?'" he stated.

A lesson that should be learned early on, as Maitê observed. “We need to organize our thinking, create intersections and connections, which needs to be worked on from elementary school onwards. Dropping into probability and statistics in high school without addressing certain points in the early years of schooling makes this even more difficult.” The teacher highlighted that she has been adopting a series of activities in the classroom so that students feel comfortable and encouraged to investigate, make mistakes, and develop in this expanding area of science. “Creating this creative memory is fundamental.”

André Carvalho spoke about the job market in data science and the urgent need to train qualified professionals. “Currently, there are almost 300 training courses worldwide, but companies can't hire because they often don't have enough trained people. In Brazil, training took some time to begin, with the first undergraduate programs starting in 2020,” André recalled. ICMC-USP will begin offering the undergraduate course next year.

To enter the job market, the professor emphasizes that professionals must be curious, possess analytical skills, critical thinking, and the ability to think outside the box.

The webinar is available in its entirety on the Mathematical Mindsets Facebook page .