Successful first IMFD - ODEGI Reading Club attracted more than 50 participants

August, 2023 - With the participation of more than 50 People in online format, the first successful version of the Millennium Institute Foundational Research on Data and Observatory of Data and Gender Statistics (ODEGI ) Reading Club ended. the Reading Club of the Millennium Institute Foundational Research on Data and Observatory of Data and Gender Statistics (ODEGI), in which the participants read the bookin which the participants read the book Data Feminism (Data Feminism) by the authors Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren Klein, which was recently translated into Spanish by the Observatorio de Datos con Perspectiva de Género, DataGenero (Argentina). (Argentina).

With the moderation of IMFD researcher Jocelyn Dunstan Escudero, academic of the DCC UC and IMC UC, together with Daniela Moyano, Executive Director of ODEGI and professor of UC Design, the Book Club shared opinions and visions on the topics covered in the book, such as the impact of data on power when viewed through feminism and intersectionality.

"One of the foundations of IMFD's work is interdisciplinary work: we know the great value that exists in the diversity of areas, we appreciate the learning and knowledge that comes from different perspectives. This is one of the reasons that motivates us to work on reducing the gender gap in STEM, since we know that the contribution of diverse visions is decisive for the advancement of quality research that has the capacity to support both scientific and social development", emphasizes Camila Díaz, executive director of the IMFD and member of the institute's Gender Commission, who coordinated the book club. 

The People participating in the three virtual meetings belonged to different areas, not only data science or computer science. This format also allowed the participation of People from outside Santiago, both in Chile (Valparaíso and Concepción) as well as People who connected from other countries in the region, such as Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina. 

For Jocelyn Dunstan, it was a contribution to create a space where the protagonist was the book and the People who joined the discussion. "As an academic in STEM I am used to being the interviewee or the journalistic object, and in the club I rested thinking that this is not about me or Daniela, it is about giving motivation to these People to read together and discuss ideas in a safe place". The IMFD researcher reveals that one of the things she enjoys most about working in science is seeing young people grow and shine. "The book club sessions are full of this, as well as being a space to discuss things that in engineering are rarely named, such as emotions or who has power and who doesn't." For Jocelyn Dunstan, it is important to highlight and thank the work behind this book, its authors and also the work done by Data Género, who, by doing the translation, allowed us to make an extended book club in our language. 

Daniela Moyano emphasizes that the Book Club made her leave her comfort zone: "Sometimes you live in a sounding board, where everyone thinks the same thing and understands the same thing. As a design teacher, it's very easy for me to talk about emotionality, corporeality, etc., but here I met People who don't speak the same language and for whom these topics were totally new, different and challenging. And she adds: "It made me affirm that this is interdisciplinary, that the different points of view contribute to continue winning spaces from data feminism and that the only way to make a fairer society is to share, to share a book, and to talk. To understand each other.

The Book Club is part of the different initiatives carried out by the Millennium Institute Foundational Research on Data with its Gender Committee to actively promote the inclusion of women and diversity in the area of computer science. The following dates for the continuation of the Book Club will soon be announced on IMFD's social networks, and will address the book The Invisible Woman, by Caroline Criado Pérez.