A new Success on the 2nd edition of Women in Data Science Barcelona 2022 (WiDS-Barcelona2022)

For the second time, the Barcelona School of Informatics hosted the WiDS-Barcelona 2022 last Wednesday April 21st, 2022 with the participation of female experts in Data Science from both academy, public administration, big corporations and enterprises who gave a nice view of the catalan echosystem of Data Science, and the ways of using personal data and the networks to vulnerate women as well as technology provides mechanisms to protect ourselves.

Women in Data Science – WiDS-Barcelona 2022

Karina Gibert and Núria Castell

Ambassadors WiDS-Barcelona 2022

The second edition of Women in Data Science Barcelona 2022 (WiDS-Barcelona 2022) was successfully held last April 20th. The event was presential, with speakers meeting face-to-face with attendees at the Manuel Martí Recober auditorium of the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB – UPC) while the session was also shown on streaming through the YouTube platform. The languages of the event were Catalan and Spanish, but all the sessions were recorded and now the videos are subtitled in English. They will be available through the webpage of the event (websk.upc.edu/wids-Barcelona2022) very soon.

WiDS-Barcelona 2022 started with the opening session, conducted by the WiDS-Barcelona 2022 Ambassadors, Karina Gibert (head of Intelligent Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Center at UPC and vicepresident for ethics and equity at COEINF) and Núria Castell, former Dean of Barcelona School of Informatics. The official welcomes were given by Josep Fernandez Ruzafa, the Dean of Barcelona School of Informatics, and Fina Antonijuan, the Vice-Rector for Social Responsibility and Equality at the UPC. Both thanked the ambassadors for bringing the WiDS back to the UPC, considered a very valuable initiative that drives a network as a lever for change.

The event included two panels. The first one was dedicated to the Catalan ecosystem of data science and engineering, while the second one was a discussion about sex, pornography and control with data and technology, and how we can defend and protect ourselves from the criminals.

The first panel, entitled “The Catalan ecosystem of data science and engineering” was conducted by the co-ambassador Núria Castell, and the panellists were:

Marta Tolos, Head of Data Science and Data Engineering department , Zurich Insurance
Àtia Cortés, BSC researcher
Marga Bonmatí, Deputy Manager of Digital Transformation and Data at the UB

Teresa Tarragó, co-founder and CEO of Exheus

All panelists dedicated some minutes to share with the audience their careers and how they entered in contact with data science professional activities

During this panel we discussed the type and use of data in private and public sectors, in research departments, and also as key elements for start-ups. The lack of female data professionals was also discussed.

Between the two panels, a coffee break allowed some networking and we could show the UPC collection of cartoon Scientist Women sharing the conference room with organizing committee

The title of the second panel was “The Catalan ecosystem of data science and engineering”. It was conducted by the ambassador Karina Gibert, and the panellists were:

Andrea Accuosto, lawyer, expert on gender equality
Selva Orejón, CEO and founder of onBranding
Mavi Sánchez Eventlab, ICREA researcher
Jeniffer Woodard, CEO and founder of Insikt Intelligence (who, unfortunately had to participate remotely through written texts due to medical reasons).

With the interventions of the panellists we learnt about crimes committed against women based on the manipulation of personal data, and also we learnt about legal protection, and how technology can help us to protect ourselves and also to repair damages.

The closing session was chaired by Joana Barbany, General Manager of Digital Society, Department of Digital Policies and Territory, Generalitat de Catalunya. She emphasised that technology has a negative and worrying side but also many positive contributions and her Department wants to make clear the importance of the future of technology. Karina Gibert, WiDS-Barcelona 2022 ambassador, and Núria Castell, WiDS-Barcelona 2022 co-ambassador, thanked the speakers, the attendants, the supporters, and all the collaborators that made the event happen.

The WiDS-Barcelona2022 had about 70 attendees and ended with a networking lunch with about 30 attendees. We thank all attendees, authorities, partners, sponsors and volunteers for supporting the 2nd edition of WiDS-Barcelona 2022.