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“If you're worried that the AI hype is subsuming data science, remember: you can't have AI without data—data science isn’t going anywhere.”

Welcome to Season 9 of the show! To start off the new year, listen in on our conversation with Micaela Parker, founder and executive director of the Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA). Micaela shares her journey into data science leadership, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, interdisciplinarity, and community-building in the evolving fields of data science and AI. She reflects on the founding of ADSA and its mission to support faculty, staff, and students in designing, building, and sustaining data science programs. She discusses how ADSA fosters collaboration through annual meetings, working groups, and workshops that showcase innovative pedagogy and best practices, such as teaching responsible AI and integrating social justice into data science education.

“We actively solicit keynote speakers, panelists, and participants for all of our events from a diversity of backgrounds and institutions, because we believe strongly that you can only aspire to a career that you see yourself doing, and that starts with seeing someone like you in that role.”