Data Literacy – the “fourth R”: what is it and why do we need it?
It can be argued that the ability to ‘deal with data’ is as important in our modern lives as “reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic”. This webinar aims to explore the critical role of this “fourth R” in science, politics, health, communities, social media, business and industry and, yes, even sport!
Our featured guest speakers:
- Petriea Skitek, KP International Group: Girls in STEM – why do girls need to know about data? Why data in STEM?
- Becki Cook, QUT: Data Literacy in Indigenous Australian Communities
- Dr Bernadette Hyland-Wood, QUT: Data literacy, digital platforms, and being savvy on social media
- Professor Moe Thandar Wynn, QUT: Keeping up: what is the role of business and industry in supporting data literacy
- Associate Professor Dimitri Perrin, QUT: More than just the cricket score: why players, teams, coaches and fans need to be data literate
in a panel discussion moderated by Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen.
Watch the video from the webinar:
More about our panelists:
Petriea Skitek is the Managing Director of KP International Group and a passionate advocate for girls in STEM. With over 36 years’ experience across education, policy, and international business, she has led national programs like Girls Day Out in STEM, engaging over 15,000 students from across Australia. Petriea is known for creating impactful, inclusive learning experiences—especially for underrepresented girls—and holds leadership roles with Women in Technology and Zonta International.
Becki Cook is a Nunukul Aboriginal woman and a PhD Candidate, Research Assistant in Indigenous Data Science and ECR co-lead for CDS Data Science in Society theme. She uses Indigenous Research Methodologies to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ perspectives, experiences and priorities in her research.
Bernadette Hyland-Wood’s research examines rapid advances in generative AI, responsible data science and Indigenous Data Sovereignty. She has authored highly cited research on crisis communications and COVID-19 and has been featured in media outlets, including ABC and Radio New Zealand. Previously, she co-designed foundational data standards and best practices to make data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR data). Bernadette was a tech startup founder (Brisbane, Australia and Washington, DC) and, together with her team, developed the first commercially supported graph database using an international data exchange standard for Linked Data. A Fortune 100 company acquired her company Tucana Technologies, and she later served as CEO of a semantic technology spin-out from MIT.
Moe Thandar Wynn is a Professor of Information Technology, developing fundamental knowledge and novel theoretical principles in data and process science. She is a co-director of the QUT Centre for Data Science, and leads the Process Science Discipline. She has more than 15+ years of experience in interdisciplinary research with upwards of 25 Australian partners across healthcare, insurance, health and safety, logistics, government, mining, utility, and agrifood supply chains. She is a member of the Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts in information technology, business process management, data mining, and process mining. Moe is the current recipient of the Queensland Women in Technology Research Excellence Award.
Dimitri Perrin is Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the Queensland University of Technology, where he leads the Biomedical Data Science group, and Co-Director of the QUT Centre for Data Science. Prior to joining QUT, Dimitri worked as a FPR Fellow in the Laboratory for Systems Biology and as an IRCSET Marie-Curie Research Fellow with the Dublin City University Centre for Scientific Computing & Complex Systems Modelling, and the Osaka University Department of Information Networking. His research interests are in developing new approaches to analyse, understand and optimise complex systems. His work therefore spans the areas of data science, artificial intelligence & machine learning, modelling, and computational biology & bioinformatics. Recent projects include gene editing (CRISPR), artificial intelligence and machine learning in sports (rugby, baseball), high-resolution biomedical imaging (CUBIC), and mobile apps for health research.
Details:
| Start Date: | 29/04/2025 [add to calendar] |