Data Beyond the Screen: Sculpting Community Voices with Rahul Bhargava

The PolicyViz Podcast

In this week’s episode of the PolicyViz Podcast, I interview Rahul Bhargava from Northeastern University on the topic of data physicalization. We discuss the role of community engagement and societal impact in communicating data and including different people and communities. Our conversation touches upon teaching combined majors at Northeastern and expanding data engagement through Rahul’s participatory art methods. We explore the limitations of visual learning and advocate for including diverse voices via data sculptures and embodied experiences.

Topics Discussed

• Inclusivity in Data-Driven Society. The episode opens with a discussion on the necessity of inclusivity in our increasingly data-centric world. Rahul shares his insights into how data physicalization can bridge the gap between complex data and diverse community members.
• Teaching Combined Majors at Northeastern. Rahul gives us a glimpse into Northeastern’s approach to education, emphasizing the value of combined majors that integrate data science with other disciplines.
• Participatory Art Methods in Data Engagement. Rahul describes his use of art tomake data more accessible and engaging. We talk about the potential of data sculptures and embodied experiences to include those who may not be reached through traditional visual data presentations.
• Culturally Sensitive Approaches to Data. We discuss the importance ofunderstanding and respecting cultural differences, particularly when working with youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Community Empowerment through Data. Rahul shares his strategies for adapting data collection and dissemination to empower communities, and his use of everyday materials like craft items to make data physicalization more inclusive.
• Data Literacy and Design Principles. Finally, we discuss on how to build data literacy by employing engaging and thoughtful design principles.

➡️ Check out more links, notes, transcript, and more at the PolicyViz website.

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