In an article by InformationWeek back in 2018, Sr. Data Scientist Sophie Searcy stated, “Given the critical role data scientists play in how data is used (or misused), it’s imperative that we fairly represent everyone impacted by our work, which is to say, all of us. In order to ensure that this happens, the data science industry must be absolutely committed to hiring and developing diverse talent.” She went on to state, “when blacks make up 13% of the US population but represent just 1% of hires at our leading tech companies (look no further than Google and Amazon for examples), something’s wrong.”

Poet Maya Angelou once said, “if you don’t like something, change it…” and that’s exactly what data scientist Rebekah Jones did. Dissatisfied with the way the Department of Health in the state of Florida was reporting Covid-19 statistics - Jones created her own dashboard to accurately depict infection and death rates in her state.

The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado recently announced their new Data Science major for incoming cadets as of June 4^th. In a press release from the academy, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein stated, “It’s not enough to have more data than our adversaries. It’s how we understand the information and use it at the speed of relevance that matters.”