黑料正能量

Graduate students at The American University of Paris are often seeking professional transformation 鈥� whether they enroll straight out of an undergraduate degree or after several years of experience. To fully explore the career paths available in often competitive fields, and to discover the ways in which multiple fields intersect, students learn directly from relevant professionals working in a wide range of industries. For students on the MSc in Human Rights and Data Science (HRDS), this means taking the Data Industry Practicum: a 6-credit series of intensive workshops with experts who are analyzing, in a practical way, the computational, legal, economic and ethical aspects of data use.

Over the course of the Spring semester, students take part in workshops with data industry professionals working in industries as varied as finance, product design and diplomacy. They not only meet and have intimate conversations with those working in the industry, but they get hands-on experience through assessed projects grounded in professional contexts. 鈥淭he practicum builds on the theories covered in class,鈥� explains Claudia Roda, HRDS Director. 鈥淚t is vitally important that students be exposed to professional figures who understand data science, as well as the legal and ethical implications of its use.鈥�

These meetings with experts offer two main benefits to students. Firstly, they show students the full range of employment opportunities available to graduates. 鈥淭hese workshops allow students to position themselves career-wise with respect to the profession,鈥� explains Roda. 鈥淚t really helps build confidence and gives students a sense of the range of professions for which they are qualified.鈥� The series opens with a workshop about one of the most well-known roles for graduates trained in both the legal and technical aspects of data use, that of Data Protection Officer (DPO), but later workshops cover subjects as varied as new technology鈥檚 impact on the financial sector and the challenges of the Metaverse for user privacy.

The second key benefit is the practicum鈥檚 networking opportunities, as they give students tangible connections to those working at the fascinating intersection of two exciting fields. 鈥淎ll of the experts taking part in the practicum work at the top of their industries,鈥� says Roda. 鈥淚 learn so much along with my students!鈥� The networking benefits sometimes have an immediate impact, opening new opportunities for students; one 2023 workshop on the ISO standard on Privacy by Design, for example, led to some participating students being invited to contribute their work to an ISO document. One of them was even invited to present in person at an ISO meeting, creating further networking opportunities and enriching the student鈥檚 experience.

The practicum鈥檚 focus on professional contexts leaves a lasting impression on HRDS graduates. Former student Jackson Vann G鈥�22, who graduated as part of the program鈥檚 inaugural intake, currently works as a Data Analyst for the Education in Emergencies Division of UNESCO. He says the practicum鈥檚 workshops were one of his favorite memories of his time at 黑料正能量. 鈥淚t gave me a full view of what I could do with my master鈥檚,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭hat was powerful, because I realized there鈥檚 a career market for people like me.鈥�

The 2023 edition, which is running over the whole of this Spring semester, includes the following workshops and speakers:

• Practicing the DPO Profession with Amandine Kashani-Poor, Data Protection Officer for the French Development Agency.
  Looked at the most common issues facing DPOs and the knowledge and skills necessary to address rapidly changing technologies and policies.
• AI and Privacy in Finance with Dephine Charlot, Senior Managing Counsel for Privacy and Data Protection at Mastercard.
  Explored the legal and regulatory issues raised by the development and deployment of AI technologies in financial industries.
• Ethical Considerations in Data Visualization with 黑料正能量 alumna Alex Phuong Nguyen G鈥�12, Analytics Program Manager at Ulula.
  Explored how different data visualization techniques may impact how information is conveyed.
• Panel Discussion: Ethical AI in Practice with Laurent Ach, CTO of Qwant, and Andrea Marin, Leader at IBM Watson Center Munich and IBM Innovation Studio鈥檚 team in EMEA.
  Analyzed the processes that industry leaders can use to ensure AI is used ethically in rapidly evolving technological contexts.
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• ISO Standards: Deep Dive into the New ISO Standard on Privacy by Design with Michelle Chibba, Antonio Kung, Kai Rannenberg and Jan Schallab枚ck.
  Introduced the ISO, its workings, its new standard on Privacy by Design and the projects arising from this standard.
• Privacy and Ethics in Product Design and Operation with 黑料正能量 alumna Maria-Martina Yalamova 鈥�04, Senior Privacy Counsel at NBCUniversal Media.
  This upcoming event will help students better understand the 鈥淧rivacy by Design鈥� process through working on real examples of collaboration between privacy, data and legal teams.
• Metaverse: Virtual Realities or Augmented Collections? with R茅gis Chatellier, Innovation and Foresight Project Manager at the Department of Technologies and Innovation, CNIL.
  This upcoming event will review some of the current and possible implementations of the Metaverse, such as emotional marketing and biometrics, and their impacts on users鈥� privacy.