Innovation For All - Diversity in Tech and Business

Latest Episodes:

Google and Facebook are monopolies. Does it matter? feat. Sally Hubbard Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

Sally Hubbard is Director of Enforcement Strategy at Open Markets Institute. Learn whether giant tech companies are building monopolies (spoiler alert: they are) and why that unfair advantage matters. In this episode, you’ll learn:

What is Antitrust law?
Is fake news an antitrust problem?
How monopolies amplify inequality
What would it look like to unmonopolize big tech companies?

Get shownotes for this and every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

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Placing the Displaced: Running a Refugee Staffing Company with Chris Chancey Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

Chris Chancey is the founder of Amplio Recruiting, a company that helps companies hire people from the refugee and immigrant communities. How does Chris help refute and calm the fears potential employers? How does he ensure that vulnerable people aren’t being taken advantage of? And what has made his business so successful? Find out with Sheana in this episode of Innovation for All Podcast.

In this episode you will learn:

How Chris started Amplio Recruiting and why?
What were some of the challenges in starting the business?
How are companies vetted to ensure that the refugees are protected?
What are the assumptions about the refugee community and are they true?
What are the challenges with finding opportunities for women refugees?
What is Amplio Ventures?
What are some of the success stories?
How has this work in diversity and inclusion influenced Chris’ personal views?

Learn more about Amplio Recruiting at https://ampliorecruiting.com/. Get shownotes for this and every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

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The dangers of period-tracking apps feat. Maggie Delano Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

In the season finale of Innovation for All, Maggie Delano tells us how period-tracking apps exclude people who are not straight, cis-gendered women without medical conditions. She explains how user design could be more inclusive and introduces us to the benefits of Quantified Self.

You'll learn:

The issues surrounding period-tracking apps
How period-tracking apps can be more inclusive of people with medical conditions
How user research can think about cases that fall outside of the set target audience
Ways to increase inclusivity in the on-boarding process of app design
Concerns of data privacy in period-tracking apps
How self-tracking can be beneficial
Ways that self-tracking is happening organically
Ideas on tracking "subjective" experiences such as emotion and mood
How to leverage user research to avoid stereotypes and generalizations
Examples of queer-inclusive business ideas

Get show notes for this and every episode at innovationforallcast.com.

Find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

Innovation for All will be returning in March 2020 for the third season.

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How to battle racism with Janet Stovall Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Imagine a workplace where people of all colors and races are able to climb every rung of the corporate ladder -- and where the lessons we learn about diversity at work actually transform the things we do, think, and say outside the office. How do we get there?

Janet Stovall, head speechwriter for the CEO of UPS, tells us about her history fighting for inclusion since she was a student at Davidson College through present day. She discusses the complexities of being a woman of color in the workforce and how to address institutionalized racism.

In this episode you will learn:

The history of Project 87 at Davidson College
How measurable, quantifiable movements are successful
What it's like to be a "stand-in director of diversity"
Experiences of being an Executive Speech Writer for UPS's CEO
How Janet left corporate America to start her own business
The business case for diversity
Challenges of corporate America
Pros and cons of being self employed
Overcoming discrimination against women of color in the workforce
How not all forms of diversity are equal

Get show notes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com.

Find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

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What should change in 2020? My favorite guests return. Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

In this special episode, our favorite experts on AI, product designers and more return to answer two key questions: What’s the biggest news in your field in 2019, since we recorded the podcast? What's something that's been missing from the conversation that you'd like to see gain more interest in 2020? You'll hear from

Reena Jana (@rjmac), Google's Head of Product and Business Inclusion. Hear more in her full episode: Making Products Inclusive, the Google Way
Josh Lovejoy (@jdlovejoy), Principal design manager, ethics and society at Microsoft. Hear more in his full episode: What does human-centered AI even mean?
Sherry Hamby, Director of the Life Paths Research Center (LPRC). Hear more in her full episode: Stereotyping Appalachia: What Tech Gets Wrong
Wendy De La Rosa (@wdlrosa), co-founder of Common Cents Lab. Hear more in her full episode: Why FinTech is failing the poor?

Get shownotes for this and every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

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Start fresh. How Propel and the Fresh EBT app is battling poverty. Jan 01, 2020

Show notes

Jimmy Chen is the Founder and CEO of Propel, a software company that aims to fight poverty through technology. They are the creators of the Fresh EBT mobile app, which enables EBT cardholders to manage their benefits, save money through grocery coupons, and find jobs. Fresh EBT is used by over 2 million low-income Americans across the country. In this episode of Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana learns why Jimmy decided to start Propel and use the tools of Silicon Valley to address social issues around poverty.

In this episode you will learn:

Why Jimmy Chen decided to focus on building tech for low income families
What is Propel and Fresh EBT
Why start with the food stamp program to battle poverty
How does Propel get the experience and empathy to solve problems they might not understand
What is the process for getting usable information from users
What are the logistical and general obstacles faced by Propel and how are they overcome
What are some misconceptions about the food stamp program
Where else can the private sector make a difference and what are the challenges

Get show notes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

Original air date: 8/21/19

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What Tech Gets Wrong about Appalachia feat. Dr. Sherry Hamby Dec 25, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Dr. Sherry Hamby, a Research Professor of Psychology at the University of the South and a Director of the Life Paths Research Center (LPRC). They talk about the role of technology in peoples daily lives. They discuss Appalachian attitudes and values, ResilienceCon and how different societies operate in a technology-centric environment.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

The culture of values and skepticism that makes Appalachian resistant to technology
What are the attitudes and stereotypes about Appalachia?
How are low income regions like Appalachia portrayed?
How different forms of violence are shifting online, for instance Cyber bullying
The negative effects on relationships from technology
How do people feel about Privacy invasion, data protection and cyber-crimes?
Is protecting our own privacy equally distributed among the rich and the poor?
What are the differences between how rural and urban societies operate?
How do regulations fit in all this?
The importance of consent in letting technology earn the trust of people.

Get show notes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.
Original air date: 2/6/19

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When bad data leads to social injustice, featuring David Robinson Dec 19, 2019

Show notes

Can AI really change the world? Or are its developing algorithms formalizing social injustice? When these highly-technical systems derive patterns from existing datasets, their models can perpetuate past mistakes.

In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist discusses with David Robinson the threats of social bias and discrimination becoming embedded in Artificial Intelligence.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

What is the role of technological advances in shaping society?
What is the difference between Machine Learning vs. Artificial Intelligence?
Social Justice Implications of Technology
What are the limitations of finding patterns in previous data?
How does should government regulate new, highly technical systems?
The need for more resources and more thoughtfulness in regulating data
Examples of data-driven issues in the private sector.
Removing skepticism of regulatory agencies in examining data models.
Authorities should remember that there are limits to what AI models can do.

David is the co-founder of Upturn and currently a Visiting Scientist at the AI Policy and Practice Initiative in Cornell’s College of Computing and Information Science. David touches on how government regulatory agencies should examine new AI models and systems, especially as the technology continues to creep its way into our day-to-day lives. David discusses the importance of “ground truthing.” David emphasizes looking at a technology’s capabilities and limits before deciding on whether decision makers should implement it.

Get shownotes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

Original air date: 12/26/18

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Teenage Sexting Behaviors with Jeff Temple Dec 11, 2019

Show notes

Overview:

In this episode of Innovation for All, Jeff Temple, professor and licensed psychologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch will discuss his research that studies teenage sexting behaviors. Jeff explains the gender breakdown of teenage sexting, the factors that may lead to psychological consequences, and how it may be a safe way for LGBTQ youth to explore sexuality.

In this episode you will learn:

How psychologists define what sexting is
What sexting looks like in adults
How sexting should be looked at in the context of universal prevention programs rather than as a bad behavior
What Jeff’s longitudinal studies of teenage sexting involve
The challenges of studying sexting in teenagers
The breakdown of sexting in girls compared to boys
What factors related to sexting could lead to psychological health consequences
Why consensual sexting does not lead to psychological health issues
How media headlines misrepresent today’s teenagers as “sex-crazed”
If sexting can be used as a safe way explore sexuality
If there are legal risks in having nude photos on your phone
What makes people want to sext
How sexuality plays into the research of teenage sexting
Opportunity to talk to your teenager in an ongoing conversation
How in the future psychology may be integrated into primary care
Why college athletes should be paid

Get shownotes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/message
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Open access for academic research with Erica Stone Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

Erica Stone works at the intersection of writing, teaching, and community organizing. Through collaborative projects, she creates opportunities for scholars, students, and community members to engage in conversations and civic problem-solving with the hope of building a more equitable and participatory democracy. As a researcher, Erica is passionate about making academic scholarship free and accessible. In her 2016 TED talk, she critiques the academic publishing industry, urging academics to engage with popular media and include communities in their research. Erica is a doctoral candidate in the Technical Communication and Rhetoric program at Texas Tech University. Her research centers on public engagement in composition classrooms and academics’ role in their surrounding communities.

In this episode you will learn:

The reality of who has access to academic research
Erica’s experience during her TEDx audition process
What engaging in academia means beyond teaching
What the publication process looks like from start to finish for academic research
The cost of academic subscriptions
The concerns Erica has about popular culture publications translating academic research
How different TED chapters and franchises operate
How academics are trained to make things complicated and how that impacts public understanding
The historical reasoning for tenure and complications of tenure today
How to include open access publications to count toward tenure
Resources for democratizing and translating research
How for-profit companies are hopping on the idea of open access research