Advancing knowledge and practice wherever people interact with information and technology

When Joyce Shen began teaching data science at UC Berkeley nearly a decade ago, she noticed a problem she’d also seen in industry. There were barely any women.

The nascent data science field that would forever change how we live was being primarily developed by men, creating products that would shape society for decades. Today, due to intensive Berkeley recruitment efforts, she has seen the numbers in her classes change.

Dean Jennifer Chayes and lecturer Joyce Shen, and others spoke on a panel at the annual Women in Data Science (WiDS) Berkeley, which spotlights female data scientists’ work and journeys, during Women’s History Month. 

On Saturday, February 25, 160 past and present faculty, alumni, and students gathered on the UC Berkeley campus to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program. Attendees came from all over the world, with the furthest hailing from Barcelona, and from different class years — including five from the inaugural class of 1999.