By: J.D. Ross
(315) 443-3094
School of Information Studies (iSchool) Assistant Professor Paul C. Morarescu will speak as a panelist at Big Data Day next week, an event co-hosted by a trio of Syracuse University Schools, the iSchool; the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Diplomacy; and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
The event, which will focus on the use of big data in politics, is hosted by the “Navigate New Media” group at the Newhouse School, and will be held at 7 p.m. in Newhouse’s Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.
As political campaigns are increasingly turning to large data sets to understand and analyze the electorate, they are allowing for more targeted messages that speak directly to individual voters. In 2012, the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, in particular, seemed to hinge on the use of this data.
“This was a breakthrough moment in American politics,” explained Larry Elin, an associate professor in the Newhouse School and one of the organizers of the event. “It will certainly affect politics and our democracy moving forward. But its use also raises questions about privacy, ownership of our own information and other concerns.”
Big Data Day will feature a panel discussion moderated by Hub Brown, an associate dean at Newhouse, and in addition to Morarescu, the panelists include Ashley Bryant, the State Digital Director of Ohio for the Obama Campaign, and Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Alan K. Campbell Public Affairs Institute in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
This event is free and open to the public.