A New York Times bestselling author, mathematician and data scientist is coming to the Queen City next month.
Cathy O’Neil, winner of the Euler Book Prize, is set to speak at the National Speakers Forum, hosted by the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati and co-sponsored by The Enquirer on Friday, April 11. The event’s theme is “Weapons of Math Destruction: Big Data and You.” It will begin at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., in Over-the-Rhine.
Tickets are $54 for individuals and can be purchased on the venue’s website. VIP tickets, which include admission to the lecture and a reception with O’Neil, start at $154.
O’Neil’s bestselling book, “Weapons of Math of Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy,” has been widely praised, winning the Euler Book Prize. The award recognizes outstanding books about mathematics and is awarded annually by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
Cathy O’Neil is set to speak at the National Speakers Forum, hosted by the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati, in April.
O’Neil earned a PhD in mathematics from Harvard and taught at Bernard College before moving to the private sector, where she worked for a hedge fund and later became a data scientist. Her expertise led her to write opinion columns in Bloomberg View, and she even launched the Lede Program for Data Journalism at Columbia University.
At the National Speakers Forum, O’Neil will delve into how mathematical models used today are unregulated and uncontestable, even when they’re wrong. She will also discuss how the models “reinforce discrimination—propping up the lucky, punishing the downtrodden, and undermining our democracy in the process,” according to a press release.
For more information, visit womanscityclub.org.
Setting the stage for the forum
Ahead of O’Neil’s forum, the Woman’s City Club is hosting a conversation with Erin St. Jeor, decision science manager at Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati. The event will take place virtually over Zoom on Wednesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. Anyone is invited to register for the free conversation online.
What is the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati?
Woman’s City Club was founded in 1915 by women who sought to inform themselves and others about civic issues and voting rights. The club’s mission is to educate, empower and engage people to be responsible citizens who actively participate in democracy.
Every spring since 1994, the Woman’s City Club’s National Speaker Forum has invited women of national stature to the Greater Cincinnati community, having them share insights on current events and public policy. Notable past speakers include:
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Lani Guinier, the first Black woman to become a tenured professor at Harvard Law School.
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Susan Stamberg, an NPR journalist and first woman host of a national news broadcast.
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Molly Ivins, a columnist, author and political commentator.
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Gail Collins, a journalist, columnist and the first woman to serve as the New York Times’ editorial page editor.
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Diane Rehm, a journalist and podcast host.
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Mariel Hemingway, an award-winning actor.
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Isabel Wilkerson, a journalist, author and first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism.
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Martha Raddatz, an ABC News reporter.
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Mary Frances Berry, a civil rights activist.
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Marcia Coyle, a U.S. Supreme Court expert.
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Jenn White, an NPR award-winning journalist and podcast host.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NYT bestselling author Cathy O’Neil headlining Woman’s City Club event
