Featured in Five is a monthly section where we pose questions to a Computing Reviews featured reviewer. Here are the responses from our August featured reviewer, Chris Battiston.
Q) What is the most important thing that's happened in computing in the past 10 years?
A) I think the most important thing that's come out are the conversations around ethical and appropriate use of people's data and algorithms. Books like Weapons of math destruction, Algorithms of oppression, and Queer data have started to fill in the substantial gap caused by people looking to use this data for less than good intentions, and I hope that these conversations start to shift the way data mining and artificial intelligence (AI) are used.
Q) If you weren't working in the computer science field, what would you be doing instead?
A) Probably working in a pediatric hospital as a social worker or play therapist. My degree is actually in child development, and that was my life plan back when I was in my 20s.
Q) By the end of your career, where do you think computer science will have taken us? What are you working on that might contribute toward that?
A) I hope to see more open-source software allowing countries and not-for-profit organizations to start excelling at collecting and analyzing data that they feel is important. I volunteer with a number of different organizations looking at equitable data collection, data justice, and developing questions that are inclusive, sensitive, and accessible, and I hope that this will eventually lead to more people feeling represented in research (especially medical research).
Q) Who is your favorite historical figure? Why?
A) I wouldn't say "favorite," but one I truly admire is Henrietta Lacks. An amazing person who was completely taken advantage of by the medical profession, her legacy has had a major impact on cancer research, but she never knew her significance.
Q) What is your favorite type of music?
A) I quite literally listen to pretty much any kind of music—I'm listening to Viking folk music as I write this—but my go-to is heavy metal. I’ve been listening to it for more than 35 years and have always been impressed with how it pushes boundaries, exploring topics that are usually forbidden or taboo. I have also become more interested in bands from countries/populations that are not normally seen as "metal.”
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Click here to read one of Chris’s reviews.