Scientific prizes and EDI in science – Prof. Ching Jin. Science prizes are like the 'little engine that could.' Few rewards in science do more to motivate breakthroughs, elevate the visibility and credibility of new ideas, bridge disciplinary communities, and shape intellectual landscapes. Despite their significant impact, these prizes can also introduce potential inequalities within the scientific community. In this presentation, I will discuss our recent findings on the dynamics of scientific prizes. Utilizing data-driven methodologies and analyzing a newly curated dataset of over 3,000 scientific prizes, we conducted a systematic quantitative analysis of prize inequalities and their implications for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in science, offering relevant policy recommendations.

• Discussant: Yulu Pi

Can digital goods be neutral? Evaluating OpenStreetMap's equity through participatory data visualisation – Prof. Timothy Monteath. Our research project seeks to promote digital equity by empowering members from under-represented communities to co-produce data visualisations and tools that examine and challenge the impact of neutrality as a guiding principle in a specific case of digital good: OpenStreetMap [OSM]. Equity is a fundamental pillar of any digital innovation aiming to produce positive societal impacts that characterises any digital good. Typically, digital goods have been framed as mere technological artefacts, by consciously putting aside any human consideration to pursue a neutral approach. Conversely, neutrality has been portrayed as a positive aspiration that prevents any form of bias that could pervert the fulfilment of the digital good’s mission. We contend that, as well-intentioned as this aspiration may be, this apparently neutral standpoint that ignores how these goods are governed, may be inadvertently producing and reproducing new types of oppression and colonialism. Our project examines and evaluates how the principle of neutrality driving many digital goods promotes or hampers equity by implementing a participatory process with a collective of women and LGBT+ mappers.

• Discussant: Greta Timaite
• Panel moderator: Prof. Meg Davis