Depending on your political leanings, your expectations for this talk are diametrically opposed. If you are a liberal, you’re likely prepared to enjoy a tirade against right-wing politicians. If you are a conservative, you are probably ready to get outraged by an unhinged leftist ranter. Alberto Cairo, Knight Chair in Visual Journalism at the University of Miami, plans to disappoint you. The very title of this talk is an example of its content. It’s intended to prime you and trick you into believing what is not so.

The English word “trumpery” means worthless nonsense, something that is showy and deceitful at the same time. Trumpery can occur in text, verbally, or visually. This non-partisan talk focuses on the visual, examining misleading charts, graphs, and data maps designed by individuals and organizations from all over the political spectrum. Cairo will use these examples to equip you with a solid understanding of “graphicacy,” the word he uses to refer to visual literacy. He believes a literate, numerate, and graphicate citizenry is the best antidote for a world where trumpery runs rampant.

Sponsored by Wallace Library, Computer Science and Kappa of Massachusetts.

In this talk, Jer Thorp shares his beautiful and moving data visualization projects, helping audiences put abstract data into a human context. From graphing an entire year’s news cycle, to mapping the way people share articles across the internet, to the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, Thorp’s cutting-edge visualizations use technology and data to help us learn about the way we use digital technologies, become more empathetic in the data age, and ultimately, tell the story of our lives. How can understanding the human side of data lead to innovation and effective change? What value is there in the novel and interactive approaches to data visualization? And what are the business applications of creative data-focused research? Thorp teaches audiences how adding meaning and narrative to huge amounts of data can help people take control of the information that surrounds them, and revolutionize the way we utilize data.