DCODE Summer School Ignites Excitement at UID

For an exhilarating few days, PhD’s from across Europe ascended on Umeå as the DCODE Summer School on 'Democratic Data Governance' took siege of the project studio at the heart of the school.

The week-long event turned into an immersive experience for the participants, who delved into the hot topic of data governance hoping to emerge with a clearer vision of how design can shape and empower our digital future.

PhD scholars from the DCODE network, hailing from various European institutions, converged at UID, driven by a collective mission that extended beyond questioning the fundamentals; they aspired to bridge the gap between theoretical inquiry and practical implementation within the realm of design.

Unlocking Potentials: Landscape Making & Prototyping

The first day of the summer school kicked off with an invigorating session led by a host of speakers who call UID home, including Prof. Johan Redström, Dr. Heather Wiltse and PhD fellows Pamela Gil Salas, Seda Özçetin, Robert Collins, and Dr. Maria Göransdotter. Participants were offered a glimpse into the multidimensional aspects of this vital topic through the lens of traditional Swedish design perspectives, inspired by participatory design and civic activism. As the day progressed, the attendees engaged in the collective making of a mini-conference taking place later in the week.

Day two brought a vibrant display of creativity during the segment titled ‘Prototeam Landscapes’. The sessions were dedicated to reflecting on the second round of prototeam work that started at the winter school at the University of Edinburgh in January. Prototeams, a distinct part of the DCODE Network, is about prototyping future design competences in small groups by working on real-life challenges defined together with non-academic partners. Through the making of landscapes, PhD fellows explored the nuances of prototeam work, opening up for valuable insights into the potentials of their work and the challenges they face.

The 'Prototeam Landscapes’ sessions sparked some colourful creativity.

ImageSeda Özçetin

Closing day two was another long-anticipated activity, namely the research rants where senior researchers shared key learnings from their journeys into and through academic life.

There has been a hot debate over giving space to this activity

Seda Özçetin

“As PhD fellows, we were really interested in hearing about seniors’ experiences and I think we all felt that there was much to learn from that. The session really lived up to our expectations, while also bringing us all closer”, says Seda Özçetin.

Empowering Society: Hackathon Envisions Sustainable Data Ecosystems

Come midweek, it was time for the full-day hackathon, offering a unique opportunity for DCODE'rs – PhDs, supervisors, and non-academic partners – to collaborate and explore the realms of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, particularly in relation to data commons. The brief was set by the non-academic partners Open Future, AMS, ACRC and Lucid Minds AI. Participants were challenged to envision and develop a sustainable data ecosystem that rebalances power dynamics and restores control over data to society. The goal was to go beyond theoretical discussions and translate ideas into actionable proposals that would enable societies to reclaim agency over their data resources.

The hackathon saw participants partake in an exercise based around AI and machine learning.

ImageSeda Özçetin

The DCODE Summer School drew to a close with a thought-provoking mini-conference encompassing a diverse range of sessions. The programme included a workshop on defining DCODE community guidelines led by PhD fellow Seda Özçetin and Prof. Dr. Elisa Giaccardi, three panels exploring concepts, metaphors, and epistemologies, and a captivating keynote address on AI and the rule of law delivered by Proffessor Markus Naarttijärvi from Umeå University.

Seda Özçetin presenting during the concluding mini-conference.

ImageSeda Özçetin

Spread over the coming months, participants can look forward to three exciting keynotes by distinguished speakers. Alek Tarkowski (Open Future), Kristina Lindström (Malmö University). Åsa Stahl (Linnaeus University), and Carl DiSalvo (Georgia Institute of Technology) will share their expertise and perspectives, enriching the ongoing discourse on democratic data governance and its implications.

It was no surprise that the UID Summer School stood out in its focus on participation and co-creation

Seda Özçetin

"Many activities involved PhD fellows, supervisors, and non-academic partners to co-create together instead of us PhD fellows presenting research results. I felt that this put us in a collective creative flow and helped create a synergy we sometimes lack as a distributed network across European institutions with different institutional cultures”.