Data + Donuts: Emerging Tech Fellows on Language Access in Boston

Daniel Keating Jr. and Mira Yu served as two of the four inaugural Emerging Technology Fellows in the City of Boston's new Office of Emerging Technology, a collaboration with Google Summer of Code. This past summer, Daniel and Mira built and tested a digital translation feature to enhance language access for constituents who speak a language other than English. At this session of Data + Donuts, Daniel and Mira will cover the what, why, and how of this project, including how Mira custom-trained a machine learning model on Boston-specific verbiage and how Daniel developed a quality evaluation methodology involving stakeholders from community organizations across the city.

In addition to serving as an Emerging Technology Fellow, Daniel Keating Jr. is a practicing artist and civic innovation enthusiast. He enrolled at Northern Essex Community College at 28 as a non-traditional student and later transferred cum laude to the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. He holds a Bachelor's Degree with individual Concentration in Urban and Organization Studies from the BDIC program and a Bachelor's Degree in Management from the Isenberg School of Management.

Mira Yu is a rising sophomore at Harvard University where she is pursuing a double concentration in Computer Science and Government. Mira was born and raised in Boston, growing up in the North End and Fenway. She previously served as the Co-Director of the Youth Lead the Change Committee for the Mayor's Youth Council at the City of Boston. Last summer, she interned at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts and volunteered with the Healthy Youth Coalition to advocate for inclusive sex education across Massachusetts.

Daniel and Mira's talk will be given in a hybrid format. Register to receive a link to join via Zoom. In-person attendees can join us in Rubenstein 414. Those without an HUID may enter via the Wexner security desk after showing a photo ID. View a map of campus.

Data + Donuts features researchers and practitioners speaking about how they use data in their work, and on issues of data and society. We welcome those from the HKS community and beyond to share knowledge, discussion, and donuts. Explore the full list of past speakers. Video recordings are available upon request.

The HKS Library encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in our events. To request an accommodation, email us or call 617-495-1300.