Data in the Anthropocene - Tech-Burnout and the Long Road From Head to the Heart

In a world that is increasingly driven by black box models, economic uncertainty, and hyper-scale machine learning data centers…

How do we determine if our work still holds meaning, and how do we determine if that’s even the right question to be asking?
Join Nick Couture (P.Eng) of Climate Paradigm Collaborative for a human-centered take on the data profession. This talk weaves together systems engineering, data analysis, ecology, psychology, and cultural studies to explore how we relate to mass-information in the epoch of the Anthropocene.

Attendees will be invited to engage with a new kind of code library which serves to re-connect what we do as professionals to shared humanity and the living world.
Expect vulnerability, big picture insights, and practical takeaways for data professionals navigating burnout, uncertainty, moral ambiguity in within data science.

## Core Content

• The State of Affairs: Why technological progress and green innovation are struggling to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.
• The Human Toll of Knowing Too Much: Burnout, eco-grief, and the psychological toll on STEM professionals in modern times.
• Shifting How We Think
• Forgotten analytical tools: Abductive reasoning, deep ecology, and intuition
• Reframing progress: Goldilocks technologies and community resilience
• Day-to-day applications
• Walk a little lighter as you step: Humility, compassion, and curiosity
• Technical Micro-decisions: Embedding values in everyday workflows

Session Format:

• 50 minute talk
• 40 minute Q&A
• Designed to provoke curiosity, connection, and interdisciplinary insight