These video chats have moved over to the Urban Institute website as “Data@Urban Digital Discussions.” Additional events are being scheduled, so please see the Urban website for more details and call-in information.

In light of our COVID-inspired self-quarantines, I am endeavoring to hold a series of “live video podcasts” to talk with folks about data visualization, presentation skills, and what they are doing during these strange times. These sessions will be hosted on Zoom and recorded for future posting somewhere.

The idea is to chat with a guest for a bit and then open things up for questions. I’m sure COVID will come up again and again, but we’ll try to stay away from hours and hours of discussions about the virus. I’ll play with the format, but I’m inclined to unmute attendees so you can ask your own questions. It’s kind of like a radio call-in show, but with video! It will also allow me and the guest to show some visualizations, code, or other techniques.

As I “book” more guests, I’ll update this page with Zoom log-in information and other links. So keep tuned! If you’d like to share with others–or have recommendations for guests–use the hashtag #COVIDeoChats.

Nigel Holmes | Thursday, March 19, 2p-3p ET

To kick things off, I’m really happy to have Nigel Holmes join me. Nigel is a graphic designer, author, and theorist. You might know him from his work at Time magazine. I thought Nigel would be perfect to help kick off this series because I think we could talk about teaching data visualization and design to kids. So put this on your kids’ calendars and have them sign in! Nigel on Twitter.

Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Ann Emery | Friday, March 20, 1p-2p ET

My friend Ann Emery tunes in and we talk about her dataviz work, travel, and creating good-looking reports. And because Ann has her own great virtual classes, we’ll talk about what it takes to have an awesome home office and webinar setup. Ann on Twitter.

Register in advance for this meeting. (You can also register at the time of the event). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

RJ Andrews | Monday, March 23, 3p-4p ET

We’ll probably talk about RJ’s new Kickstarter campaign for his cool California map, plus whatever weird and arcane topic is at the top of his mind. RJ on Twitter.

Register in advance for this meeting. (You can also register at the time of the event). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Allison Feldman | Tuesday, March 24, 2p-3p ET

Allison is one of the design specialists at the Urban Institute. We’ll chat about her design work and her love of Figma. We may also talk about her design work for the cover of Elevate the Debate. Allison at the Urban Institute.

Register in advance for this meeting. (You can also register at the time of the event). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Andy Kirk | Wednesday, March 25, 11a-12p ET

Yes, that Andy Kirk. Rounder-upper of all things dataviz. Lots of things to chat about. Andy on Twitter.

Register in advance for this meeting. (You can also register at the time of the event). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Harry Stevens | Thursday, March 26, 2p-3p ET

If you haven’t seen Harry Stevens’ great new animated and interactive data visualization about COVID at the Washington Post, you are missing out. Harry will talk about the project and maybe give a behind-the-scenes look. Harry on Twitter.

Echo Rivera | Friday, March 27, 12p-1p ET

Echo helps people create better reports and presentations. She has a number of virtual webinars, so, among other things, we’ll spend some time talking about how to work better when you’re home. Echo on Twitter.

Graham MacDonald and Claire Bowen | Monday, March 30, 1p-2p ET

Graham is the chief data scientist at the Urban Institute and Claire is the lead data scientist for privacy and data security at the Urban Institute. We’ll talk about their current work and how they are helping researchers understand data security and privacy in the age of big data. Graham on Twitter. Claire on Twitter.

Rob Santos and Diana Elliott | Tuesday, March 31, 4p-5p ET

Rob and is vice president and chief methodologist at the Urban Institute and Diana is a senior research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute. Last year, they published several products about the 2020 Census. We’ll talk about their work and how the coronavirus pandemic threatens the Census. Rob on Twitter. Diana on Twitter.


Featured photo by ???????? Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash