Public Interest Technology (PIT) at UMass is pleased to announce nine faculty selected to be a part of the third PIT Faculty Fellows cohort. Representing six different colleges, the selected 2024-2025 Fellows will receive up to $6,000 to support the development of capstone courses and experiential learning opportunities eligible for inclusion in the UMass Undergraduate Public Interest Technology Certificate. The Fellowship focuses on building public interest-focused interdisciplinary community to explores PIT questions and integrative solutions. Faculty projects are aimed at addressing and potentially solving complex problems with public interest impacts and reducing social disparities through the responsible and ethical use of technology.
Throughout the 2025 academic year, the Fellows will meet monthly to discuss their work, participate in an intensive focused on capstone course development facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning, and work across campus and the broader PIT network to advance their projects.
The following nine faculty members were selected to be 2024-2025 PIT Faculty Fellows:
College of Education
Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, Professor, Education, will be working on “Educational Issues in Real World Contexts”
College of Engineering
Emily Kumpel, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be working on “Sustainability Engineering for Infrastructure Systems”
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Janine Solberg, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director Professional Writing and Technical Communication will be working on “Usability and UX Design Methods”
Roopa Vasudevan, Assistant Professor, Art, will be working on the “Ethics of Design and Technology”
Yuki Yoshimura, Senior Lecturer and Director of Japanese Language Program, East Asian Languages and Cultures, will be working on “Technology for Language Learning and Communication”
College of Information Computer Sciences
Ravi Karkar, Assistant Professor Computer Science, will be working on “Personal Health Informatics”
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Luke Bloomfield, Senior Lecturer, Resource Economics, will be working on “Thinking Together and On Our Own in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”
Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Senior Lecturer and Director of Engaged Research and Learning, Communication and Public Policy, will be working on “Internet Governance and Information Policy”
Isenberg School of Management
Alicia Johnson, Assistant Professor, Marketing, will be working on “Nonprofit Marketing”
Public Interest Technology (PIT) focuses on the development and realization of socially responsible solutions to the challenges of a technology-driven world. It serves as a critical foundation for 21st century education for people who create technologies, and for those who work with them, which is all of us. PIT@UMass is an initiative to build PIT content, community, skills, and expertise throughout UMass. The PIT Faculty Fellows program builds community among UMass Amherst faculty across campus to support key areas of the PIT@UMass initiative.
Undergraduate Public Interest Technology Certificate is available to all undergraduate students, regardless of major. This certificate equips students with essential skills and knowledge in Public Interest Technology, providing the opportunity to develop skills at the intersection of social literacy, pragmatic strategies for promoting the public interest, and technological literacy. Do you know a student who is passionate about making a positive impact in society through technological innovations or is concerned about how technology might be affecting society and want to help by making a positive change? If so, tell them about the UMass Undergraduate PIT Certificate.