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The Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass is excited to announce the recipients of its 2023 Faculty Fellowship Program.  This program, launched one year ago, focuses on building public interest-focused interdisciplinary research within the University and to support faculty in developing proposals for external funding. PIT@UMass is an initiative that was launched in 2021, focused on enhancing and expanding the offerings at UMass Amherst that build social literacy, tech literacy, and the critical thinking needed to promote the public interest in today’s world.   Fellows will receive seed funding to support their projects, all aimed at addressing and potentially solving a complex problem with public interest impacts and reducing social disparities through the responsible and ethical use of information technologies.   The following nine faculty members and their respective projects and teams were selected:Ali Sarvghad, Manning College of Information and…

This past month, UMass Amherst highlighted PIT@UMass and its goal to “reboot” higher education so students and faculty are better equipped to address the challenges of today’s technology-driven society in a socially responsible way.  Read article. Envelope

Today, when we talk about the tech industry the narrative is owned by men. Despite facing systemic barriers and discrimination, women have made significant contributions to the tech industry and have played a crucial role in driving innovation and progress. However, their contributions, especially that of women of color have been long overlooked. In recognition of Women’s History month, we want to celebrate the stories of 10 remarkable women who have helped shape the world we live in today. Melba Roy Mouton Melba Roy Mouton made significant contributions to the fields of aerospace engineering and computer science. She was the first Black woman to work as a mathematician at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became NASA. Mouton was instrumental in developing mathematical models and computer programs that were used to analyze…

The Responsible Technology Coalition (RTC) is an interdisciplinary organization of students who are committed to seeing that technology is ethical and accountable. RTC was founded in 2022 by Michelle Ciccone, Colette Basiliere and Kevin Zheng.  Through collaborating with people from diverse industries and backgrounds, RTC comes together to emphasize the impact that technologycan have on society. The coalition is dedicated to the advancement of dialogue, policy, and practice around responsible technology at UMass and society at large. Join them at their next general meeting on Thursday, April 6 at 5:30 – 6:30pm in CICS 150/151.  Envelope

This research seminar is a place to make collegial connections and share research ideas with people working on topics related to learning equity or work equity. It is open to all Five College faculty, postdocs, and students.Monday, April 312:00 – 1:30pmIntegrated Science Building, Room 145Speakers:  Dr. Przemyslaw GrabowiczResearch Assistant Professor of Computer ScienceUMass AmherstPresentation Title: “Towards fair and explainable automated decision-making for hiring and student admissions”Dr. Ivon ArroyoAssociate Professor of Computer ScienceUMass AmherstPresentation Title: Coming soon Hosts: Dr. Shannon RobertsAssistant ProfessorMechanical & Industrial EngineeringBuju DasguptaProvost ProfessorPsychological and Brain SciencesRegister: https://bit.ly/3U0jXaICo-sponsored by the Computational Social Science Institute, Institute of Diversity Sciences, the Public Interest Technology Initiative and EQUATE Envelope

The School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, with the New York Academy of Sciences, is seeking post-doctoral research scholars to join an interdisciplinary team in the area of AI and Society based at the New York Academy of Sciences. Successful candidates will work closely with an ASU faculty member and staff at the New York Academy to develop an individualized mentoring plan, including faculty from ASU’s College of Global Futures as well as others from its Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and other units. Fellows will participate in a curated education-and-training program consisting of mentorship from academics and teaching at ASU, internships with public, private, and non-profit partners, professional development training, and service-learning through the New York Academy of Sciences programming. Fellows’ time will be shared among New…