What is Public Interest Technology? What is PIT@UMass?

 Public Interest Technology (PIT) focuses on the development and realization of socially responsible solutions to the challenges in a technology-driven world.  It serves as a critical foundation for 21st century education and a driver for research that addresses complex problems and advances solutions with positive community impact.

The Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass Amherst (PIT@UMass) seeks to develop critical thinking, tech and social literacy, and pragmatic strategies needed to promote personal and professional social responsibility.  Through the development of curricular, research, experiential and outreach offerings across UMass Amherst’s diverse schools and colleges, PIT@UMass seeks to provide today’s students and tomorrow’s professionals the awareness and expertise they need to navigate today’s complex world.  For more information about the PIT@UMass Initiative, see https://groups.cs.umass.edu/pit/

The CY2023 PIT Faculty Fellowship

The 2023 PIT Faculty Fellowship will focus on building public interest-focused interdisciplinary research that explores PIT questions and solutions.  The research proposed must

• Address a complex problem with public interest impacts (privacy, safety, security, equity, sustainability, ethical behavior, etc.)
• Involve the responsible use of information technologies

• Reduce, rather than exacerbate, cultural, economic, and other societal disparities

Each Fellowship will provide seed funding to a research team to support the groundwork or strengthen ongoing work that will ultimately be submitted for external funding.  

PIT research projects can come from any area but many problems come at the interface of 1) complex science or societal problems, 2) the need to develop or use information technologies to help solve these problems responsibly and ethically, and 3) the need for technological and social solutions to be be beneficial for all.  For example, campus Carbon Zero efforts will have to combine strategies for sustainability, responsible incorporation of sensor data from humans, the physical and built environment, and economic and cultural models that ensure that pro-active and remediation strategies are available and applicable to everyone.

We expect to support 7-11 2023 PIT Fellows (depending on budgets).  The PIT Fellows will meet as a cohort and share their work with each other and the campus in private and public events in a format loosely based on Harvard’s Radcliffe Fellowship – known for developing work with both depth and impact.  They will join the evolving PIT@UMass community, providing feedback for ongoing efforts, providing role models to students and colleagues interested in PIT research, and helping raise awareness with the broader community.

This year, three of the Faculty Fellowships will be co-sponsored by UMass Amherst Colleges.  We invite applications from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences for a PIT Faculty Fellowship targeted at interdisciplinary SBS efforts, the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences for a PIT Faculty Fellowship targeted at interdisciplinary CICS efforts, and the Marieb College of Nursing for a PIT Faculty Fellowship targeted to interdisciplinary Nursing efforts. (Applications from SBS, CICS, and Nursing will also be considered for the remaining, remaining “open” PIT Faculty Fellowships).

PIT Fellow Expectations

In the application, PIT Fellowship teams (1+ researchers, all researchers share the team stipend, all researchers are designated 2023 PIT Fellows) will describe proposed work.  In addition to this work, all 2023 PIT Fellows will be expected to

• Give a public presentation on their work as part of the PIT Fellow Speaker Series, followed by a private lunch or dinner where they can informally discuss their work with the PIT Fellow cohort.  Each Fellow is asked to attend all public and private sessions.
• Attend a half-day research intensive for the cohort in June 2023 co-sponsored with the Office of Research 
• Participate in a culminating 2023 Fall Research Event to Celebrate the Fellowship
• Provide a brief final Report summarizing your research problem, research, and outcomes.  (These will also be used to help promote your work as a PIT Fellow and should be aimed at a general audience).
• Attend the PIT@UMass All-hands meetings in Spring and Fall 2023

Eligibility, logistics and stipend

Any tenure and non-tenure track faculty from any UMass Amherst School or College who can serve as the PI of an externally funded grant may apply.  As stated above, the research proposed must

• Address a complex problem with public interest impacts (privacy, safety, security, equity, sustainability, ethical behavior, etc.)
• Involve the responsible use of information technologies
• Reduce, rather than exacerbate, cultural, economic, and other societal disparities

The proposed work must not already be supported by external funds.  Applicants are asked to write a mini-proposal (see template) addressing the following questions (application template at the end of this document)

• What is the problem the research is addressing?
• What approach will the team take to address it?
• What are the public interest impacts of this research?
• How will information technologies be used?
• How will the approach reduce cultural, economic and societal disparities?
• What is the budget? How will the funding be used? If the project is also funded by other UMass funding, what is the value added of the PIT Fellow funding?
• What are the team’s initial thoughts about agencies and programs where external funding might be sought?
• To what extent have members of the proposed team collaborated with each other?  
• How will the applicant(s) benefit from being part of the interdisciplinary Fellows Cohort and the PIT@UMass community? 

Stipend

• Proposal teams may request $5K-$8K (total).  Proposers are welcome to use the PIT Fellowship as complementary funding to investments from UMass departments and schools or colleges to incorporate public interest considerations into their work.  
• Funding may be used for faculty or student stipends, course buyouts, or other legitimate uses that will build a strong and competitive proposal for external funding for the work.  Please describe how and when the requested funds will be spent (part of the proposal package)
• Funds must be spent by November 30, 2023.

To Apply

To apply, please use this form to develop your proposal.  Please submit the proposal by February 1, 2023.  Notifications of acceptance will be sent out no later than March 1, 2023.

Questions?

Please contact fberman@umass.edu and pit@umass.edu.