{"id":1985,"date":"2022-02-09T17:37:59","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T17:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/?p=1985"},"modified":"2022-02-16T15:34:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T15:34:06","slug":"umass-amherst-to-join-national-network-of-universities-dedicated-to-public-interest-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/2022\/02\/09\/umass-amherst-to-join-national-network-of-universities-dedicated-to-public-interest-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"UMASS AMHERST TO JOIN NATIONAL NETWORK OF UNIVERSITIES DEDICATED TO PUBLIC INTEREST TECHNOLOGY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) recently announced that UMass Amherst will become a member of the consortium, which includes more than 40 universities across the U.S.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Francine Berman <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN)<\/a> recently announced that the University of Massachusetts Amherst will become a member of the consortium, which includes more than 40 universities across the U.S., and is dedicated to promoting the public interest in a tech-driven world. The membership announcement coincides with the launch of Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass Amherst (PIT@UMass)<\/a>, a new, campus-wide program that seeks to expand course offerings, projects, certificates and experiential learning that focus on social responsibility and ethical use of today\u2019s technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PIT-UN started in 2019 in order to build a network of colleges and universities that would build the field of public interest technology (PIT). PIT-UN is convened by New America, the Ford Foundation, and the Hewlett Foundation. To date, PIT-UN has invested $11.6 million in projects to build a skilled and diverse pipeline of public interest technology practitioners and researchers. PIT-UN members have developed 10 new public interest technology institutes and labs to facilitate interdisciplinary research and teaching, created 21 fellowships and communities of practice to share knowledge and best practices, and offered more than 60 new or reimagined courses under the public interest technology umbrella that have begun to shape clear degree pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ethan Zuckerman <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUMass Amherst is committed to the goals and mission of Public Interest Technology and is eager to join this network of pro-active and engaged fellow universities,\u201d says UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. \u201cOur goal is to increase our education, research, practice, and outreach offerings with respect to social responsibility and technology awareness across the UMass Amherst campus and at our new affiliate campus at Mt. Ida. We also intend the program to provide a foundation for partnering more broadly within the UMass system, and with institutions and organizations regionally and nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PIT-UN\u2019s announcement amplifies UMass Amherst\u2019s own commitment to PIT, which has been formalized in a new initiative, PIT@UMass<\/a>, which aims to develop and coordinate educational, research, practice and outreach offerings across UMass Amherst\u2019s diverse schools and colleges. The program will empower students and the broader community with the skills and information needed to promote personal and professional social responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPIT focuses on using technology to address problems in a socially responsible way, and the PIT@UMass community has fellow travelers in a broad and diverse set of areas across campus,\u201d says Francine Berman<\/a>, director of the PIT initiative and Stuart Rice Research Professor at UMass Amherst\u2019s Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). Ethan Zuckerman, director of the UMass Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure and professor of public policy, communication and information at CICS, adds that \u201cPIT serves as a critical foundation for 21st century education, for people who create technologies and those who work with them, which is all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Membership in PIT-UN will strengthen UMass Amherst\u2019s efforts to build PIT@UMass by providing a strong, nation-spanning network of top-tier institutions with a similar commitment to the public interest. Status as a PIT-UN member will also attract faculty and students with an interest in social responsibility, as well as enhance UMass Amherst\u2019s partnerships with collaborators, funders and communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPublic Interest Technology was born of a desire to make the world a better place\u201d, says Berman. \u201cThat desire is something many of us feel at this moment and it\u2019s an investment in a better future because today\u2019s students will become tomorrow\u2019s professionals, public servants and citizens. They, and we, want their efforts to benefit the world.\u201d

Originally published<\/a> by the UMass Amherst Office of News & Media Relations. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) recently announced that UMass Amherst will become a member of the consortium, which includes more than 40 universities across the U.S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"off","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1985"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1995,"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1985\/revisions\/1995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/groups.cs.umass.edu\/pit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}