What is Public Interest Technology? Opportunities, Challenges, and Insights for Graduate Students
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Abstract
Public Interest Technology (PIT) is a new field that 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 involves many disciplines from computer science to art, and promotes justice, dignity and autonomy for all - especially those most impacted by technology’s harms.
In this talk, UMass CICS graduate Colette Basiliere will give a presentation introducing Public Interest Technology and the challenges and opportunities facing this new field. She will also offer insights for students interested in pursuing PIT projects from her own experience, going from a CICS graduate student to a research fellow in the PIT Initiative at UMass Amherst and the executive director of PIT-New England.