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| Dear SSIT Members,
It’s been a busy few months up in Canada for me, with summer travel, summer Covid, and now the bustle of preparation for the academic year ahead. Things have been similarly busy on the SSIT activities front, as you’ll see in the newsletter items below. Read on for all of the details, including:
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- Reminders about ongoing SSIT 50th Anniversary celebrations and the SSIT BoG Election voting deadline (29 September)
- Exciting SSIT conference updates: registration is open for IEEE ISTAS22, and the CFP has been released for IEEE ETHICS-2023
- Two calls for volunteers, one from the newly formed SSIT Education Committee and one from yours truly, for assistance with future SSIT Newsletter production
- Links to recordings from several ISTAS21 special sessions, which are now available on IEEE.tv
- Several additional publication and conference notices that may be of interest to members, including the call for a new EiC for SSIT’s flagship publication, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine.
As always, I invite submissions from SSIT members for inclusion in future newsletters. Announcements for and reports on local Chapter meetings, events, or outreach activities are always welcome; in addition, I’d love to hear about upcoming events, webinars, and conferences that might be of interest to SSIT members.
To announce an event, news item, volunteer opportunity, CFP, award notice, or other item, please contact me at [email protected]. Submissions for each newsletter are due by the first week of the month.
Best wishes to you all.
Sincerely,
Heather Love
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Activities and events are underway to mark the 50th anniversary of SSIT, which was established as a committee of the IEEE Technical Activities board back in 1972 and became a full Society in 1982.
For information on upcoming and recent anniversary-related programming, visit the “SSIT Celebrates Five Decades” page on the Society website. Several events are already planned as part of the ISTAS 2022 program, and all SSIT members are invited to participate.
SSIT members and Chapter Chairs are invited to propose additional activities that will engage the broader SSIT community in both reflecting on past achievements and planning ahead for the next fifty years. To get involved with the SSIT 50th Anniversary Celebrations, please contact Clint Andrews at [email protected].
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On 15 August, all SSIT members should have received a message from IEEE inviting them to vote in the 2022 Board of Governors Election. Please remember to cast your vote by the deadline of 4:00pm (Eastern Time) on 29 September 2022!
Questions regarding the SSIT Elections process can be directed to Bob Dent, SSIT Nominations Committee Chair at [email protected].
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The 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS-2022) will run as a virtual event from 10-12 November on the theme "Digital and Societal Transformations."
The Hong-Kong/India/Australia-based ISTAS-2022 organizing committee invites all SSIT members to REGISTER TODAY and spread the word to friends and colleagues who may be interested in the event. For non-author attendees, registration fees are a modest $50USD per person.
The conference program features eleven “Theme Tracks,” and includes an “ETHICS DAY” sequence of programming on 12 November. In addition, ISTAS 2022 is co-located with the Fifteenth Workshop on the Social Implications of National Security (SINS22), Human Factors Series. The SINS22 theme is: “Securitization for Sustainability of People and Place: A Call to Transdisciplinarity.”
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18-20 May 2023
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
IEEE ETHICS-2023 will draw together the global community of technology and ethics practitioners and theoreticians from industry, academia, government, and civil society. Issues will be explored from industry, scientific and societal perspectives, in a global and multicultural manner.
ETHICS-2023 is a conference of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) (series originally launched in 2014). ETHICS-2023 is co-sponsored and hosted by the National Institute for Engineering Ethics in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, a leading land grant university with top-ranked engineering, technology, and computing programs, and an expansive portfolio of sponsored research and engagements in the ethics and policy realms.
The triple helix model of innovation was introduced in the 1990s, developed to theorize and understand interactions between academia, industry, and government. Since then, scholars have expanded it to include additional strands or sectors, including society or the public (quadruple helix) and the natural environment (quintuple helix). The conference theme, “Ethics in the Global Innovation Helix,” underscores questions about the role and place of ethics and related concerns (e.g., social responsibility, social justice, regulatory compliance, etc.) in interactions between these strands, especially in ongoing processes of technology innovation, diffusion, evolution, and maintenance.
Panel Session and Workshop/Tutorial proposals are due by 18 November 2022.
Poster Abstracts and Short/Long Paper submissions are due by 16 December 2022.
Additional conference details and the full CFP are available at the ETHICS-2023 Website.
For inquiries regarding the ETHICS-2023 Conference, please contact Murty Polavarapu at [email protected] and include ETHICS-2023 in the subject line.
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 Submitted by Maxine Cohen, SSIT Education Committee Chair
The newly formed SSIT Education Committee is looking for volunteers to help steer their direction. In particular, we seek volunteers who are interested and/or experienced in crafting and creating educational resources that can be used to raise awareness of SSIT type issues to students. We are open to higher education ideas as well as K-12, and we are beginning with the general aim to create and build a repository that can be shared with interested parties.
To express your interest, please contact Maxine Cohen at [email protected].
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 Submitted by Heather A. Love, SSIT Newsletter Editor-in-Chief
The SSIT Newsletter Editor-in-Chief seeks one or more volunteers to assist with production of the society’s newsletter, which typically goes out to the SSIT Membership on a monthly basis. This role would be ideally suited to a student member interested in getting to know more about SSIT’s ongoing activities and seeking professional networking and communication/publication-focused experience, though interested professional- and more senior-level volunteers are also welcome.
Specific tasks for the SSIT Newsletter Assistant position will be determined in consultation with volunteers and will likely involve some combination of the following:
- Corresponding with members of the SSIT leadership team (e.g., members of the SSIT executive and chairs of Chapters, Conferences, Education, Membership, Outreach, Publications, Strategic Planning, and Technical Activities Committees) to request and prepare updates about various SSIT and SSIT-adjacent activities;
- Researching and preparing short synopses for upcoming conferences and publications of potential interest to SSIT members;
- Working with the EiC to compile and prepare newsletter content for submission as items come in to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency across newsletters;
- Preparing newsletter content for posting to the SSIT website.
The anticipated time commitment for this role is 3-5 hours per month, and a student honorarium may be available.
To express your interest, please contact Heather Love at [email protected] with info about your background, experiences, and availability.
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As we reported in last month’s newsletter, recordings from ISTAS21: Technological Stewardship & Responsible Innovation, which took place as a virtual event last October 27-31, are making their way to SSIT’s channel on IEEE.tv. The following session recordings are now available for viewing:
Investigating Targeted Espionage: Methods, Findings, Implications
Keynote Address by Ron Deibert (Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto)
The Citizen Lab has been undertaking investigations into targeted espionage for well over a decade. This path-breaking research has uncovered widespread global harms and an alarming spread of authoritarian practices across borders connected to a burgeoning and widely abused commercial surveillance industry. In his keynote, Deibert explains the methods, findings and implications of the Citizen Lab's research for human rights and global security.
Critical by Design: Fostering Responsible Innovation with Critical Design Methods
Special Session organized and facilitated by Marcel O’Gorman and Jason Lajoie (Critical Media Lab, University of Waterloo)
In this workshop, participants are introduced to critical design methods and apply them in small group projects to create speculative scenarios and objects-to-think-with that promote reflection on key topics in responsible innovation.
Guiding Responsible Neurotechnology Innovation
Special Session organized and moderated by Laura Y. Cabrera (Chair, IEEE BRAIN Neuroethics Subcommittee; Pennsylvania State University)
The session aims to foster an interdisciplinary conversation about key ethical, legal, social and cultural issues around the use and development of neurotechnology for different domains of application. Presenters are:
- Jen French, Neurotech Network and contributor to the Medical Working group.
- Jack Judy, Director Nanoscience Institute for Medical & Engineering Technology, Tech Lead of several Working Groups, University of Florida
- Peter Reiner, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, co-founder of the National Core for Neuroethics, Ethics lead Wellness Working group, University of British Columbia
- Nicole Martinez-Martin, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Biomedical Ethics, Ethics Lead Legal Working Groups and other groups, Stanford University
Universal Access to Technology
Special Session organized and moderated by Bozenna Pasik-Duncan (Chair, SSIT Technical Committee on Universal Access to Technology; University of Kansas) and Ramalatha Marimuthu (Secretary and BoG, Computer Society; Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore, India)
This session focuses on how society can actively reduce the digital divide which affects communities and individuals. Panelists discuss strategies for placing humanitarian concerns at the centre of all we do as we strive towards universal digital access. Presenters are:
- Iven Mareels, FIEEE, FTSE, FIFAC, FIEAust Director of the Center for Applied Research, IBM A/NZ
- Larry Stapleton, Coordinating Committee (CC9) Chair for Social Effects of Automation and Control Systems International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)
- Ramneek Kalra, IEEE Impact Creator, Cloud Support Associate at Amazon Web Services Inc., Lead, SLP Initiative at IEEE Computer Society SYP
- Shally Gupta, IEEE Member, IEEE Impact Creator, IEEE SSIT TC UAT Member, Research Scholar, NSUT East Campus, Delhi-34, India
- Huazhen Fang, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas
Digital and Societal Transformations
Special Session organized by the ISTAS 2022 Conference Committee
As a "curtain raiser" event for next year’s ISTAS 2022 conference, “Digital and Societal Transformations,” this interdisciplinary panel considers the social impact of digital innovations like 5G in the contexts of privacy, security, socio-economic prosperity and cyber Presenters are:
- Laurie Lau, APATAS, ISTAS2022 Chair, Organizing Committee
- Luis Kun, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Center for Hemispheric, USA. Chairman IEEE- SSIT Distinguished Lecturer Program, Defense Studies at the National Defense University
- T V Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum
- Lennon Chang, ISTAS2022 Finance Chair, Monash University
- T V Gopal, ISTAS 2022 Chair, Technical Programme Committee, Anna University
In addition, the following final suite of ISTAS21 special session recordings will be available in the coming weeks, so be sure to check SSIT’s IEEE.tv Channel in September:
AI Literacy
This special session fosters a conversation on AI literacy through a roundtable discussion to address a two-part question: How can academic institutions intervene against technology systems that disproportionately work against minorities? And how can they use this intervention to platform individuals or groups who can surface counter-narratives within critical discourse surrounding representative technology? Speakers are: Kathryn Harvey, Asen O. Ivanov, Kem-Laurin Lubin, and Joseph Shea-Carter.
Designing Online/Offline Experiences with Children in Mind
This IEEE Standards Association-organized special session asks the important question: How can we design an online/offline environment that is made for children and keeps their best interests in mind? It features responses from leading experts who have worked on IEEE initiatives geared towards developing more ethical, trustworthy guidelines and standards for technology aimed at children. Moderated by Moira Patterson (IEEE SA), the session features Nishan Chelvachandran and Katina Michael.
More than Tech for Good: PeaceTech at Waterloo and Beyond
This session, organized by Paul Heidebrecht (Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, Conrad Grebel University College) features engineers and peacebuilders, including C-Suite level experts, with connections to the University of Waterloo who are contributing to the growing global movement for PeaceTech. Speakers are: Hannah Bernstein, Branka Marijan, Cassie Myers, Jonathan Smith, and Richard Yim.
Roundtable on Technology, Equity and Social Justice
This roundtable discussion, sponsored by a SSHRC Connection Grant and presented in partnership with IEEE TechEthics, brings together four international experts from a range of academic and industry backgrounds in engineering and social sciences. Mark A. Vasquez (IEEE TechEthics) moderates a discussion with Ahmed Ansari (New York University), Seda Gürses (TU Delft), Anna Lauren Hoffman (University of Washington), and Mona Sloane (New York University).
Smart Cities through the Lens of Human Rights: Technological and Ethical Dilemmas
This workshop organized by Angelo Ferraro and Larissa Paredes Muse examines ways to promote the best outcomes for the residents and visitors of smart cities; speakers address these issues through the lens of human rights and also discuss how affective rights are requisite to formulating the optimal smart city. The recordings include a keynote by Bryant Walker Smith and a "Fireside Chat" between Tyler L. Jaynes and Lubna Dajani.
Water and Cities: Get in the Game!
This special session, organized by Nadine Ibrahim and Evalyna Bogdan (University of Waterloo) features: a 5X5 speaker panel (five speakers are given five minutes each to present), which explores the importance of clean water security and flood-risk management across public, private, global, academic, and artistic perspectives; an introduction to the interactive, role-playing "Flood Resilience Challenge Game," which aims to demonstrate and teach participants about the importance of collaborative interaction among various stakeholders during a flood crisis; and a chance to watch game participants learn about and take on various community stakeholder roles that are involved in preparing for and responding to a flood crisis.
ISTAS21 Conference Closing Session
The Conference Closing Session features remarks from Mark Abbott (Engineering Change Lab Director and champion of Tech Stewardship) and Paul Cunningham (IEEE Division VI Director and former SSIT President); an invitation from Anasuya Devi (SSIT Membership Chair) for all attendees to join SSIT and continue engaging with conference topics and themes; and reflections on the conference's significance within the IEEE and broader engineering and tech community from Ali Muzaffar (SSIT Young Professionals Chair), Greg Adamson (ETHICS-2021 Conference Chair), and session moderator Jason Lajoie (ISTAS21 Organizing Chair).
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IEEE TSM is SSIT’s award-winning flagship publication. It features peer-reviewed and general interest articles that explore and analyze the profound impacts of technology on our world.
Be sure to share the link to the June 2022 special issue on “Modern Indentured Servitude” widely, since all contributions are available open-access.
Find out more about the publication’s scope, topics, and article submission guidelines here, and visit the IEEE TSM section of the SSIT website to read about current and past issues.
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Submitted by John Impagliazzo, SSIT Publications Chair
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 The Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) seeks applications and nominations for the position of Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine (T&S) for a three-year term, once renewable, beginning 1 January 2024.
The T&S Magazine is an award-winning publication with both online and print circulation distributed to IEEE SSIT members and affiliates, research libraries, and other interested parties. The magazine’s scope includes environmental, health, and safety implications of technology; engineering ethics and professional responsibility; history of electro-technology; technical expertise and public policy; and social issues related to energy, information technology, and telecommunications. In addition, the magazine publishes general interest articles (including commentary, reviews, interviews, and columns) and peer-reviewed scholarly papers.
The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for maintaining the quantity and quality of the magazine’s editorial content. SSIT employs and provides the EiC with the services of IEEE publications that work with and assist the person on editorial matters and coordinate the magazine’s production. Associate editors and a book review editor provide additional volunteer assistance.
The position of Editor-in-Chief is voluntary (non-salaried). The EiC should participate in SSIT meetings of the Board of Governors and conferences. A limited expense budget is available from SSIT for the position.
Applicants must submit an application letter consisting of the following items:
- A statement of personal interests in SSIT,
- A summary of past/current experience in publications activities,
- Personal views on SSIT’s role within the IEEE organization,
- Personal views on SSIT’s role outside the IEEE,
- Individual assessment of T&S Magazine’s strengths and weaknesses, including any ideas for improvement,
- Any questions regarding the position and SSIT’s expectations.
Candidates should submit this letter in PDF format as an attachment to an email transmittal. Please do not send a curriculum vitae with the application letter. For finalists, SSIT may request additional information.
Kindly direct all applications to Dr. John Impagliazzo, Vice-president of Publications and Chair of the SSIT Ad Hoc EiC Committee, at [email protected]. The application deadline is 15 January 2023.
The selection process should conclude in March of 2023. At that time, the Vice-president of Publications presents the nominee to the SSIT Board of Governors for consideration. Upon approval, the current Editor-in-Chief will appoint the chosen candidate as associate editor of the magazine for the remainder of 2023.
During 2023, the selected candidate will progressively assume more editorial duties and transition into full editorial responsibility at the start of 2024.
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The IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society publishes four issues each year (March, June, September, and December); submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
The editorial team seeks research papers on the interactions among technology, science, and society; on the impact of such interactions on individuals and society; and on the ethical, professional and social responsibility in the practice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Find out more about the publication’s scope, topics, and article submission guidelines here, and be sure to visit the Transactions section of the SSIT website to read about current and past issues.
For expressions of interest to serve on the editorial board as an ongoing reviewer or associate editor, or for other enquiries please email founding editor-in-chief at [email protected].
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Submitted by Sambit Bakshi
The IEEE Computer magazine is hosting a special issue on the theme “Five Decades of Biometrics and Video Surveillance: Present Technologies and Future Possibilities,” with a target August 2023 publication date. IEEE SSIT members are invited to submit work for consideration.
See the full Call for Paper HERE. Author guidelines (page/word limits, etc.) are available HERE.
Submissions are due by 19 December 2022.
Guest Editors:
Sambit Bakshi, NIT Rourkela, India
Irena Bojanova, NIST, USA
Vitomir Štruc, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
George K. Thiruvathukal, Loyola University Chicago, USA
Maria De Marsico, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Please contact [email protected] with questions.
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IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC): Technology for the Benefit of Humanity
Santa Clara, CA, USA | 8-11 September 2022
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IEEE GHTC focuses on advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. This cross-disciplinary annual conference provides the perfect venue for those interested in humanitarian projects to join their peers in September 2022 at Santa Clara University, California, USA.
GHTC is an international flagship conference, focused on bringing together people working on the application of technology to addressing critical issues for the benefit of the resource-constrained and vulnerable populations in the world. It is a forum where IEEE works with developers and NGOs to identify the most pressing needs.
IEEE GHTC 2022 Thematic areas include (but are not limited to):
- Good Health and Well Being (SDG3)
- Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7)
- Communication/Connectivity in Support of Development
- Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery
- Technologies that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (SDG5)
- Quality Education (SDG4)
- Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG6)
- Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8)
- Agriculture and Food Security (SDG2)
- Technology Impacts on Societal Evolution
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IEEE SSIT is a technical co-sponsor of IEEE GHTC 2022.
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IEEE ISTAS22: Digital and Societal Transformations
Hong Kong (Virtual Event)
| 10-12 November 2022
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SSIT’s 2022 flagship conference, the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS) will take place from 10-12 November in Hong Kong, on the theme “Digital and Societal Transformations.” ISTAS22 will fun as a fully virtual event.
Registration is now open, and detailed program information will be posted over the coming months.
Visit https://www.istas22.org/ to see the latest updates!
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Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Hong Kong (Virtual Event)
| 18-20 May 2023
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Additional information about ETHICS-2023 is available earlier in this newsletter.
IEEE ETHICS-2023 is an SSIT conference that will draw together the global community of technology and ethics practitioners and theoreticians from industry, academia, government, and civil society. Issues will be explored from industry, scientific and societal perspectives, in a global and multicultural manner.
Note the following important dates:
- 18 November 2022: Panel Session and Workshop/Tutorial proposals are due
- 16 December 2022: Poster Abstracts and Short/Long Paper submissions are due
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IEEE SSIT organizes, co-organizes, and sponsors conferences focused on technology, society and ethics. IEEE SSIT is seeking expressions of interest from SSIT members interested in hosting the following conferences around the world.
IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS)
IEEE ISTAS is the annual flagship event of the IEEE Society on the Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). It is organized each year by SSIT in cooperation with SSIT Chapters and IEEE Sections. IEEE ISTAS brings together a broad range of disciplines (e.g., natural and social sciences, policy, ethics and education) to share research and experiences about the implications of technology adoption, adaptation and evolution.
SSIT is looking toward future ISTAS two to four years from now to allow planning and continuity between annual events. We are issuing a call for proposals for volunteers as organizers of ISTAS in 2023, 2024, and beyond.
IEEE Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century (21CW)
IEEE Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century (21CW) The 21CW conference series addresses the technical, social and personal legacy of the founder of cybernetics, control theory, and information ethics, Norbert Wiener. It has been held in Boston (2014), Melbourne (2016), and as a virtual event hosted from Chennai, India (2021), with satellite activities in India 2014, 2016, 2018.
Expressions of interest are welcome for 2023.
If you are interested in hosting one of these events, please contact SSIT Conferences Chair, Jay Pearlman at [email protected] to request SSIT’s Call for Proposals Guide, which provides:
- Guidance for conference organization and operations
- An overview of expectations for proposal content
- Background on ISTAS conference (including a list of recent events)
- A proposal template
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Thank you to the SSIT Members and Chapters who have responded to date to the invitation to contribute content for publication on the SSIT website. We look forward to receiving regular contributions. Please send articles, event notifications and other relevant content including pictures to Miriam Cunningham, SSIT Web Committee Chair.
SSIT Chapters, Distinguished Lecturers and SSIT supported Events are invited to provide Miriam Cunningham with recordings of Guest Lectures and other relevant content linked with SSIT’s Technical areas and field of interest for publication in the SSIT Society Channel on IEEE.tv. Please send a link by email to download the .mp4 file, include SSIT branding in the recording, and ensure that you have written permission from the speaker to publish it.
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IEEE SSIT has three major awards, all of which are open for nomination at this time.
The Carl Barus Award for Outstanding Service in the Public Interest is open to anyone, or group, who performs an important public service, possibly at the risk of career or reputation. This includes anyone, whether or not in the engineering profession, or a member of IEEE. Further information on recipients can be found at https://technologyandsociety.org/member-resources/awards-programs/barus-award-recipients/.
The Brian M. O’Connell SSIT Distinguished Service Award is for SSIT volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding service for the benefit of SSIT. More information on this award can be found at
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