| |
|
|
|
|
| Dear SSIT Members,
With May just around the corner, there are lots of exciting things on the horizon with SSIT activities: both IEEE ETHICS 2023 (18-20 May) and IST-Africa (31 May-2 June) are coming up quickly, and the next installment of the Humanitarian Technology Board’s Lecture Series will stream on 17 May.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Read on for more details about these events, as well as:
- An introduction to Shannon Lodoen, the SSIT Newsletter’s new Associate Editor
- Accolades to SSIT for its leadership role in the field of Public Interest Technology
- Publication updates from the editors of SSIT’s Magazine and Transactions
- Special Issue CFPs
- Additional upcoming conferences
Shannon and 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, we would 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 items, please contact me at [email protected].
Submissions for the next newsletter are due by 8 May 2023.
Best wishes to you all.
Sincerely,
Heather Love
|
| |
|
| |
A warm welcome to Shannon Lodoen, who has joined the SSIT Publications Team as Associate Editor of the SSIT Newsletter. Shannon will be working to solicit, curate, and publicize newsletter content. SSIT volunteers: please keep an eye out for emails from Shannon over the coming months as we aim to expand the publication to include more regular reports and updates from SSIT’s core committees, and to incorporate additional announcements and content of interest to SSIT’s broader membership.
"Hello SSIT members! My name is Shannon and I’m excited to be working with Dr. Love as the Associate Editor for SSIT’s Newsletter. I’m a fourth-year PhD candidate in English at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), where I am researching smartphones as persuasive technologies and the impact of their persuasiveness on both individual users and society more broadly. Other areas of interest for me include the rhetoric of technology, responsible innovation, tech stewardship and ethics, and teaching communications for STEM. I look forward to connecting with you and sharing the key happenings in SSIT/IEEE in the coming months."
|
| |
|
| |
SSIT’s publications, the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine and the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society, as well as the 2020 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS20) have been recognized for their leadership role in supporting the growing field of Public Interest Technology (PIT).
As PIT-UN news Editor Kip Dooley writes in Transdisciplinary Dialogue for Public Interest Technology: “Although Public Interest Technology (PIT) is a nascent field, it builds on longstanding scholarly traditions of investigating the interplay between technology and society. Roba Abbas of the University of Wollongong and Katina Michael of Arizona State University have led a groundbreaking effort to cultivate scholarship that encourages transdisciplinary dialogue and advocates for the development of PIT. The journal IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society, was the first academic outlet to publish a special issue dedicated to PIT, providing a wealth of scholarship building on the outcomes of the IEEE SSIT’s International Symposium on Technology and Society 2020 (ISTAS20).”
Congratulations, Roba, Katina, and the IEEE TTS and ISTAS20 teams!
|
| |
|
| |
As we mentioned in the last issue of this newsletter, the IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board Ad Hoc Committee on SIGHT Best Practices is cooperating with a number of IEEE OUs including IEEE SSIT IST-Africa SIGHT, IEEE Bahrain Section SIGHT, IEEE Philadelphia Section SIGHT, IEEE Karachi SIGHT and IEEE UK and Ireland SSIT Chapter to organise a series of lectures during 2023.
IEEE Members, SIGHT Members and SSIT Members as well as non-IEEE Members are invited to Register and participate. The next lecture is as follows:
Title: Good Practices from Robotics for Equality and Democracy Project Tunisia
Date: 17 May 2023 at 3:00pm GMT +1 (Click here to convert to your local time)
Robotics for Equality and Democracy is a STEM and educational robotics program deployed in Tunisia public schools as a partnership between a local IEEE SIGHT Tunisia Chapter and the academic inspection for primary education of Dar Chaabane II, Nabeul, Tunisia republic. This lecture will describe the program implementation’s main steps covering alignment with local educational system policies and regulations, the educator’s training, the organization of the learner’s activities and their assessments based on a project based methodology. The IEEE STEM portal and the Try-Engineering lesson plans were the main resources used to build the teaching/training materials. The program was initially developed as extracurricular clubs, before being adopted for curricula activities for technology education.
Recordings of past lectures (by Miriam Cunningham and Dr. Pritpal Singh) are available at https://sight.ieee.org/resources/sight-best-practices-lecture-series/
|
| |
|
| |
18-20 May 2023
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
The IEEE ETHICS-2023 Conference is fast approaching! The program is now available on the ETHICS-2023 Website, which also features detailed information regarding the conference theme (“Ethics in the Global Innovation Helix”), special sessions, and workshops and tutorials. Attendees at each workshop/tutorial are eligible for 1.5 IEEE PDH credits.
The conference will have three exciting plenary events:
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Thursday, 18 May, 7:30-8:30pm
Active Human Interface: Technology, Uncertainty, and Hope
Debbie Chachra (Olin College of Engineering)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Friday, 19 May, 8:30-10:00am
Ethical and Legal Frameworks for Automation
Iven Mareels (Institute of Innovation, Science and Sustainability, Federation University Australia)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Saturday, 20 May, 8:30-10:00am
Thinking Like an Engineer: Twenty-Five Years Later
Michael Davis (Illinois Institute of Technology) plus commentators Dayoung Kim, Colleen Murphy, and Michael S. Pritchard
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Registration is open, and all SSIT members are invited to register and spread the word about the event to colleagues who might be interested in attending.
As part of the registration process, ETHICS-2023 attendees are invited to register for a one-day, pre-conference symposium on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century; this multidisciplinary, discussion-based workshop focused on the Future of Work will take place on 18 May 2023 and will wrap up in time for the opening ETHICS-2023 reception and plenary talk.
Conference Overview:
IEEE ETHICS-2023: Ethics in the Global Innovation Helix 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, and 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.
For inquiries regarding the ETHICS-2023 Conference, please contact Murty Polavarapu ([email protected]) and include ETHICS-2023 in the subject line.
|
| |
|
| |
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.
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.
|
| |
|
| |
Out Now: Transactions Volume 4, Issue 1, 2023
The March issue of Transactions on Technology and Society is now available! This special issue on “Designing Ethical AI Using A Human-Centered Approach: Explainability and Accuracy Toward Trustworthiness” includes two open-access editorials (Can God Be an AI With Robo-Priests? by M. G. Michael, Katina Michael and Terri Bookman, and Designing AI Using a Human-Centered Approach: Explainability and Accuracy Toward Trustworthiness by Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Roba Abbas, Katina Michael, Pablo Rivas, and Theresa Dirndorfer Anderson) and eight peer-reviewed papers.
As the editors write: “An underpinning message across the Special Issue papers relates to the significance of the social implications of AI, notably, the need for ethics, accuracy, explainability, and trustworthiness, and the way in which this may be achieved using a human-centered approach to the design of AI systems that acknowledge the importance of ethics and ethical considerations.”
The issue’s full Table of Contents and open-access articles are available in Xplore here; be sure to share widely with your friends and colleagues!
Information About the Journal
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 inquiries please email the founding editor-in-chief at [email protected].
|
| |
|
| |
This CFP is for a Special Issue that will be developed in affiliation with the IEEE ISTAS 2023 Conference.
Guest Editors:
- Antoine Harfouche, University Paris Nanterre, France
- Mohammad I. Merhi, Indiana University South Bend, USA
- Abdullah Albizri, Montclair State University, USA
- Denis Dennehy, Swansea University, Wales
- Jason Thatcher, Temple University, USA
Sustainable development builds on the premise that development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (United Nations). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global, grand challenges that are inherently complex, multi-faceted and socially embedded (Henriksen et al., 2021). The SDGs inevitably encounter tensions between their design and implementation, representing design-reality gaps (Pradhan et al., 2022; Heeks, 2020a; Dennehy et al., 2014). While optimism is relatively high about the role of technology and analytics in supporting sustainable global development (Smidt & Jokonya, 2022), significant learning remains about how best to use them as ‘platforms that mediate development’ (Heeks, 2020b).
There is increasing awareness and expectation that the academic community has an active role in achieving sustainable development that includes three interconnected elements, namely, economic well-being and social inclusion (Baghdadi, et al. 2020; Johnson et al., 2021), and environmental protection (Dennehy et al., 2021; Dwivedi et al., 2022). Despite the efforts made by scholars to advance the understanding of applying technology and analytics to encourage sustainable development and energy conservation (e.g., Albizri, 2020; Khene & Masiero, 2022; Masiero & Arvidsson, 2021), a concerted effort by academic disciplines, policymakers, practitioners, and the intended beneficiaries of the SDGs is required to discover and create better ways to build an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and planet (Harfouche et al., 2019; Harfouche et al., 2022).
This Special Issue of the journal Information Systems Frontiers brings together contributions from various perspectives, disciplines, and communities to advance knowledge of how to apply technological innovations and data analytics for sustainable development to make the world a better place for all (Walsham, 2012). Some organizations focus on driving business value and keeping ahead of competitors. At the same time, others focus on facilitating societal change by generating both business value and social value. For this reason, organizations are investing more in responsible technological innovations, including responsible AI (Johnson et al., 2021; Merhi, 2022) for an ethical and inclusive digitized society. To further understand how to apply technology innovation and analytics to encourage sustainable social and economic development, we seek interdisciplinary papers that bridge domains including information systems, organizational science, strategic management, and information science.
Important Dates:
- Submission deadline: 30th September 2023
- Notification of first round reviews: 15th December 2023 § Revised Manuscripts due: 15th February 2024
- Notification of second round reviews: 30th April 2024
- Final Version Due: 30th June 2024
See the full Special Issue CFP for details regarding topics of interest and submission guidelines.
|
| |
|
| |
This CFP is for a Special Issue that will be developed in affiliation with the IEEE ISTAS 2023 Conference.
Guest Editors:
- Ransom Bawack, Audencia Business School, France
- Sian Roderick, School of Management, Swansea University, Wales, UK
- Abdalla Badhrus, Muslim Education and Welfare Association (MEWA), Kenya
- Denis Dennehy, Swansea University, Wales
- Jacqueline Corbett, Faculty of Business Administration, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
This Special Issue of the journal Information Technology for Development aims to stimulate rigorous scientific research on the role of indigenous knowledge in IT for sustainable development. Heading into the critical second half of the SDG 2030 agenda, this Special Issue focuses on how to leverage and integrate indigenous knowledge to increase the contribution of IT solutions to the achievement of the SDGs. It aspires to demonstrate how strengthening the involvement of indigenous peoples, local communities, and their knowledge can influence the impacts of IT-based development strategies that meet the needs of poor and marginalized communities. Thus, we welcome papers that reveal the positive and/or negative aspects of associating indigenous knowledge and IT for sustainable development.
This Special Issue welcomes papers from all disciplines and encourages multidisciplinary that apply quantitative, qualitative, design science or mixed-methods research approaches.
Important Dates:
- Deadline for submission: 15 January 2024
- Notification of initial acceptance: 31 March 2024
- Deadline for revised papers: 30 June 2024
- Notification of final acceptance: 30 September 2024
- Tentative publication date: December 2024
See the full Special Issue CFP for details regarding context, aims, and scope; topics of interest; and submission guidelines.
|
| |
|
| |
IEEE ETHICS-2023: Ethics in the Global Innovation Helix
|
| |
|
| |
18-20 May 2023
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
|
| |
|
| |
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.
Conference details and Registration information are available on the ETHICS-2021 Website.
|
| |
|
| |
31 May – 02 June 2023
Tshwane, South Africa
|
| |
|
| |
Hosted by the Government of South Africa through the Department of Science and Innovation and Supported by the European Commission (EC) and African Union Commission (AUC), IST-Africa 2023 is the eighteenth in an annual series of Technology Research, Innovation and Policy Conferences. IST-Africa 2023 is technical co-sponsored by SSIT.
Following three years of successfully organising IST-Africa as a virtual event to protect the health and well-being of IST-Africa Community Members due to the unprecedented circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic, IST-Africa 2023 will take place as a physical in-person event in CSIR International Conference Centre, Tshwane, South Africa from 31 May - 02 June.
IST-Africa 2023 will provide a world-class international forum to showcase existing technology-enabled Research, Innovation and ICT4D activities and capacity in Africa, Europe and other parts of the world. IST-Africa directly supports Innovation, Science and Technology aspects of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership, the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024) and national policies including ICT and Digital Economy Masterplan for South Africa, National Digital and Future Skills Strategy and Foundational Digital Capabilities Research – Decadal Plan.
IST-Africa 2023 Advance Program
The IST-Africa 2023 Conference Program incorporates a mix of strategic plenary sessions, complemented by a scientific program featuring technical and case study papers and oral presentations.
The IST-Africa 2023 Advance Program incorporates 31 thematically focused sessions featuring over 90 presenters from the public, private, education, research and societal organizations from 25 countries addressing eHealth, Societal Implications of Technology, Next Generation Computing (including Artificial Intelligence, BlockChain, Internet of Things), Cyber Security, eGovernment, Technology Enhanced Learning, eAgriculture, Environmental Sustainability, Global Development, Content Technologies and Collaborative Open Innovation.
Registration
Click here to learn more about registration.
|
| |
|
| |
IEEE ISTAS 2023: Technology and Analytics for Global Development
13-15 September 2023
Swansea University, Swansea, Wales
|
| |
|
| |
The IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS) is the flagship conference of the IEEE’s Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). ISTAS is a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary forum for engineers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, philosophers, researchers, social scientists, and technologists to collaborate, exchange experiences, and discuss the social implications of technology.
ISTAS23 aims to bring together contributions from a variety of perspectives, disciplines, and communities for the advancement of knowledge regarding Technology and Analytics for Global Development. Participation is invited from academics and practitioners who are engaged in current debates about the role and significance of technology and analytics, and who are interested in topics related to sustainability, ethics, equity, and social values for global development.
You can visit the conference website to find out about the fantastic confirmed Keynote Speakers:
- Prof. Sajda Qureshi (University of Nebraska, Omaha)
- Prof. H. Raghav Rao (University of Texas at San Antonio)
- Adballah Badhrus (Muslim Education and Welfare Association [MEWA], Kenya)
Registration details are available now; the registration portal will open in the coming months.
IEEE ISTAS 2023 is Technical Co-sponsored by IEEE Region 8, IEEE UK and Ireland Section, IEEE UK and Ireland SSIT Chapter, and IEEE UK and Ireland Education Chapter.
|
| |
|
| |
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)
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 2025.
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
|
| |
|
| |
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.
|
| |
|
| |
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
|
| |
|
| |
{{my.Comm Preferences:default=edit me}}
|
| |
|
|
|
