The PIT-UN Family Keeps Growing

Seven new institutions are joining PIT-UN in 2021. They represent a range of perspectives and bring a variety of innovative PIT programming into the Network, and reflect that values that have driven the makeup of the Network from the beginning—academic excellence, a commitment to developing the field of public interest technology, racial, regional, and socioeconomic diversity, a desire to collaborate and contribute to our shared growth, and more.

Read on for more about each new member institution, their dedication to PIT, what they bring to the Network, and what they’re hoping to attain in the coming years.

Case Western Reserve University

With its Midwest location and blend of healthcare, engineering, humanities, arts, and sciences expertise, Case Western Reserve University brings an exciting new perspective to PIT-UN. Existing PIT initiatives include the Institute for Smart, Secure and Connected Systems (ISSACS), and the IoT Collaborative (IOTC) partnership, which focus on the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Internet of Things. The IOTC partners CWRU with Cleveland State University, another 2021 PIT-UN new member.

CWRU’s recent “Think Big” strategic planning process committed the school to PIT principles and becoming a space where “humanity, science, and technology meet to create a just and thriving world.” PIT leaders at CWRU say they’re particularly interested in collaborating with other members on issues of tech and the law, governance and technology (including AI), and digital humanities.

Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University is a public urban research university in the city of Cleveland with deep ties to the local community and a long track record of facilitating social mobility: 40 percent of undergrads are the first in their families to attend college, and eighty percent of CSU graduates live in Northeast Ohio. In addition to its IOTC partnership with Case Western Reserve University, CSU has a number of other active PIT initiatives, including the CSU T.E.C.H. Hub focused on transdisciplinary human tech, connected public health, cyber security and privacy protection and more.

CSU brings significant experience engaging organizations in the local community to PIT-UN, including working with the City of Cleveland on its Building the 21st Century City effort. CSU is looking to collaborate with PIT-UN members on research and curriculum development partnerships, including joint courses, as well as around interdisciplinary work on technology and the law.

The Ohio State University

OSU brings a wealth of PIT programming to PIT-UN, including a number of new initiatives and classes that exemplify the public interest approach to technology education. The school has a Science and Engineering in the Public Interest major that includes a Rapid Innovation for Public Impact capstone course, bringing student teams together with public sector partners. The OSU Responsible Data Science Community of Practice brings faculty from many disciplines together to examine the harmful social impacts of data science and work on solutions.

OSU has identified the social impact of emerging technology as a key focus for growth in the coming years, and is planning to develop more open access research and curricular resources. The university is also looking to integrate PIT principles into its Land Grant extension program, which engages with communities across the state.

Pennsylvania State University

With a total enrollment of nearly 90,000 students, Penn State is among the largest institutions in the Network, and joins PIT-UN with a variety of PIT programs in progress. Penn State comes to PIT-UN after launching its Law Policy and Engineering initiative (LPE), which brings all three disciplines together to address major societal issues, in 2018. LPE is currently developing a Masters program focusing on the ethical, legal, policy and societal impacts of technology. Additionally, the initiative is working to bring together PIT-focused faculty across the university to collaborate—a key focus of many Network members and PIT faculty.

Penn State looks forward to sharing its experience with outreach activities with the Network, including its Nittany AI Alliance, which brings students together with NGOs to develop AI-enabled innovations, and Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESI) minor program, in which engineering students work on social ventures.

San José State University

Located in Silicon Valley, SJSU has long contributed to innovation in tech. As a member of the Network, the University looks to build capacity and support existing programs that innovate towards social good. SJSU’s Deep Humanities program brings faculty and industry together to examine the ethical challenges posed by disruptive innovation. The Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement studies policies in Silicon Valley and promotes service learning. And the Mineta Transportation Institute puts tech expertise to work improving transportation systems and policy.

SJSU has a longstanding network of partnerships in the tech community and is the number one provider of workforce in Silicon Valley. It also brings greater diversity to the network as a Hispanic Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution, as well as being known for strong social mobility—around half of students are eligible for Pell grants, and a third are first-generation college students.

University of Illinois at Chicago

Located in the heart of Chicago, UIC joins PIT-UN after launching a new, first-of-its-kind MS in Civic Analytics program, which focuses on meeting the needs of public agencies. The University also developed a civic analytics minor, now in its first semester, to spread this PIT teaching across the undergraduate curriculum. UIC also researches data practices and public affairs through the Civic Technology Research program, adding to the school’s efforts to train civic technologists for leadership roles in the public interest.

UIC is a Hispanic Serving Institution, and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and has a high concentration of pell-eligible and first-generation students. It looks forward to collaborating within the network on public administration, public policy, urban affairs, and more as it continues to grow its own programs in public data science.

William & Mary

One of the country’s oldest institutions of higher learning, William & Mary’s roots as a liberal arts college complement its current status as a major university with robust science and technology curriculum and research. W&M’s Global Research Institute applies research and technology to solving real world problems with domestic and international partners. The Center for Legal & Court Technology brings tech to bear in securing justice in courts worldwide. And W&M participates in the Virginia statewide Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, studying blockchain’s applications in maritime logistics.

In addition to further growing its focus on technology research and education in the public interest, W&M is working to increase collaboration between departments, particularly under the umbrella of PIT. Membership in the network underscores W&M’s commitment to advancing STEM education and open opportunities to grow the school’s public service reach.