University of Washington faculty, students, and staff affiliated with or interested in joining the Society + Technology at UW’s campus community are invited to our next in-person mixer: STS in CRISIS, hosted at UW Tacoma and in partnership with the STSS community. Matthew Weinstein (Education, UW Tacoma) joins Monika Sengul-Jones as the local co-host.
STS in CRISIS
What is the purchase of STS to make sense of crises, past or present? How might STS itself be a site of crisis?
STS in CRISIS is a provocation, not a diagnosis.
April 29, 2025 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM UW Tacoma | Birmingham Hay and Seed Building, Room 107 (Located on the 1st floor of the Birmingham Hay and Seed (BHS) Building)
Join us! The event is free, but please register by Friday, April 26.
While STS in CRISIS is designed for UW faculty, staff, and students, following the success of the Technology for the People salon, which was open to the public, please stay tuned to learn more about future public-facing events and salons.
Join the STSS community on Thursday, March 13, 2025 for an in-person Research Mixer from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
Come for the in-person research birds-of-a-feather activity and announcements, and stay for the snacks, no-host happy hour, and intellectual community.
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, left, at the inaugural convening of Society + Technology at the UW, together with Monika Sengul-Jones, center, and Ryan Calo, two leaders of the initiative. (Doug Parry)
On January 10, 2025, over 80 faculty leaders from three campuses and the School of Medicine gathered at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture to launch Society + Technology at UW.
The kickoff began with remarks from university leadership. UW President Ana Mari Cauce referenced the 2022 Task Force chaired by Ryan Calo, which highlighted the vast scope of UW’s expertise in technology and society.
“[T]his is an area where the University of Washington has the brainpower [and] the people power,” said Cauce.
Provost Tricia R. Serio emphasized the university’s commitment to the commons—the public good—and underscored the importance of supporting the ongoing work between the centers, programs, and labs across UW’s regional campuses.
The initiative’s faculty lead is School of Law Professor Ryan Calo, who emceed the event. The speaker line-up began with Communication Professor Leah Ceccarelli, who directs the Science, Technology, and Society Studies (STSS) Graduate Certificate Program and has been involved in Society + Technology at UW since its inception.
The event also featured speakers from the initiative’s growing network of faculty and staff—spanning more than 30 centers and 85 researchers—who shared insights on technology and research topics ranging from democracy, ethics, equity, historical context, artificial intelligence, and accessibility.
Jason Young (TASCHA, Researchers in Community, iSchool, UW Seattle), with Constance McBarron (EarthLab), Kathleen Woodward (Simpson Center for the Humanities), François Baneyx (CoMotion), and Divya McMillin (Innovation and Global Engagement, UW Tacoma), speaking at the opening of Society + Technology at UW. (Matthew Weinstein)Professor Ryan Calo (Law), S+T Faculty Lead. (Matthew Weinstein)Professor Leah Ceccarelli (Communication) and Director, Science, Technology, and Society Studies Graduate Certificate Program. (Matthew Weinstein)Monika Sengul-Jones, left, Assistant Professor Golden Owens (Cinema & Media Studies), Professor Daniela Rosner (HCDE), and Professor Sean Munson (HCDE). (MSJ)Associate Professor Nassim Parvin (iSchool), left, and Professor Saadia Pekkanen (International Studies) at the reception. (MSJ)Associate Professor Emma Spiro (iSchool), Director of the Center for an Informed Public. (Doug Parry)Associate Professor Amy Hinterberger, Chair of Bioethics and Humanities, UW School of Medicine. (Matthew Weinstein)Associate Professor Adam Romero (IAS, UW Bothell), Faculty Coordinator of Science and Technology Studies (STS). (Matthew Weinstein)Professor Jennifer Mankoff (Computer Science), Director of CREATE. (Matthew Weinstein)
Planning for future events in Tacoma, Seattle, and Bothell is underway. Already on the calendar is a salon titled Technology for the People, scheduled for Monday, April 14, 2025 from 6 pm – 8 pm, co-hosted with the Department of Communication’s Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy.
On September 3, Society + Technology at UW will co-host a UW gathering during the annual conference for the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) association, which will be in Seattle in early September. Several affiliates are on the 4S conference planning leadership team.
To expand the reach of UW’s expertise, Society + Technology at UW plans to launch an external affiliates program for future community and industry partners in coming months.
Society + Technology at UW has been featured in articles from the Information School and GeekWire. In an interview with Geekwire writer Kurt Schlosser, Monika Sengul-Jones, Society + Technology at UW’s Director of Strategy and Operations, which is hosted in the UW Tech Policy Lab, explained the significance of the cross-disciplinary network’s focus.
“We put society first, very intentionally, in the name of the initiative, and in the idea that society makes technology,” Sengul-Jones said. “It’s not that tech just comes from nowhere and then suddenly impacts society. We all make it. We are extensions of the tools that we create.”
Register Now: S+T at UW Pop-Up Working Groups on Science, Society & Justice
Society + Technology at UW is offering a new three-part Pop-Up Working Group on Science, Society & Justice for the UW community, hosted by Dr. Tim Brown (Department of Bioethics & Humanities).
About the Working Group Theme: Science, Society & Justice
This working group begins with a guiding question: what does research, teaching, and intellectual life around science, society, and justice mean in 2025 for UW faculty, staff, and students?
To answer to this question, we are fostering a brave space for shared support, empathy, and uplifting dialogue. Hosted by Tim Brown, PhD, and moderated by Monika Sengul-Jones, PhD, the goal is to be a space for UW affiliates to collectively and iteratively discuss current affairs in relation to our charge at the university and determine key takeaways.
“[W]e are witnessing tectonic shifts in the global political landscape that will deeply impact science and society research. UW faculty, staff, and students will need to adapt and respond in ways that uphold our values and uplift our communities,” said Brown. “To promote academic freedom and integrity at UW and beyond.”
Are the sessions the same?
No, the three Pop-Up Working Group sessions are not duplicates. Instead, the series is designed as an interlinked, emergent, and aggregated conversation.
I can’t attend, should I still register?
Yes, then you’ll receive information about the conversations and the opportunity to connect with others.
Will the sessions be recorded?
No, the Pop-Up Working Group sessions will not be recorded. If you’re unable to attend one or more sessions but would like to connect with Dr. Tim Brown about these themes more generally, you may reach out directly at timbr@uw.edu.
About Tim Brown, PhD
Tim Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioethics & Humanities and a founding member of the Neuroethics Thrust within the Center for Neurotechnology at UW. His research explores the intersections of biomedical ethics, philosophy of technology, and social justice, particularly in the context of neurotechnologies and their societal impact.
S+T Pop-Up Working Groups are thematic problem-solving sessions proposed and hosted by members of the Society + Technology Affiliate network. Each session is a 55-minute online conversation addressing a timely question or challenge.
The first Pop-Up Working Group in 2024 emerged from a reading group discussion on AI at UW. Have a question or problem you’d like to explore with the S+T network? Propose a Pop-Up Working Group session by emailing mmjones@uw.edu.
