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.
Location: UW Seattle, Communication 126
Register and add to your calendar
Technology for the People is a Society + Technology at UW salon co-hosted with the Department of Communication’s Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy arranged to showcase empathetic, community-focused engagement with technologies for justice and democracy.
Featuring speakers from UW Seattle, UW Tacoma, and UW Bothell, the conversation will discuss efforts toward digital equity and information access in the Puget Sound region from a range of disciplines including communication, computer science, public policy, and human-centered design and engineering.
Anyone interested in attending is welcome, however, registration is required.
Monday, April 14, 2025
6 pm to 8:00 pm PDT
Toni C. Rembe Appellate Courtroom, Room 133
Reception to follow in the Galleria
4293 Memorial Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98195
School of Law, University of Washington, Seattle
The event is free, but registration is required.
6:00 | Doors open. Check-in at the Welcome Desk at the east entrance to Gates Hall
6:15 – 7:30 | Salon conversation with Dharma Dailey (Computing & Software Systems, UW Bothell), Carmen Gonzalez (Communication, UW Seattle), Esther Jang (Computer Science, UW Seattle), Divya C. McMillin (Global Media Studies, UW Tacoma); moderated by Adrienne Russell (Communication, UW Seattle) with an introduction by co-host Monika Sengul-Jones (Society + Technology at UW)
7:30 – 8:00 | Reception in the Galleria
This salon will not be available in a hybrid format, however, a recording or transcript may be available upon request and with permission from the speakers. Email mmjones@uw.edu to learn more.
The School of Law is accessible by transit, car, bicycle, and foot.
By public transit, the School of Law is accessible to many busses and less than 0.2 miles from the U District station for the Light Rail. The entrance to the event is on the east side of the building, on Memorial Way.
By car, exit 1-5 to NE 45th St and go east. Turn right onto Memorial Way Northeast, then turn right to enter Lot N01, adjacent to the Burke Museum, which has Pay By Phone parking.
Bicycle racks are available on the north end of the building.
All areas of this space are wheelchair accessible. There are ADA parking spots in Lot N01 Hall. The event, reception, and bathrooms are conveniently located on the main floor. If you need accommodations or have accessibility questions prior to the event, please contact mmjones@uw.edu; during the event, please ask the Society + Technology at UW and Tech Policy Lab staff or volunteers for assistance.
We are a mask-friendly event. Even though masks are no longer required in many places, attendees may want to continue to wear a mask for added protection against COVID-19, especially those who are immunocompromised, living with someone immunocompromised, or who may just feel safer wearing a mask. Everyone should assess their own personal risk when making this decision. Masks will be available at the Welcome Table at the east entrance to the School of Law. Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell.
Salons are one of Society + Technology at UW’s community programs, hosted conversations to elevate the cross-campus and cross-disciplinary perspectives on emerging technologies. Each Salon is a one-hour and fifteen-minute conversation between three to five affiliates from the S+T network, with a moderator. The purpose is to recognize and honor live, arranged encounters as a meeting of the minds, to give greater visibility to the S+T network, and to cultivate intellectual conditions for deeper collaborations.
Dharma Dailey is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Computing & Software Systems Division of the University of Washington Bothell School of STEM where she teaches User Research, Interaction Design, and Intro to Programming. As a faculty affiliate at the eScience Institute at the University of Washington, Dailey investigates how human-centered design can be incorporated into data-intensive research. She has mentored dozens of scientists in exploring the social dimensions of their research and collaborates with educators across the U.S. who are bringing “Data for Good” into the learning experiences they foster, for example, helping to share better practices for running university-based Data Science for Social Good programs.
Carmen Gonzalez is the Dart Endowed Associate Professor in Trauma, Journalism, and Communication. She studies digital equity and health communication to understand how communication information technologies can help or harm health disparities, for instance, she’s studied postpartum care and telemedicine, language access in medical settings, and information access within immigrant families. Her research, funded by the NIH, UW Population Health Initiative, and Google, also includes rapid response projects on COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on communities of color. Carmen is Co-Director of the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE), founder of the Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL), and Director of Outreach for the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC).
Esther Jang is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Computer Science at the University of Washington. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Washington. Jang is also a Director at the nonprofit Local Connectivity Lab (LCL) and the founder of the Seattle Community Network (SCN), a project launched in 2019 to build DIY internet infrastructure for digital equity. She has installed community networks across the U.S. and internationally and teaches technical networking at the Tribal Broadband Bootcamp (TBB). Her work focuses on DIY approaches, empowerment, and pedagogy, emphasizing the creation of communities of practice to sustain technical infrastructures—and vice versa.
Divya C. McMillin is a Professor of Global Media Studies in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UW Tacoma and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Global Engagement (PhD 1998, International Communication and Cultural Studies, Indiana University Bloomington; Innovation Masters Certificate 2019, Stanford University), where she is at the helm of the Institute for Innovation and Global Engagement, and, The Global Innovation and Design Lab, a space for problem-solving and expertly facilitated workshops and executive education in social innovation and design thinking. She is a leading scholar of global media studies and practitioner of participatory design and design thinking. Divya is author of several books, including International Media Studies and Place, Power, and Media which bring a postcolonial critique to media globalization. Divya has received numerous research and teaching awards as well as UW Tacoma’s awards for distinguished research and community engagement. She holds affiliate teaching appointments in the UW Seattle Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies South Asia Center and Center for Global Studies. She is a Guest Lecturer in the London School of Economics. McMillin began her career in print (The Times of India) and broadcast journalism (All India Radio and National Public Radio). In her spare time, she enjoys playing bass and traveling the world.
Adrienne Russell is Mary Laird Wood Professor of Communication and co-director of the Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy. Her research lies at the intersection of journalism, technology and political communication. It focuses on emerging technologies and pressing social problems, with an eye toward how to foster democratic and participatory publics. Her most recent book, The Mediated Climate (Columbia University Press 2023), explores the overlapping climate and information crises, examining how journalism, activism, and Big Tech compete to influence the public.
CJMD is a hub for research, teaching and public discussion about the forces shaping information practices, media cultures and core democratic values. Through research, teaching, and public engagement, we explore connections between public institutions, the press, and digital platforms with the aim of identifying the threats and opportunities to quality information, robust engagement, government accountability, and core democratic values.
Society + Technology at UW is a cross-campus, cross-disciplinary initiative and community at the University of Washington devoted to fostering interdisciplinary conversations about emerging technologies and their societal impact. The initiative connects researchers, students, and professionals through events, discussions, and collaborative initiatives. With a growing network of affiliates, S+T at UW raises the ethical, cultural, and policy implications of technological advancements.
This event is sponsored by the Tech Policy Lab, the Department of Communication, and the Office of the Provost.
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.
Society + Technology at UW has several community programs, including the First Monday STSS Reading Group, which focuses on the science, technology, and society studies intellectual community, a salon series, which began with events on bioethics and genetics, and pop-up working groups. The latest working group series, on science, society, and justice, is hosted by Tim Brown, an assistant professor in the Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the School of Medicine.
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).
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 | Topic: Airing
9:30 – 10:25 AM (PT)
📍 Online | Chatham House Rule
Register for the first session on Feb. 11
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | Collaborating
9:30 – 10:25 AM (PT)
📍 Online | Chatham House Rule
Register for the second session on Feb. 25
Tuesday, March 11 | Creating
9:30 – 10:25 AM (PT)
📍 Online | Chatham House Rule
Register for the third session on March 11
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.”
No, the three Pop-Up Working Group sessions are not duplicates. Instead, the series is designed as an interlinked, emergent, and aggregated conversation.
Yes, then you’ll receive information about the conversations and the opportunity to connect with others.
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.
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.
🔗 Learn more about Dr. Tim Brown: https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/timothy-brown-phd
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.
🔗 Learn more: https://depts.washington.edu/societytech/wordpress/community-programs/
