You Are Invited!
We are so excited to invite you to our inaugural convening! The outgrowth of the 2021-22 President and Provost Task Force on Technology and Society across UW’s three campuses, Society + Technology at UW brings together the incredible intellectual community working at the intersection of technology and human flourishing. Learn more about the campus programs and researchers working at the intersection of society and technology across the three UW campuses, and hear from the UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost Tricia Serio. Space is limited, RSVP at your earliest convenience. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Yours,
Ryan Calo, Chair, Technology and Society Task Force
Monika Sengul-Jones, Program Manager, Society + Technology at UW
on behalf of Society + Technology at UW
When?
Friday, January 10, 2025
9 am – 12:30 pm
Where?
Center for Urban Horticulture
Northwest Horticulture Society (NHS) Hall
Reception in Merrill Commons
3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA 98105
Campus Map | Google Map
Travel and Parking
The Center for Urban Horticulture is accessible by foot, transit, and car.
By foot, the venue is 1.1 miles east of the UW Seattle campus and U Village, on Union Bay, approximately a twenty-five-minute walk.
By public transit, connect from the Light Rail to the Seattle Metro Bus number 31 or 32.
By car, exit 1-5 to NE 45th St and go east. Turn right onto Mary Gates Memorial Dr NE, then turn right onto NE Union Bay Rd. Free visitor parking is available around the building.
Accessibility
All areas of this space are wheelchair accessible. There are ADA parking spots outside NHS Hall. The southeast entrance to the NHS Hall lobby has an automatic-opening ADA door. No stairs are required to access any of the venue buildings or reception areas. The bathrooms are conveniently located in the southeast lobby inside NHS Hall. 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.
Masks
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 in NHS Hall. Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell.
Cost
The event is free, but registration is required.
Program
9:00 – 9:30 | Welcome to the Northwest Horticulture Society (NHS) Hall | Coffee and Breakfast
9:30 – 10:10 | Remarks from President Ana Mari Cauce, Provost Tricia R. Serio, Society + Technology at UW Leadership, Ryan Calo and Monika Sengul-Jones
10:10 – 10:50 | Lightning Talks from Society + Technology at UW Affiliates
- Leah Ceccarelli, Professor, Communication, Director, Science, Technology, and Society Studies, UW Seattle
- Aylin Caliskan, Assistant Professor, Information School, Co-Director, Tech Policy Lab, UW Seattle
- Jennifer Mankoff, Professor, Computer Science, Director, CREATE, UW Seattle
- Amy Hinterberger, Associate Professor and Chair, Bioethics and Humanities, UW School of Medicine, UW Medicine
- Lauren Berliner, Associate Professor and Curricular Leader, Media & Communication Studies, IAS UW Bothell
- Adam Romero, Associate Professor and Faculty Coordinator, Science and Technology Studies (STS), IAS, UW Bothell
- Emma Spiro, Associate Professor, Information School, Director, Center for an Informed Public, UW Seattle
10:50 – 11:10 | Inaugural Reading | Meet & Greet
11:10 – 11:35 | Panel | Routes, Paths, Crossroads: Perspectives on Building Capacities in Technology & Society | Society + Technology at UW Campus Partners
- Kathleen Woodward | Simpson Center for the Humanities, UW Seattle, serving the tri-campus community
- François Baneyx | CoMotion, UW Seattle, serving the tri-campus community
- Constance McBarron | EarthLab, College of the Environment, UW Seattle
- Divya McMillin | Innovation and Global Engagement, UW Tacoma
- Moderated by Jason Young | TASCHA, Researchers in Community at the Information School, UW Seattle
11:35 – 11:45 | Closing Remarks
11:45 – 12:30 | Lite Fare Refreshments (vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options) by Bay Laurel in Merrill Commons
Speaker Biographies
Lightning Talks
Leah Ceccarelli is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Director of the UW Science, Technology, and Society Studies Graduate Certificate program. Her research focuses on the rhetoric of science, and she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American public address, rhetorical criticism, and rhetoric of science. She serves as a Co-Editor of the Transdisciplinary Rhetoric book series sponsored by the Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) and Penn State University Press. Ceccarelli is an RSA Fellow and winner of the National Communication Association (NCA) Douglas W. Ehninger Distinguished Rhetorical Scholar award and the American Society for the History of Rhetoric outstanding mentor award. Her first book, Shaping Science with Rhetoric (University of Chicago Press, 2001), won the RSA book award, and her second book, On the Frontier of Science (Michigan State University Press, 2013), won the Marie Hochmuth Nichols book award from the Public Address Division of NCA.
Aylin Caliskan is an Assistant Professor in the Information School and holds an adjunct appointment in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington where she co-directs the UW Tech Policy Lab. Caliskan studies and addresses the societal impact of artificial intelligence (AI) by developing methods and transparency-enhancing approaches. Specifically, Caliskan’s research focuses on empirical AI ethics in natural language processing, multimodal machine learning, and human-AI collaboration. Caliskan’s work was among the first to rigorously show that machine learning models trained on language corpora contain human-like biases. Her contributions to machine learning’s impact on fairness and privacy received the best talk and best paper awards. Caliskan holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Drexel University’s College of Computing & Informatics and a Master of Science in Robotics from the University of Pennsylvania. Caliskan was a Postdoctoral Researcher and a Fellow at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy. In 2021, Caliskan was appointed a Nonresident Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution, housed in the Center for Technology Innovation. Her honors include recognition as a Rising Star in EECS at Stanford University, being named one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, an IJCAI Early Career Spotlight, and the NSF CAREER Award.
Jennifer Mankoff is the Richard E. Ladner Professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and directs the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington. CREATE’s mission is to make technology accessible, and make the world accessible through technology. Mankoff’s own research uses technologies including generative AI, data science, 3D printing, and computational knitting to solve accessibility problems. She strives to bring both structural and personal perspectives to her work. Mankoff received her PhD at Georgia Tech, advised by Gregory Abowd and Scott Hudson, and her B.A. from Oberlin College. She has identified as disabled since graduate school.
Amy Hinterberger is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Bioethics and Humanities in the School of Medicine at the University of Washington. Prior to joining University of Washington in 2024, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London, UK. She has also held positions at the University of Warwick (2013 – 2017), Harvard University (2014), University of Oxford (2011 – 2013) and University of London (2010 – 2011). A sociologist by training (PhD, LSE, 2010), her research addresses the ethical and political dynamics of biomedicine and biotechnology. Her research interests span multiple areas of innovation and technology, focusing particularly on cell-based technologies and genomics. Exploring the relationship between inequality and the social implications arising from emerging technologies is a key aspect of her scholarship. Additionally, she is interested in the intersections between sociology and bioethics, particularly in exploring the institutional governance and regulation of both humans and animals in biomedical research.
Lauren Berliner is an Associate Professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at University of Washington Bothell, where she researches everyday practices of media creation and social and institutional structures. Her first book, Producing Queer Youth: The Paradox of Digital Media Empowerment, examines how queer youth media makers navigate the structural conditions of funding and publicity while incorporating digital self-representations into identity management. Berliner co-edited, with Ron Krabill, Feminist Interventions in Participatory Media: Pedagogy, Publics, Practice, which offers theoretical, creative, and practical strategies for integrating technology, social change, media activism, and praxis into teaching or community work. Berliner’s leadership at University of Washington Bothell in the Media and Communication Studies major advances new frameworks for critical pedagogy with a praxis-oriented approach to scholarship as well as a scholarly approach to multiple forms of cultural practices. Her new work, on ‘digital obscura,’ gives attention to loss, absence, and oversight around digital objects that fail to circulate.
Adam Romero is an Associate Professor in IAS at UW Bothell and the Faculty Coordinator for the Science, Technology, and Society degree program. He is the author of Economic Poisoning: Industrial Waste and the Chemicalization of American Agriculture (2021), a retelling of the pre-1945 history of pesticides in the United States through the lens of industrial waste, which won the 2022 Theodore Saloutos Memorial Award for the best book on U.S. agricultural history. His new research focuses on the crisis of abundance, industrial chemicals, and problems related to too much food. A master gardener, in addition to his teaching at UW Bothell, Romero runs classes on integrated pest management in King County. He holds a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an M.S. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of Oxford, a Master Gardener Certificate from the University of California Cooperative Extension, and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley.
Emma S. Spiro is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington Information School, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and HCDE. She is an affiliate of the UW Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (CSSS) and the Center for Studies is Demography and Ecology (CSDE). Spiro is a Data Science Fellow at the eScience Institute at UW. At the UW iSchool Spiro is co-founder and current co-director of the Data Science and Analytics Lab (DataLab). She co-founded and directs the Center for an Informed Public (CIP) at UW; the CIP is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary effort that brings together faculty, staff, students, and community partners in service of a core mission aiming to resist strategic misinformation and strengthen democratic discourse. Spiro studies online communication and information-related behaviors in the context of emergencies and disaster events. Recently, she has focused on investigating misinformation online. Her work also explores the structure and dynamics of interpersonal and organizational networks in both online and offline environments.
Panelists
Kathleen Woodward, Director of the Simpson Center for the Humanities, is Bryon W. and Alice L. Lockwood Professor in the Humanities and Professor of English at the University of Washington. She is the author of several books, including Statistical Panic: Cultural Politics and Poetics of Emotions (2009), articles, and essays in academic journals, general interest publications, and presses. Woodward has received numerous institutional grants, including from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and has served on national committees such as the Executive Council of the Modern Language Association (2009-2013), and as Chair of the National Advisory Board of Imagining America, a broad-based network of scholars and leaders of cultural institutions devoted to fostering the development of campus-community partnerships (2000-2005). From 1995-2001 she was President of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, an international organization of over 250 members, and she continues to serve on its International Advisory Board. She holds a BA in Economics from Smith College and a PhD in Literature from the University of California at San Diego.
François Baneyx has served as the University of Washington Vice Provost for Innovation and Director of CoMotion since 2019 and he directs CoMotion, overseeing intellectual property protection and licensing, training of a diverse entrepreneurial workforce, and funding and mentorship programs that support the creation, incubation, and launch of startups. He is the Charles W.H. Matthaei Professor of Chemical Engineering and an adjunct professor of Bioengineering and is an internationally recognized authority on protein production technologies and the biological fabrication of advanced materials with applications in medicine, sensing, optoelectronics, and catalysis. For his contributions to these fields, he was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2013), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (2015), the American Academy of Microbiology (2015), and the Washington State Academy of Sciences (2016). Baneyx earned a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He was a postdoctoral researcher at DuPont before joining the University of Washington faculty in 1992.
Constance McBarron is the Communications and Engagement Manager at EarthLab, an institute at the University of Washington taking equitable action on climate change by pushing boundaries to develop innovative research and programming connecting across the UW and the wider community. In her role, she uses her past experience in politics, tech, and banking to create marketing and communication materials that translate complex scientific or technical information into accessible content. In addition, she spearheads engaging events to connect people across differences and manages meaningful partnerships with people and organizations working at the intersection of climate change and social justice.
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.
Jason Young is the Director of the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA), a Principal Research Scientist and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Information School. TASCHA is a multidisciplinary center whose research explores the relationship between digital technologies and society, with an emphasis on applied work grounded in community engagement. Young’s research explores the intersection between technology, knowledge systems, and power.
More About the UW Tech Policy Lab
This event is co-hosted by The Tech Policy Lab, a unique, interdisciplinary collaboration at the University of Washington that aims to enhance technology policy through research, education, and thought leadership. Founded in 2013 by faculty from the University’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, Information School, and School of Law, the Lab aims to bridge the gap between technologists and policymakers and to help generate wiser, more inclusive tech policy.
More About the Center for Urban Horticulture
With rooftop plantings that reflect heat to an irrigation system linked to the campus weather station, our event is being held at the Merrill Commons and the Northwest Horticulture Society (NHS) Hall in the Center for Urban Horticulture, which is part of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and the School of Environmental & Forest Sciences. During your visit, you can wander the 16-acre landscaped site with buildings and visit the 74-acre Union Bay Natural Area, which has a publicly accessible wildlife habitat (more than 200 bird species). To learn more about urban agriculture at UW, register for a free three-hour tour of the 2.5-acre student-run urban UW Farm, an experience that includes hands-on farm work.
University Land Acknowledgment
The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations. Learn more