October 2021 - change - Mailing Lists

Change Talk: Nithya Sambasivan (Google) Tuesday Noon CSE2 271
by Kurtis Heimerl 31 Oct '21

31 Oct '21

*The myopia of model centrism* AI models seek to intervene in increasingly higher stakes domains, such as cancer detection and microloan allocation. What is the view of the world that guides AI development in high risk areas, and how does this view regard the complexity of the real world? In this talk, I will present results from my multi-year inquiry into how fundamentals of AI systems---data, expertise, and fairness---are viewed in AI development. I pay particular attention to developer practices in AI systems intended for low-resource communities, especially in the Global South, where people are enrolled as labourers or untapped DAUs. Despite the inordinate role played by these fundamentals on model outcomes, data work is under-valued; domain experts are reduced to data-entry operators; and fairness and accountability assumptions do not scale past the West. Instead, model development is glamourised, and model performance is viewed as the indicator of success. The overt emphasis on models, at the cost of ignoring these fundamentals, leads to brittle and reductive interventions that ultimately displace functional and complex real-world systems in low-resource contexts. I put forth practical implications for AI research and practice to shift away from model centrism to enabling human ecosystems; in effect, building safer and more robust systems for all. *Bio:* Nithya Sambasivan is a Research Scientist at PAIR, Google Research and leads the human-computer interaction (HCI) group at the India lab. Her current research focuses on designing responsible AI systems by focusing on the humans of the AI/ML pipeline, specifically in the non-West. Her research is seminal to Google's products and strategy for emerging markets, while also winning numerous best paper awards and nominations at top-tier computing conferences. Nithya has a PhD. in Information and Computer Sciences from UC Irvine. -- Website: https://kurti.sh/ Public Key: https://flowcrypt.com/pub/kheimerl@cs.washington.edu

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Change Seminar: Matt Johnson and Philip Garrison presenting their CSCW '21 papers
by Kurtis Heimerl 25 Oct '21

25 Oct '21

HI All, Tomorrow, Matt Johnson will present "Network Capacity as Common Pool Resource: Community-Based Congestion Management in a Community Network" and Philip Garrison will present "The Network Is an Excuse': Hardware Maintenance Supporting Community" (winner of a best paper award!). CSCW has a short talk format this year so we'll cover both in one session. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow in CSE2 271 at Noon. -- Website: https://kurti.sh/ Public Key: https://flowcrypt.com/pub/kheimerl@cs.washington.edu

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Change Seminar: Tu Noon @ CSE2 271 Reshaping rural borders: youth, ICT and socio-technical implications of Covid-19 pandemic in family farming by Matias Centeno
by Kurtis Heimerl 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

Join us tomorrow in CSE2 271 for Matias Centeno's talk *Reshaping rural borders: youth, ICT and socio-technical implications of Covid-19 pandemic in family farming * Abstract: Since decades ago, digital change has been a heterogeneous process affecting modalities of communication, management and organization. In family farming, the main activity of the agricultural sector in the world (Graeub et. al., 2016), the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sit across the intersection of crucial concerns that have surrounded this ancient human activity for centuries. The agricultural setting is a relevant field to think about contemporary youth, their trajectories, dilemmas and strategies in an interconnected and uncertain world. The research is based on the assumption that, fueled by the integration of ICT in different spheres of life, young people are configuring new experiences that defy the frontiers of agricultural activity. At the same time they are boosting the revision of some historical categories, including rurality, agricultural practices, rural youth and farming culture, among others. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated unprecedented transformations. It has highlighted the digital acceleration in daily life and the dematerialization of the economy. This process is expanding gaps that exist within fragile economic and political cycles as well as the inequities in technological and socio-cultural shifts. The research seeks to understand the socio-technical trajectories of ICT in family farming and their socio-cultural configurations in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Situating young people as central actors, the project will track the communication modalities of youth in family farming and the developments they have drawn from digital technologies. Problematizing agriculture and its territorial fabric from the social sciences, in particular from the encounter between sociology and technology, represents a relevant opportunity for technological and rural development studies aimed to better understand the spread of digital culture in agricultural life. Research contributions can also allow new insights about family farming, presenting it not only as a productive activity but above all, as a sociocultural dimension. The rurban approach may introduce a newfangled insight for rural studies in the United States, allowing new academic synergies with Latin American studies. -- Website: https://kurti.sh/ Public Key: https://flowcrypt.com/pub/kheimerl@cs.washington.edu

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Fwd: COMPASS Submission site open!
by Kurtis Heimerl 12 Oct '21

12 Oct '21

Hi All, The HotCRP paper submission system for ACM COMPASS'22 <https://compass.acm.org/>, the ACM Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies, is now open and accepting paper submissions: https://compass22.hotcrp.com/ Please spread the word widely in all your email lists, slack channels, etc. The first round paper deadline is October 27th, AoE time. Many thanks! -- Website: https://kurti.sh/ Public Key: https://flowcrypt.com/pub/kheimerl@cs.washington.edu

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Change Seminar: Tu Noon in CSE2 271 Matt Ziegler on “How’s Shelby the Turtle today?” Strengths and Weaknesses of Interactive Animal-Tracking Maps for Environmental Communication
by Kurtis Heimerl 11 Oct '21

11 Oct '21

Hello Everyone, In preparation for the Fall quarter, I want to invite you all to register for the one credit Change Seminar (CSE 590 C1, SLN: 13550) on Tuesdays from 12-1pm in Gates Hall, CSE2 271. Change (http://change.washington.edu) is a group of faculty, students, and staff at the UW who are exploring the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in improving the lives of underserved populations, particularly in the developing world. We cover topics such as global health, education, micro finance, agricultural development, and general communication, and look at how technology can be used to improve each of these areas. We are in the process of scheduling speakers, so stay tuned to our calendar (http://is.gd/3PkTF) or mailing list (http://is.gd/3PlkS) for more information. Please consider enrolling. If you are unable to enroll, feel free to come to any of the meetings you are interested in attending! The seminar is available for all UW students and the content is designed to be widely accessible. We encourage students from all departments to enroll/attend if interested. Please forward this message to any other relevant mailing lists, and we hope to see you tomorrow for Matt Ziegler's Talk from his COMPASS 2021 Honorable Mention Paper *“How’s Shelby the Turtle today?” Strengths and Weaknesses of Interactive Animal-Tracking Maps for Environmental Communication * Abstract: Interactive wildlife-tracking maps on public-facing websites and apps have become a popular way to share scientific data with the public as more conservationists and wildlife researchers deploy tracking devices on animals. Environmental organizations engage with the public for a variety of reasons: to raise awareness of environmental causes, build relationships with potential partners, and encourage people to take political and personal actions. However while there is a large body of work comparing different media strategies for environmental communication goals, the effectiveness of interactive data visualizations for these purposes remains unclear. This work examines the strengths and weaknesses of interactive wildlife-tracking maps for environmental communication. We interview conservationists about their aspirations for using these maps with their own data, and conduct a study gauging lay users’ reactions to different designs. Many conservationists aspire to create deep, immersive user engagements with these maps—letting users relate to data-driven stories about individual animals and freely explore the nuances of the tracking data. Our findings show potential for the most highly-motivated users to deeply engage with these data and stories, but more casually-interested audiences struggle with the maps’ complexities. However for casual audiences, wildlife tracking maps can still superficially but effectively showcase the organizations’ work to protect the species; perhaps inspiring hope for their future, attracting audiences to other communication channels to learn more, and adding to the organizations’ credibility. Following these insights, we present a set of design considerations for further development of similar wildlife-tracking map applications; emphasizing their needs for user onboarding, context for data interpretation, and integration with relatable media. Thanks, -- Website: https://kurti.sh/ Public Key: https://flowcrypt.com/pub/kheimerl@cs.washington.edu

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FW: Lessons from the First Internet Ages
by Chris Coward 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

of possible interest From: main(a)knightresearchnetwork.groups.io <main(a)knightresearchnetwork.groups.io> On Behalf Of John Sands via groups.io Sent: Monday, October 4, 2021 11:56 AM To: main(a)knightresearchnetwork.groups.io Subject: [knightresearchnetwork] Lessons from the First Internet Ages Hi, everyone, Sharing this invitation to an upcoming symposium, Lessons from the First Internet Ages. This event will take place over two afternoons on Nov 2nd and 3rd, and has been organized by Mary Anne Franks and Eric Goldman in their capacity as Knight Visiting Scholars. I encourage you all to join these important conversations and to share the invitation with your students, colleagues, and associates. Thanks, john Leading internet law experts discuss the impact of the world wide web on our democracy Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser<https://www2.kf.org/webmail/755803/410759669/2449aec84f838d0c950b4678704682…>. [https://www2.kf.org/l/755803/2021-10-04/jk3vz/755803/1633357201SqG7Tvmw/Les…] What is the future of the internet? Thirty years after the creation of the first web page, what have we learned about the impact of the internet on communication, connection, and democracy? Join Knight Foundation on November 2 and 3 for Lessons from the First Internet Ages, a two-day virtual symposium that will explore and evaluate what key figures in the development of the internet and online communities have learned from their experiences. Curated by two leading experts on internet law, these conversations will feature contributions from pivotal Internet figures, technologists and cyber scholars. Hosted by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Curated by Mary Anne Franks<https://www2.kf.org/e/755803/faculty-mary-anne-franks/jk52x/410759669?h=HQ6…> and Eric Goldman<https://www2.kf.org/e/755803/2021-10-04/jk52z/410759669?h=HQ6wmm_fWy0iLRlMy…> Learn more & Register<https://www2.kf.org/e/755803/-first-internet-ages-symposium/jk52s/410759669…> [https://www2.kf.org/l/755803/2021-01-29/bg8wv/755803/16119737181HLNlt2t/Scr…]<https://www2.kf.org/e/755803/que-lng-en-pubid-deonis-kf-org/jk532/410759669…> [https://www2.kf.org/l/755803/2021-01-29/bg8wx/755803/1611973719euayS0pO/Twe…] <https://www2.kf.org/e/755803/egister20https--kf-org-3FiMCQk/jk534/410759669…> [https://www2.kf.org/l/755803/2021-01-29/bg8ws/755803/1611973718MgWdCLAJ/For…] <https://www2.kf.org/e/755803/-lng-en-us-pubid-deonis-kf-org/jk52v/410759669…> Copyright © 2021, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Inc. 200 S Biscayne Blvd Suite 3300 Miami, FL 33131 unsubscribe from all emails<https://www2.kf.org/unsubscribe/u/755803/2449aec84f838d0c950b46787046821723…> update subscription preferences<https://www2.kf.org/emailpreferencecenter?ehash=2449aec84f838d0c950b4678704…> _._,_._,_ ________________________________ Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#507)<https://knightresearchnetwork.groups.io/g/main/message/507> | Reply To Group<mailto:main@knightresearchnetwork.groups.io?subject=Re:%20%5Bknightresearchnetwork%5D%20Lessons%20from%20the%20First%20Internet%20Ages> | Reply To Sender<mailto:sands@kf.org?subject=Private:%20Re:%20%5Bknightresearchnetwork%5D%20Lessons%20from%20the%20First%20Internet%20Ages> | Mute This Topic<https://groups.io/mt/86075473/4047144> | New Topic<https://knightresearchnetwork.groups.io/g/main/post> Your Subscription<https://knightresearchnetwork.groups.io/g/main/editsub/4047144> | Contact Group Owner<mailto:main+owner@knightresearchnetwork.groups.io> | Unsubscribe<https://knightresearchnetwork.groups.io/g/main/leave/7330884/4047144/145716…> [ccoward(a)uw.edu] _._,_._,_

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