Rutgers Ethitech is a club focused on discussion of ethics, especially in the field of computer science. getINVOLVED page.
Camryn Harrell, a senior in the arts and sciences department and Ethitech’s outreach officer, said the club began during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic when college classes were being held remotely.
The club has approximately 15 members attending each meeting and is still growing. Most of its members are students majoring in computer science, but Ethitech welcomes participation from all interested undergraduates, she said.
The organization’s meetings are usually held on Friday nights at the student center on the Bush campus, she said.
“Students entering the industry with a good foundational background are more likely to make good decisions as soon as they enter the (technology) industry,” Harrell said.
Kal Pandit, a sophomore in arts and sciences and president of Ethitech, said the club is made up of four committees. His four committees of advocacy, community, education and media help increase club member participation and provide opportunities for leadership positions.
Specifically, the Advocacy Committee works with various university professors and organizations to spread the beliefs shared by EciTech members. The Community Committee organizes events, the School Committee leads discussions on current events such as his ChatGPT, and the Media Committee creates content for the club’s social media pages.
This fall semester, Essitec partnered with the Rutgers Student Environmental Awareness Club to host an introductory workshop on climate technology. Instagram postThe workshop was held at the Alexander Library on the College Avenue campus, and participants created infographics after the lecture.
Ecitech discusses ethics extensively at its conferences, but the organization is actively working to influence the university, Pandit said.
“A lot of the changes we’re making are focused across the (computer science) community and the (technology) community,” he said. “We are working towards concrete change, working primarily with organizations at Rutgers University to foster awareness of the ethics of (technology) and looking for causes, primarily within Rutgers, to which we can contribute. .”
For example, Pandit said the club has been working with Rutgers University’s Foundation Justice Community in the last semester to better understand the ethical practices behind the university’s investments and support appropriate changes. am.
In addition, Ethitech members have also supported efforts by individuals in computer science departments to create ethics courses at universities, he said. While the planning process for a similar course had already begun, Ethitech members met with department heads and advisors to guide them on potentially intriguing topics to be discussed regarding data ethics.
Pandit said he joined the club during his freshman spring semester at Rutgers University because he was interested in the topics covered and appreciated the club environment.
Harrell says he also joined Ethitech as a freshman. Because she already knows the founder and she plans to go into the computer science field as well.
She quickly realized the importance of ethical practices around technology and saw Ethitech as an opportunity to become more educated on the subject.
“We use technology in our daily lives,” Harrell said. It’s important to recognize the impact.”
She believes that being with Ecitech, she is always learning something new and that this knowledge will be an asset if she enters the industry after graduation.
But regardless of the student’s major, Pandit said he has many hopes for incoming Ethitech members, including learning about the complexity of technology and the potential dangers that come with it.
“What I look for in members is an understanding and exposure to topics surrounding (technology) ethics,” said Pandit. “The[technology]we make … someone is going to use it, someone is going to be affected by it … we can’t always improve it, but at the same time, We appreciate that what we want to achieve may not work, and we will do our best to prevent it.”
