Students are building our ethical tech future

Coding it Forward is a nonprofit creating new pathways into public interest technology for early-career technologists. Its 10-week summer fellowship program empowers young technologists to provide critical support to the government offices they work for in cyber, data, design, product, and software roles. In addition to paid work experience, fellows receive one-on-one mentorship, weekly professional development events and resources, a cohort community to grow alongside, and access to our 700+ alumni network upon completion of the fellowship.

Storytelling is an essential tool for civic engagement, as it helps participants in civic projects make meaning of their experiences while inspiring others to learn about the issue, take action, and get involved in their communities. Braid is a storytelling community and open-access knowledge network for students, educators, and practitioners, built by Tayo Fabusuyi (principal investigator) and Raymar Hampshire (product lead) at the University of Michigan with support from PIT-UN Network Challenge grants.

Unlike other online experiences, Braid does not feature likes or influencers. Instead, members contribute issue-specific prompts from their vocation and braid (react) by adding their own personal stories to other members’ stories. Learn more & get started at braider.io.

Cities across the country are paying more attention to the hazards of heat, engaging in innovative approaches to measuring and mitigating heat at the local scale. Smaller cities, though, don’t always have the resources to explore the collected data in equally innovative ways. This is where a public interest technology collaborative can help. Michele Claibourn and the University of Virginia’s Equity Center worked with the city of Charlottesville to build a data story about local heat, using data collected through a citizen science campaign to center the people most affected locally.

In addition to the data story, the team shared the data and code for the project on GitHub so local residents or people doing similar work elsewhere could follow and build on their work.

Each year, landmines kill or wound thousands of civilians in war-torn countries. While humanitarian organizations are working to remove landmines from these countries, the explosives can be hard to find. That’s why Mateo Dulce Rubio, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University, has led a team of students and faculty in developing an artificial intelligence–based system for more accurately identifying landmine contamination. The Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines has been performing field tests on the system, known as RELand, for more than a year. Early results have been promising. Read the research team’s paper on RELand here.

Seven PIT-UN members are serving on the External Scientific Advisory Board of the National Deep Inference Fabric, helping to ensure that this research project on large language models will align with ethical, responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence practices. Meet the Advisory Group members and learn more.

Congratulations to the 14 PIT-UN member institutions involved in new National Science Foundation Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (NSF ReDDDoT) grants. NSF launched this program in collaboration with leading philanthropic partners including the Ford Foundation, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and Siegel Family Endowment. Learn more & meet the grantees.

Howard University announced the NetApp Tech for Change Scholarship, which will award $10,000 scholarships to support Howard students who are committed to using their skills to address real-world tech challenges and make a lasting impact on communities. Learn more.

The Govern for America fellowship is a competitive two-year program that propels emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds into key positions in government to address the nation’s biggest challenges. Fellows receive intensive training, responsive mentorship, and support from an extraordinary community of peers doing inspiring work around the country. Application opens Nov. 1.

Open Data Week is an annual festival of community-driven events organized and produced by the NYC Open Data Team at the Office of Technology and Innovation, BetaNYC, and Data Through Design. The next festival takes place March 22–30 online and in New York City, and the call for session proposals is open until Nov. 1.

The U.S. Digital Corps (USDC) is a two-year, full-time, paid fellowship for early-career technology talent to use their skills to help create a more efficient, trustworthy government. The program offers in-person, hybrid, and remote opportunities, and fellows can convert to a full-time career position upon successful completion of the program. Applications for the 2025 cohort will open later this fall. Learn more & apply.

Communicating the potential opportunities and vulnerabilities of generative AI tools to the public remains scant, posing major risks for the security of society. A new report from Gabrielle Hibbert, New America #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellow, proposes a preliminary universal design labeling system called "Simplified Algorithms for User Learning," or SAUL. Learn more here.