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Biologist, Philosopher, Researcher, Falvey Scholar: Meet Elizabeth “Libby” O’Brien

Elizabeth O'Brien award

Elizabeth “Libby” O’Brien receives the Falvey Scholar Award from Associate University Librarian for Collections and Stewardship Jeehyun “Jee” Davis.

 

BY SHAWN PROCTOR

This is part 2 of a 6-part series featuring the 2019 Falvey Scholars. Read more about them every Tuesday and in the upcoming issue of Mosaic: the library’s bi-annual publication.

 

Scholarly Stats:

Elizabeth “Libby” O’Brien ’19 CLAS

Hometown: Portland, Maine

Faculty Mentor: Samantha Chapman, PhD, associate professor of Biology

Research: Foliar water uptake in ecotonal mangroves which are expanding with climate change

Other Honors: Fulbright U.S. Student Program award winner, will continue her thesis work analyzing mangrove ecology and environmental ethics in the Philippines.

 

In her own words:

Libby’s Research:

While working with Drs. Chapman and Matthew Hayes in a Florida saltmarsh on their research analyzing mangrove ecology in the face of climate change, I began to ponder about an idea that would become my thesis question: “What if mangroves supplement their water needs not from their roots, where they are competing with the marsh species, but through their leaves?”

At Villanova in the fall, the three of us sat down and revisited that question. In our preliminary literature review, we found evidence that a number of plant species use foliar water uptake across ecosystems, particularly where water availability can be limited such as high, mountainous elevations and dry, arid environments.

Mangroves are specialized plants that live in salty water. Due to the high salinity concentration of their soils, they are often under water stress as they need to extract, and filter water out of this salty environment to meet their physiological demands. In short, mangroves are living under pseudo-drought conditions. However, coastal mangroves sometimes encounter sea mist and fog, leading us to believe that they may utilize foliar water uptake in a similar way to other plants living under drought conditions.

Our second research question was “Do different mangrove species exhibit varying degrees of foliar water uptake?”

Elizabeth O'Brien PresentingWe aimed to answer this second question to provide evidence for existing geographic distributions of specific mangroves species and their projected future encroachment patterns.

To test our hypotheses, we built airtight chambers and placed the three different species of mangroves inside of them. We used humidifiers to mimic morning fog enriched with a tracer that could be detected by a machine in the lab after the experiment. Since we sealed off the soil from the rest of the plant, (meaning that the soil was not moistened by the fog), any tracer detected in the leaves of the mangroves would indicate foliar water uptake.

Using statistical analyses, we could identify trends in the data to answer both of our research questions. Once in the lab, we did detect the tracer in all of the species, pointing to some foliar water uptake, but we also discovered problems in our experimentation methods. This meant that while our results were promising, there were a few possibilities as to why they were what they were.

However, the three of us do not take this as a failure. If we had not done the experiment, we would not have known that mangroves exhibit some foliar water uptake; and even if it is impossible to parse out the differences in foliar water uptake across species at this time, we have a solid research process on which to build on moving forward.

Setbacks like this are not only common, they are inevitable. We are currently in the process of re-examining our methods to produce more reliable results. Moreover, I come away with a confidence in my ability as a woman in science moving on to answer the next questions.

 

Libby’s “Falvey Experience”:

In order to begin the development of my research questions, and throughout every subsequent step of my thesis, I needed to be a sponge for information. At first, it was overwhelming to experience a total information overload, but three things kept my project focused and achievable.

The access that Falvey’s online resources provided proved invaluable. The access that I was able to have to high profile academic journals and niche, often international journals, as well as published theses exposed me to the diverse and interdisciplinary research within the realm of mangrove ecology.Libby O'Brien

For the articles that were not immediately available to me, I used interlibrary loan. I was able to develop my experimental design from one article that I got through the interlibrary loan system, a resource that then-research librarian Robin Bowles (now the director of Libraries at Montgomery County Community College) pointed me towards—she was instrumental in my successful thesis completion.

Her knowledge and experience for sifting through endless articles and culling searches gave me papers that addressed my specific questions. I live-chatted with her in one instance which enabled me to get help from the library and keep working.

Finally, Falvey Memorial Library provided me with the space to work and collaborate with my mentors, a contribution that I cannot ignore. The 24-hour access to workspaces, printers, and online resources eliminated many of the obstacles a commuter student like myself might have faced in order to finish my thesis on a deadline.

Over this past year, at the back left square table of the library Holy Grounds, Dr. Chapman, Dr. Hayes, and myself drank endless cups of coffee and discussed how our mangrove foliar water uptake results fit into the larger conversation of coastal climate change.

 

The Impact on Her:

From Florida saltmarshes to Mendel Science Center, climate change challenges our status quo. As a soon to be graduate from a rigorous Augustinian institution, I am equipped with the skills to analyze, engage with, and speak about the processes behind the issues that affect our everyday lives.

My thesis, an investigation into foliar water uptake as a potential water acquisition strategy in mangrove species, offers a contribution to the scientific community in the context of coastal ecosystem ecology, as well as to Villanova University as an example of what a student committed to conducting research can achieve.

From the completion of my thesis, I have learned that the hardest part about research is narrowing the focus of your questions because analyzing the implications in the larger scheme of things comes later. I have learned that I respond well to a mentorship style that gives me the space to try and fail and re-try lab techniques, and that it is essential to take advantage to the resources available.

Falvey Memorial Library facilitated so much of my research success; from that, I have grown to have a passion for asking and answering research questions.

What’s Next:

After my Fulbright U.S. Student experience, I am planning to attend graduate school. I aim to continue this work but also integrate my research in philosophy in the coming years as I pursue a doctorate that blends ecological research with ethical considerations in a project that explores mangrove productivity and success through a lens of anthropogenic influence.

My mentors’ attention to both of these interests throughout this year motivated me to pursue a career that combines science and policy advocacy.


Shawn Proctor

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is communications and marketing program manager at Falvey Memorial Library.


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JOB: 5 year Fellowship (and tenure track) on Ethics and Data Analytics / Big Data – University of Leeds, UK

The University of Leeds is seeking to appoint an outstanding research leader to the position of University Academic Fellow, to be based in Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied (Faculty of Arts), to work on the Ethics of Data Analytics (“Big Data”).

Applicants are expected to have demonstrated research excellence, and teaching ability, in the broadly-defined field of ethics or practical philosophy, have a commitment to inter-disciplinary work, and a skill-set for inquiry into the specific ethical issues raised in the field of ‘big data’. This might include a research track-record in neighbouring areas of philosophical inquiry such as privacy, justice, consent, risk, the public interest, trust, procedural justice.

In outline, the prestigious position involves a 5 year period heavily weighted towards research and external engagement related to that research. Successful completion of this 5 year ‘probationary’ period will lead to an appointment as Associate Professor at grade 9, and a transition into that role at the end of the initial 5 year period.

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/news/article/4379/university_academic_fellow_in_the_ethics_of_data_analytics_big_data

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to make informal enquiries about the role. Please contact Professor Chris Megone, tel: +44 (0)113 343 7888, email: C.B.Megone@leeds.ac.uk, or Dr Jamie Dow, tel: +44(0)113 343 7887, email: J.Dow@leeds.ac.uk.

Closing Date:      Monday 18 January 2016

Jamie Dow

Lecturer, IDEA Centre (Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied), University of Leeds

Tel: +44 113 343 7887

Email: J.Dow@leeds.ac.uk

Web: http://bit.ly/per6sR (staff profile, Philosophy) http://sullogismos.wordpress.com (White Rose Ancient Philosophy in Yorkshire)

http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ieajd/

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/leadingminds (Leading Minds Research Project

– the Ethics of Persuasion in Ancient Philosophy and Contemporary Leadership).


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JOB: 2 Assistant Professor Vacancies at Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, The Netherlands

The Department of Philosophy of the University of Twente in the Netherlands is looking for two assistant professors:

Assistant Professor in Philosophy (2 years, full-time)

Assistant Professor in Philosophy (1 year, full-time)

The department of philosophy is internationally leading in the philosophy and ethics of technology, and in philosophy of science in practice. It currently includes seven tenured staff members, three tenure trackers, two postdocs, fourteen PhD students, and several temporary faculty members. The department participates in and directs the interuniversity 3TU.Center for Ethics and Technology (ww.ethicsandtechnology.eu). Both the department and the Center have a strong international orientation and include members from many different nationalities. The department is currently in need of two temporary faculty members, one for two years and one for one year, to support its teaching activities and to strengthen its research program.

The Challenge 

You teach (80%) philosophy for bachelor and master programs in engineering and social science. You may also teach philosophy courses in the master program Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (https://www.utwente.nl/psts/). Courses may include a selection of the following, depending on your strengths and preferences, and on what is vacant: philosophy of communication, business ethics, computer ethics, philosophy of psychology, academic/research skills and methods, philosophy of (value sensitive) design, human-technology relations for engineers, philosophy of science for students in engineering and social sciences, argumentation theory and logic, professional ethics for engineers, and others. Some courses will be co-taught with other teachers. You perform research (20%) in the area of philosophy, with a focus on the role of science and technology in society. Your research will focus on philosophical issues in relation to science and/or technology, in particular on ethics of technology, human-technology relations, and/or philosophy of science in practice.  It. will be embedded in the department’s research program and in either CTIT (the Centre for Informatics and Information Technology) or MIRA (Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine). It may also be embedded in the 3TU.Center for Ethics and Technology.

Offer 

For both vacancies:  You are appointed as an Assistant Professor (full-time). The starting date is March 1, 2016 (negotiable). The gross monthly salary ranges from € 3.400,- up to € 4.654,- gross per month (based on experience) in accordance with the job profile for a “Universitair Docent-2”, under the University System for Job Classification (UJC). In addition, the University of Twente offers attractive employment conditions (for example, 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus on top of to the annual salary) and excellent facilities for professional and personal development.

Your profile 

You hold a Ph.D. in philosophy, preferably with a specialization in philosophical anthropology, (applied) ethics, political philosophy or philosophy of science (in case of the latter, preferably with specialization in social sciences), and an interest in technology and technological developments and/or in epistemological issues of the engineering and social sciences.

You have broad experience in teaching at a university level, preferably including students in science & engineering, social science, or other non-philosophical fields. You have demonstrable didactic skills in teaching, good teaching evaluations, and a passion for teaching. You are able and willing to teach in areas of philosophy outside your philosophical specialization, both in philosophy at large and in the philosophy/ethics of science and technology.

You have either had a focus on technology in your past research or you have a demonstrable interest in focusing on technology for your future research. You have published in peer-refereed journals, and have relevant international experience.

You have a strong command of the English language. All master programs at the University of Twente are taught in English, and English is the official language at departmental meetings. Bachelor teaching is often in Dutch, but in almost all cases teaching in English is allowed.

We want to stress that candidates with an all-round, broad experience in teaching (diverse courses) take precedence, since the main part of the position consists of teaching.

Information and application 

For more information, please contact prof.dr. C. Aydin (Chair Department; o.aydin@utwente.nl; phone +31-53-4893391) or prof.dr. Philip Brey (full professor and member of Daily Board; P.A.E.Brey@utwente.nl; phone: +31-53-4894426). Your application should reach us by January 17 2016, and should include a CV, a letter of application (including teaching evaluations), a summary and table of contents of your dissertation (or your full dissertation), a relevant research publication, and contact information for 2 or more references. Interviews will ideally be held between January 19 and January 29 depending on availability of selected candidates. Skype interviews are a possibility. Applications should be uploaded via www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en.

Please indicate if you want to be considered for the ‘one year position’ or the ‘two-year position’.  Depending on the financial situation of the department, there is perspective on extending the ‘one year position’ with an additional year.

About the university and region 

The University of Twente. We stand for science and technology, high tech, human touch, education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programs. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research. The Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences strives to hold a leading position in their fields in relation to the science and technology research programs of the University of Twente. In all these fields, the faculty provides bachelor, master and professional development programs.

The city of Enschede, in the east of the Netherlands, is a lively city of 150,000, located in beautiful countryside and near spectacular nature areas. It is only two hours away from major European cities like Amsterdam, Cologne and Düsseldorf, three hours from Brussels and also close to London, Paris and Berlin.

 

 


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JOB: University of Twente: Assistant Professor in philosophy and ethics of technology

The Department of Philosophy of the University of Twente in the Netherlands is looking for an

Assistant Professor in applied philosophy

with a focus on ‘philosophy and ethics of technology’

(fulltime)

The department of philosophy is internationally leading in the philosophy and ethics of technology. It currently includes seven tenured staff members, two tenure trackers, two postdocs, eight PhD students, and several part-time faculty. The department participates in and directs the interuniversity 3TU.Center for Ethics and Technology. Both the department and the Center have a strong international orientation and include members from many different nationalities. The department is currently in need of a faculty member for two years to support its teaching activities and to strengthen its research program.

The Challenge

You teach (0.8 fte) applied philosophy with a focus on philosophy and ethics of technology for bachelor and master programs in engineering and social science. You will also teach philosophy and ethics courses in the master program Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society (PSTS). Courses may include a selection of the following, depending on your strengths and preferences: philosophy of technology, human-technology relations for engineers, philosophy of design, argumentation theory and logic, professional ethics for engineers, business ethics, ethics of medical technology, computer ethics, ethics of new media, technology and social responsibility, and others. Some courses will be co-taught with other teachers. You perform research (0.2 fte) in the area of philosophy and/or ethics of technology, with a focus on the role of technology in society. Your research will be embedded in the department’s research program.

Offer

You are appointed as an Assistant professor (full-time) for a two-year period with an emphasis on teaching (starting date: August 1, 2015; ending date: August 1, 2017). The starting date is August 1 (negotiable).

The gross monthly salary ranges from € 3.324,- up to € 4.551,- gross per month (based on experience) in accordance with the job profile for a “Universitair Docent-2”, under the University System for Job Classification (UJC). In addition, the University of Twente offers attractive employment conditions (for example, 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus) and excellent facilities for professional and personal development.

Your profile

You hold a Ph.D. in philosophy, preferably with a specialization in (applied) ethics, philosophical anthropology or social/political philosophy, and an interest in technology and technological developments.

You have experience in teaching at a university level, preferably including students in science & engineering, social science, or other non-philosophical fields, and preferably including professional and/or applied philosophy or ethics. You have demonstrable didactic skills in teaching, good teaching evaluations, and a passion for teaching. You are able and willing to teach in areas of philosophy outside your philosophical specialization, both in philosophy at large and in the philosophy and ethics of technology.

You have either had a focus on technology in your past research or you have a demonstrable interest in focusing on technology for your future research. You have published in peer-refereed journals, and have relevant international experience.

You have a strong command of the English language. All master programs at the University of Twente are taught in English, and English is the official language at departmental meetings. Bachelor teaching is often in Dutch, but in almost all cases teaching in English is allowed.

Information and application

For more information, please contact prof.dr. Peter-Paul Verbeek (e-mail: p.p.c.c.verbeek@utwente.nl; phone: +31-53-489 4460) or prof.dr. Philip Brey (P.A.E.Brey@utwente.nl; phone: +31-53-4894426). Your application should reach us by May 22 2015, and should include a CV, a letter of application (including a summary description of your teaching evaluations), a summary and table of contents of your dissertation (or your full dissertation), a relevant research publication, and contact information for 2 or more references. Interviews will ideally be held between June 1 and June 5 depending on availability of selected candidates. Skype interviews are a possibility. Applications should be uploaded via www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en.

About the university and region

The University of Twente. We stand for science and technology, high tech, human touch, education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programs. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research. The Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences  strives to hold a leading position in their fields in relation to the science and technology research programs of the University of Twente. In all these fields, the faculty provides bachelor, master and professional development programs.

The city of Enschede, in the east of the Netherlands, is a lively city of 150,000, located in beautiful countryside and near spectacular nature areas. It is only two hours away from major European cities like Amsterdam, Cologne and Düsseldorf, three hours from Brussels and also close to London, Paris and Berlin.

—————————————————————————————————
Johnny Hartz Søraker (dr.)
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, University of Twente

Office phone:  +31 (0)53 489 5603

Mobile:           +31 (0)6 4705 9544

URL:                http://www.soraker.com

FACEBOOK.com/metus; TWITTER.com/metus; LINKEDIN.com/in/metus

SuchThatCast – Philosophers’ Podcast: http://www.SuchThatCast.com
—————————————————————————————————


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VACANCY: 3TU.Ethics Centre for Ethics of Technology is looking for a Coordinator/Assistant Director

The 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology is looking for a

Coordinator Ethics and Technology

About the 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology
Science and technology are of paramount social, political and economic importance in the 21st century. They are not only drivers of economic and social developments; they shape our societies, practices and institutions. In order to come to grips with science and technology and to make adequate and appropriate political and policy decisions regarding them, we need to reflect on the ethical aspects of their development, the moral acceptability of their application, and their contribution to the quality of life and well-being. It is now widely recognized that technologies must be developed and used responsibly, as many choices are involved with major implications for health and safety, environmental quality, civil liberties, social justice, and the quality of life.
The 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology (www.ethicsandtechnology.eu) is a cooperation of the philosophy departments of the three technical universities in the Netherlands (Delft and Eindhoven Universities of Technology and the University of Twente). The bundling of forces in the field of ethics and technology in the 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology accommodates the increasing need for balanced, high quality and comprehensive reflection and judgment on moral, political and policy issues associated with science and technology.
The 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology is one of the eight Centres of Excellence of the 3TU.Federation (http://www.3tu.nl/en/). It currently comprises more than sixty researchers. It has a PhD programme with currently 15 PhD students enrolled. The Centre has a Scientific Director, Managing Director and Coordinator, jointly comprising the Daily Board of the Centre, a Management Team, consisting of two representatives of each of the three philosophy departments, and a Board of Deans, consisting of the deans of the respective faculties. The Centre currently includes about sixty researchers (tenured and tenure-track staff, postdocs and PhD students). The philosophy department of the University of Twente is responsible for the daily management of the research centre and houses the Daily Board.

Tasks
Together with the Scientific Director and the Managing Director, the coordinator (who also carries the title Assistant Director) forms the daily board of the Centre.
The primary task of the coordinator is to coordinate the activities of the 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology and the Centre’s PhD programme. The coordinator carries out the daily practical management of Centre, and works in close consultation with the Scientific Director and the Managing Director of the Centre. The coordinator is responsible for implementing the policy as outlined by the daily board. This includes the following tasks:
– Daily management of the Centre, preparing meetings with the Centre’s Management Team and Board; coordination with other Centres of Excellence of the 3TU.Federation; communication with the secretary of the 3TU.Federation.
– Coordination of the PhD programme, which includes course organization, administration, and evaluation; coordination with other Dutch graduate schools; evaluation of the graduate programme in relation to funding organizations; promotion of the graduate school and recruitment of new PhD students.
– Organization of 3TU.Ethics events, including the annual research day, workshops, lectures, and conferences.
– Coordination with international partner institutions in ethics and philosophy (a.o., The Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, The Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) in Australia).
– Promotion of the Centre’s visibility and development and execution of communication plan, which includes website maintenance, promotion of the Centre on electronic mailing lists, developing outreach materials.
– Finances, which include the administration of budget requests and declarations, support with attracting external money from funding organizations, coordination joint research proposals (KP7, Horizon2020, NWO).
Your office will be located at the University of Twente, where the daily board meetings will also take place. If at any point in the future, the directorate of the Centre were to move to one of the other two universities, your office will move there as well.

Your profile
We are looking for an enthusiastic, results-oriented, and proactive colleague. Requirements:
– PhD in philosophy (or related discipline), with an interest in technology and engineering and ethical aspects of technology.
– Excellent social and organizational skills, professional disposition, responsible, accurate, independent, and a positive attitude.
– Ability to communicate effectively in English. Mastery of Dutch is a pro.
– Managerial experience is a pro.
– Knowledge of the Dutch university system is a pro

Offer
We offer an appointment for the period from August 1, 2015 till August 1, 2017, with the possibility of renewal, depending on performance and availability of funds. A one month earlier or later starting date is possible. The appointment initially offered is for 32 hours a week (0,8 fte). Depending on your research expertise and interests, we may be able to add to this a 0,1 research appointment and/or support you in attracting research funding. The gross monthly salary is between € 3324 – €4551 (fulltime, scale 11 CAO-NU), depending on experience and excluding an 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8,3% of the annual salary. The University of Twente has excellent terms of employment.

Information and application
Further information about the Centre can be found on the website, www.ethicsandtechnology.eu. For questions about the vacancy, please contact Prof. dr. Philip Brey, Scientific Director of the Centre (p.a.e.brey@utwente.nl).

Your application, including your CV and a letter of application, should be sent before May 17th, 2015. Applications should be uploaded via www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en (using the button “apply here”). A limited number of suitable candidates will be invited for a job interview (Skype is a possibility). Interviews will take place around May 29th.

 


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CfP: ISIS4 Track: ICTs and power relations (TU Vienna)

ICTs and power relations: Present dilemmas & future perspectives

Track at the IS4IS Summit, Vienna, June 3-7 2015

http://summit.is4is.org/calls/call-for-papers/icts-and-power-relations
The increasing presence of ICTs in a multitude of societal contexts alters the relation between social, political, technical, legal, economic arenas. As cross-sectional technologies, ICTs enter and link different societal domains often entailing a number of tensions and controversies e.g. due to conflicting interests, hegemonic discourses, socio-political cultures and practices. Novel forms of interactions are accompanied by increasing complexity, diversity and overlaps between public and private spheres. The capacity of ICTs as a political tool is multidimensional: it can boost civil society participation (e.g. the Arab Spring) as well as amplify mass surveillance and privacy intrusion (e.g. revealed by Snowden).

This panel is interested in the manifold interplay between societal power structures and ICTs. In line with the umbrella issue “at the crossroads” particular focus lies on contributions that present controversies, dilemmas, and imaginary futures that open up paths towards socio-technical alternatives.

The panel embraces different scientific disciplines and welcomes theoretical as well as empirical contributions bridging different perspectives (e.g. computing and philosophy, technology assessment and science and technology studies, social, political, economic and techno science).

Topics of interest thus include but are not limited to:

  • Values in design and responsible technology innovation
  •  Socio-technical alternatives (e.g. peer production, commons, free software, etc.)
  •  ICT-related political participation, activism and policy making
  •  Norms, standards and hegemonies in ICT infrastructures, software, algorithms and code
  •  ICT commercialization and ideologies
  •  ICT at the intersection of global, European and local contexts
  •  Co-emergence of ICTs with gender, sex, age, class, race, dis/ability (social sorting, standardization, etc.)
  • Emerging privacy and security challenges (privacy-by-design, encryption, EU data protection reform, etc.)
  • Technical and regulatory oversight and limits of surveillance technologies and practices

Submission

Please submit your extended abstracts (1-3 pages, 750-2000 words) no later than February 27.

For further details see

http://summit.is4is.org/submission
Looking forward to meeting you in Vienna!

Best regards,
Stefan Strauß, Doris Allhutter, Astrid Mager


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5th ICTs and Society-Conference: The Internet and Social Media at a Crossroads: Capitalism or Commonism?

5th ICTs and Society-Conference: The Internet and Social Media at a Crossroads: Capitalism or Commonism? Perspectives for Critical Political Economy and Critical Theory.

http://icts-and-society.net/events/5th-icts-and-society-conference/

Part of the ISIS Summit Vienna 2015: Information Society at a Crossroads: Response and Responsibility of the Sciences of Information

Vienna University of Technology.

Vienna, Austria

June 3-7, 2015.

The information society has come with the promise  to restore information as a commons. The promise has not yet proven true. Instead, we face trends towards the commercialisation and commoditisation of all information; towards the totalisation of surveillance and the extension of the battlefield to civil society through information warfare; towards disinfotainment overflow; towards a collapse of the technological civilisation itself.

The Vienna Summit is a multi-conference and is at the same time the 5th ICTs and Society-Conference:

The Internet and Social Media at a Crossroads: Capitalism or Commonism? Perspectives for Critical Political Economy and Critical Theory

Given that the information society and the study of information face a world of crisis today and are at a crossroads, also the future of the Internet and social media are in question. The 5th ICTs and Society Conference therefore wants to focus on the questions: What are the main challenges that the Internet and social media are facing in capitalism today? What potentials for an alternative, commonist Internet are there?

What are existing hindrances for such an Internet? What is the relationship of power structures, protest movements, societal developments, struggles, radical reforms, etc. to the Internet? How can critical political economy and critical theory best study the Internet and social media today?

Presentations and submissions are organised in the form of 23 panel topics (ICT&S1-ICT&S23; please indicate the panel identification number to which you submit in your submisison):

* ICT&S1 The Internet and Critical Theory:

What does it mean to study the Internet, social media and society today in a critical way? What are Critical Internet Studies, Critical Political Economy and Critical Theories of Social Media?

* ICT&S2 The Internet, Karl Marx, and Marxist Theory:

How can classical forms of critical theory and critical political economy – e.g. the works of e.g. Karl Marx, the Frankfurt School, Critical Political Economy of the Media and Communication, Critical and Marxist Cultural Studies, Socialist Feminism, Theories of Imperialism, Raymond Williams’ cultural materialism, etc – be used for understanding the Internet and social media today?

* ICT&S3 The Internet, Commodities and Capitalism:

What is the role of the Internet and social media in the context of the commodity logic in contemporary capitalism?

* ICT&S4 The Political Economy of Online Advertising How can we best critically understand, analyse and combat the role of advertising on the Internet and the role of online advertising in capitalism? What are the problems of online advertising culture? How would a world without advertising and an advertising-free Internet look like?

* ICT&S5 The Internet and Power:

How do power structures, exploitation, domination, class, digital labour, commodification of the communication commons, ideology, and audience/user commodification, and surveillance shape the Internet and social media? What is the relationship of exploitation and domination on the Internet?

* ICT&S6 Raymond Williams’ Cultural Materialism and the Internet:

How can we use theoretical insights from Raymond Williams’ cultural materialism for critically understanding the Internet and social media today?

* ICT&S7 Dallas Smythe and the Internet:

How can we use insights from Dallas Smythe’s political economy of communication for critically understanding the Internet and social media today?

* ICT&S8 Critical Cultural Studies Today: Stuart Hall, Richard Hoggart and the Internet:

What is the legacy of Stuart Hall and Richard Hoggart’s versions of cultural studies for critically understanding the Internet? What kind of cultural studies do we need in the 21st century? And what is in this context the relationship of culture and capitalism and the relationship of critical cultural studies to Marxist theory?

* ICT&S9 The Frankfurt School and the Internet:

How can insights of various generations of the Frankfurt School be used for critically theorising the Internet? What are commonalities and differences between a Frankfurt School approach and other forms of critical theory for understanding the Internet?

* ICT&S10 Marxist Semiotics, Marxist Linguistics, Critical Psychology, Marxism and the Internet:

How can Marxist semiotics and Marxist theories of language, information, psychology and communication (e.g. Ferruccio Rossi-Landi, Valentin Voloshinov, Klaus Holzkamp, Georg Klaus, Lev Vygotsky, Aleksei Leontiev, Mikhail Bakhtin, etc.) be used today for critically understanding the Internet?

* ICT&S11 The Internet and Global Capitalism:

What is the role of the Internet and social media in contemporary global capitalism? What is the role of developing countries, especially Africa, and emerging economies such as China and India in the world of the Internet and social media?

* ICT&S12 The Internet and Neoliberalism with Chinese Characteristics:

Chinese WWW platforms such as Baidu, Taobao, Qq, Sina, Weibo, etc. are besides Californian platforms the most prominent ones on the web. What is the role of social media in Chinese capitalism? What is the role of the Internet in networked working class struggles in China?

* ICT&S13 The Political Economy of Digital Labour:

What is digital labour and how do exploitation and surplus-value generation work on the Internet? Which forms of exploitation and class structuration do we find on the Internet, how do they work, what are their commonalities and differences? How does the relation between toil and play change in a digital world? How do classes and class struggles look like in 21st century informational capitalism?

* ICT&S14 The Political Economy of the Internet and the Capitalist State

Today: How does the relationship of capitalism, state power, and the Internet look like today? What is the role of state surveillance and surveillance ideologies in policing the crisis of capitalism? How does the relationship of the Internet and state power’s various forms of regulation, control, repression, violence and surveillance look like and what is the influence of capitalism on state power and vice versa in the context of the Internet?

* ICT&S15 Ideology Critique 2.0: Ideologies of and on the Internet:

What are ideologies of and on the Internet, web 2.0, and social media, how do they work, and how can they be deconstructed and criticised?

* ICT&S16 Hegel 2.0: Dialectical Philosophy and the Internet:

What contradictions, conflicts, ambiguities, and dialectics shape 21st century information society and social media? How can we use Hegel and Marxist interpretations of Hegel for critically understanding Internet dialectics?

* ICT&S17 Capitalism and Open Access Publishing:

What changes has academic publishing been undergoing in contemporary capitalism? What are the potentials of academic open access publishing for the re-organisation of the publishing world ? What problems do non-commercial open access publishing face in capitalism and capitalist academia? How can these problems be overcome? What are the problems of capitalist forms of open access publishing? What progressive political measures and demands should be made in order to foster non-commercial open access publishing?

* ICT&S18 Class Struggles, Social Struggles and the Internet:

What is the role of counter-power, resistance, struggles, social movements, civil society, rebellions, uproars, riots, revolutions, and political transformations in 21st century information society and how (if at all) are they connected to social media? What struggles are needed in order to establish a commonist Internet and a 21st century democratic-commonist society? How can we use critical theory for interpreting phenomena such as online leaking, Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks, Wikipedia, federated social networks, Anonymous, hacktivism, Pirate Parties, privacy advocates, the free/libre/open source (FLOSS) movement, the open source, open hardware and open content movement, etc., and what is the relationships of such political expressions to capitalism, anti-capitalism, liberalism, and socialism?

* ICT&S19 Critical/Radical Internet Studies, the University and Academia

Today: What are the challenges and problems for teaching and conducting research about the Internet a critical and radical perspective? What can be done to overcome existing limits and problems?

* ICT&S20 The Internet and the Left:

How could a 21st century Left best look like and what is the role of the Internet for such a Left? What is the historical, contemporary, and possible future relationship of Critical Internet Studies and the Left?

What is the role of the Internet in left-wing movements? What problems do such movements face in relation to the media, communications, the Internet, and social media?

* ICT&S21 Anti-Capitalist Feminism and the Internet Today:

What is the role of and relationship of identity politics and anti-capitalism for feminist studies of the Internet today? How can we best study capitalist patriarchy in the context of the Internet and social media?

* ICT&S22 The Internet, Right-Wing Extremism and Fascism Today:

How do far-right movements and parties use the Internet and social media? How should a left-wing anti-fascist strategy that combats online right-wing extremism look like?

* ICT&S23 An Alternative Internet:

What is a commonist/communist Internet? What is an alternative Internet?

What are alternative social media? How do they relate to the commons and commonism as a 21st century form of communism? Which problems do alternative Internet platforms face? What needs to be done in order to overcome these problems?

Online SUBMISSION:

http://sciforum.net/conference/isis-summit-vienna-2015/icts

http://sciforum.net/conference/isis-summit-vienna-2015/page/instructions

Please submit an extended abstract of 750-2000 words:

First register and then select the conference “ISIS Summit Vienna 2015”

and the conference stream “ICTS 2015”

Only one submission per person will be considered Please indicate the number/ID of the panel to which you are submitting at the start of your abstract (ICTSxx). Submissions without panel identifier or that fall outside the topics covered by the 23 panels will not be further considered.

Submission deadline:

February 27, 201

Registration Fee:

120 Euros (early bird registration in the ICTs and Society conference stream, registration no later than April 3, 2015)

_______________________________________________

Announce-iacap.org mailing list

Announce-iacap.org@iacap.org

http://iacap.org:8081/mailman/listinfo/announce-iacap.org


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Schedule for Fall Professionalization Workshops

Welcome back, everyone! The schedule for fall professionalization workshops is now complete. You can find it on the department website, and right here:

Policies/Progress
Friday, September 5th, 2014, 3pm. Old Falvey Reading Room (enter through Old Falvey)

Getting published
Thursday, October 2nd, 2014, 11:30am. Hypatia Editorial Suite, Falvey 1st floor

Dissertation planning
Friday, November 7th, 2014, 3pm. Falvey 204

Keeping All The Balls in the Air: Prioritizing Your Tasks, Defining Your Goals
Wednesday, November 19th, 2014, 11:30am. Falvey 205

If you have any questions about these events, just let me know. I can be reached at nikolaus.fogle@villanova.edu, or (610) 519-5182.

 


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Postdoc / Adviser in Ethics of Information Technology (2 years, full-time) – University of Twente

CTIT and the department of philosophy at the University of Twente are seeking a Postdoc / Adviser in Ethics of Information Technology (2 years, full-time)

The Challenge

In this function, you are researcher for 50% and Ethics Adviser for the remaining 50%.  The function of Ethics Adviser is associated with University of Twente center for information technology research, CTIT, and concerns ethical advice regarding research on ICT.  The Ethics Adviser works alongside CTIT researchers to help them incorporate value analyses within their work.  This includes two specific tasks.  First, you are responsible for writing ethics sections of European and other grant proposals in the area of ICT.  Second, you collaborate on a variety of ICT research projects within CTIT, with the role of stimulating reflection of the researchers and designers as to the reciprocal and dynamic relationship between the development of ICT systems and societal/cultural values (the ethical dimensions of their work). These activities are meant to show the utility of ethics throughout the research and design process, taken as broad reflection on the quality of the impact of ICT systems.  An additional goal is to enlarge the impact of ICT research on the societal challenges of our times by considering them from the inception of research activity.

The research component of the position (50%) will be self-directed research for half the time, which we expect to be (mostly) devoted to research on ethical issues in IT.  The other half will be research within the European (FP7) project SATORI (http://satoriproject.eu/), which is a project that aims to develop improved practices and protocols for ethical assessment of research and innovation.  You will be involved in research on ethical assessment of ICT and other types of research and innovation.  One of the tasks in the project is to develop a better system of ethics review for Horizon 2020.  For your research, we expect you to publish in international peer-reviewed journals and to engage in international collaboration.  You are also encouraged to get involved in grant applications that can help fund your own research.

Offer

You are appointed postdoc / ethics adviser (full-time) for a period of two years.  Your office and appointment will be at the philosophy department. Salary is € 45560 – € 50342 per year, depending on experience. Starting date is December 1st, 2014 (negotiable). The University of Twente has excellent terms of employment.

Your profile

You hold a PhD in philosophy, preferably with a specialization in ethics, or a multidisciplinary PhD with a significant ethics component.  If your PhD has not been completed yet, it will be by the time of appointment. You preferably have a track record in research on ethical aspects of ICT.  You have an excellent list of publications in peer-refereed journals, and have relevant international experience.  You are willing and able to collaborate with researchers in the ICT field, and you preferably have experience doing so.  You have an excellent command of the English language.  You have good analytical skills, are creative, open-minded and possess the ability to develop new ideas.  You have good communication skills and are a good team player. You are prepared to move to the Netherlands, to the region where the University of Twente is located.

Information and application

For more information, please contact prof. dr. Philip Brey (e-mail:

p.a.e.brey@utwente.nl; phone: +31534894426; please contact after August 22nd).

Your application should include the following documents:

  • a cover letter which explains your interest in the position and your qualifications for it, and which also discusses your research plans for the 25% of the position that is free (self-directed) research.
  • a curriculum vitae which includes the name and e-mail address/telephone number for two references
  • a writing sample (preferably a published article)
  • a summary and table of contents of your dissertation (or the entire dissertation)

Applications should be uploaded via www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en. Since only three documents can be uploaded per application, please combine documents if needed.

The application deadline is September 30th, 2014.  Interviews will be held in early/mid October.

About CTIT and the department of philosophy

CTIT (http://www.utwente.nl/ctit/) is the largest academic research institute in the Netherlands – and one of the largest in Europe – in the field of ICT and ICT applications. Typical for CTIT is the “ICT Research in Context” approach: research groups working together on present-day technological, economic and social challenges. Multidisciplinary research is key, not only between technical disciplines such as computer science, electrical engineering and mathematics, but also between these disciplines and behavioural and social sciences.  CTIT research has an impact on cyber-physical systems, human-machine interaction, and solutions for the present grand societal challenges. Examples include intelligent energy networks (smart grids), care and coaching at a distance (tele-medicine), and complex logistic processes.

The department of philosophy at the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (http://www.utwente.nl/gw/wijsb/) is internationally leading in the philosophy and ethics of technology, especially in ethics of information technology and medical technology. It currently includes eight tenured and tenure-track staff members, two postdocs, eight PhD students, and five part-time faculty. The department participates in the interuniversity 3TU.Center for Ethics and Technology (http://ethicsandtechnology.eu/) and currently houses the directorate of the Center. Both the department and the Center have a strong international orientation and include members from many different nationalities.

About the university and region

The University of Twente (UT) is a research university with a strong international orientation and a focus on science & engineering and social and behavioral sciences. It includes more than 3,300 faculty and staff and 9,000 students. Its motto “high tech, human touch” expresses the aim of combining research in engineering with social and behavioral sciences. The UT is a campus university, located in the city of Enschede, in the east of the Netherlands. Enschede is a lively city of 150,000, located in beautiful countryside and near spectacular nature areas. It is only two hours away from major European cities like Amsterdam, Cologne and Düsseldorf, three hours from Brussels and less than six hours by land – or one hour by air- from Berlin, Paris and London.

 


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An InExact Science Podcast – Lisa Cantrell

Hi all,

I am creating a podcast called An InExact Science that features psychological and cognitive research! I have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project.  I need support and help in spreading the word! Please pitch in and share the info with others!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1864204081/we-are-all-creating-an-inexact-science

Lisa Cantrell
Graduate Student
Cognitive Development Lab
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Indiana University
812-855-8256
http://mypage.iu.edu/~cantrell


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Last Modified: August 13, 2014

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