Public Interest Technology at UMass (PIT@UMass) has announced that nine faculty members have been selected for the third PIT Faculty Fellows cohort.

The PIT Faculty Fellowship focuses on building public interest-focused interdisciplinary community to explore PIT questions and integrative solutions. Faculty projects are aimed at addressing and potentially solving complex problems with public interest impacts and reducing social disparities through the responsible and ethical use of technology.

The 2024-25 PIT Faculty Fellows, who represent six different colleges across campus, will receive up to $6,000 to support the development of capstone courses and experiential learning opportunities eligible for inclusion in the UMass Amherst Undergraduate Public Interest Technology Certificate. Throughout the academic year, the fellows will meet monthly to discuss their work, participate in an intensive focused on capstone course development facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning, and work across campus and the broader PIT network to advance their projects.

The 2024-25 PIT Faculty Fellows and their projects are: 

• Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin, professor, education, “Educational Issues in Real World Contexts.”
• Emily Kumpel, associate professor, civil and environmental engineering, “Sustainability Engineering for Infrastructure Systems.”
• Janine Solberg, senior lecturer and co-director of the professional writing and technical communication program, “Usability and UX Design Methods.”
• Roopa Vasudevan, assistant professor, art, “Ethics of Design and Technology.”
• Yuki Yoshimura, senior lecturer and director of Japanese language program, East Asian languages and cultures, “Technology for Language Learning and Communication.”
• Ravi Karkar, assistant professor, computer science, “Personal Health Informatics.”
• Luke Bloomfield, senior lecturer, resource economics, “Thinking Together and On Our Own in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
• Martha Fuentes-Bautista, senior lecturer and director of Engaged Research and Learning, Communication and Public Policy, “Internet Governance and Information Policy.”
• Alicia Johnson, assistant professor, marketing, “Nonprofit Marketing.”

Public Interest Technology focuses on the development and realization of socially responsible solutions to the challenges of a technology-driven world. It serves as a critical foundation for 21st century education.

PIT@UMass is an initiative to build PIT content, community, skills and expertise throughout UMass. The PIT Faculty Fellows program builds community among UMass Amherst faculty across campus to support key areas of the PIT@UMass initiative.

The Undergraduate Public Interest Technology Certificate is available to all undergraduate students, regardless of major. This certificate equips students with essential skills and knowledge in Public Interest Technology, providing the opportunity to develop skills at the intersection of social literacy, pragmatic strategies for promoting the public interest and technological literacy.

This story was originally published by University Relations.