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Full-Text Articles in Science and Technology Studies

Your Data Primer, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Oct 2019

Your Data Primer, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In their recent book Tools and Weapons, Brad Smith and Carol Ann Browne describe the 2018 Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal as a Three Mile Island moment for data stewardship. After years of sharing personal data without much thought about how it might be used or abused, the public is now becoming more aware of the need for clearer responsibilities and rights related to the collection, processing, and dissemination of personal information. “Data has always been important to society,” Smith and Browne point out, but “it has never played the role it does today … every aspect of human life is …

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Data And Identity: Notes Toward A Theology Of The Digitally Enhanced Self, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Oct 2019

Data And Identity: Notes Toward A Theology Of The Digitally Enhanced Self, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In the HBO-BBC miniseries "Years and Years," a teenager named Bethany (!) comes out as transhuman and tells her parents she wants to “live forever as information ... [to] be data!” As information about us increasingly takes the form of digital data, we are all of us becoming data. Indeed, so much of our attention and agency is engaged with digital information in digital environments that the philosopher Luciano Floridi describes us as “inforgs” living “onlife” in an “infosphere.” Through nearly constant and ubiquitous patterns of digital interactions with human and artificial agents, we are creating digitally extended and enhanced …

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Technology And Hope, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Oct 2019

Technology And Hope, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In our present moment of profound and rapid technological change, the clash of utopian hopes with dystopian fears is a matter of daily experience. The Demaray Tower on SPU’s campus points to a greater hope for technology. Beneath the clock on the south side, images of technology situated within the human journey through history and life suggest that human artificial creations may participate in God’s new creation. This session will explore how we can think critically about the transformative role of technology in education and our broader lives as we cultivate and realize faith for the future.

Presented with R. …

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Animal Pain And The Social Role Of Science, Leslie Irvine Sep 2019

Animal Pain And The Social Role Of Science, Leslie Irvine

Leslie Irvine, PhD

Assuming that all animals are sentient would mean ending their use in most scientific research. This does not necessarily imply an unscientific or anti-scientific stance. Examining the social role of science reveals its considerable investment in preserving the status quo, including the continued use of animal subjects. From this perspective, the use of animal subjects is a custom that science could move beyond, rather than a methodological requirement that it must defend.

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Artificial Intelligence And The Apocalyptic Imagination: The Ends Of Divine, Natural, And Artificial Agency, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Jul 2019

Artificial Intelligence And The Apocalyptic Imagination: The Ends Of Divine, Natural, And Artificial Agency, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are reshaping our lives and the environments in which we live to such an extent that philosopher Luciano Floridi claims we are living through an information revolution. ICTs are changing our self-understanding, how we relate to each other, and how we understand our role in the world. At the center of this revolution is the advent of auto­mated information processing and intelligent systems.

These technologies of artificial intelligence (AI) raise questions about data collection, algorithmic agency, and the future of every dimension of life. They also inspire a range of hopes and fears. Some …

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The Age Of The Library, Michael J. Paulus Jr. May 2019

The Age Of The Library, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

In 2018, the Seattle Pacific University Library launched a minor in Information Studies. This multidisciplinary program explores the dynamic relationships between information, technology, and people and how our lives are changing in our emerging information and technological environment. Why would a library create such a program, and what does it reveal about the present and future role of the library?

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Myth Or Fact: Is Open Source Software More Secure Than Closed Source Software?, Daniel Saffioti, Gene Awyzio, Robert B. K. Brown Apr 2019

Myth Or Fact: Is Open Source Software More Secure Than Closed Source Software?, Daniel Saffioti, Gene Awyzio, Robert B. K. Brown

Associate Professor Daniel F. Saffioti

This paper examines one aspect of quality that organizations look for when selecting software, namely security. Studies over time have indicated that security; scalability, interoperability and flexibility are important however the major issue has always been support. This has led to the sometimes inflexible concept of Standard Operating Environments (SOEs) within organisations. Whilst SOEs provide many benefits to an organisation they can leave them vulnerable to several large security risks. CERT statistics show that security incidents have increased six fold since 2000 [1]. This paper will examine trends in both open and closed software development for a number of platforms …

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A Combined Fmri And Dti Examination Of Functional Language Lateralization And Arcuate Fasciculus Structure: Effects Of Degree Versus Direction Of Hand Preference Author Links Open Overlay Panel, Ruth E. Propper, Lauren J. O'Donnell, Stephen Whalen, Yanmei Tie, Isaiah Norton, Ralph O. Suarez, Lilla Zollei, Alireza Radmanesh, Alexandra Golby Mar 2019

A Combined Fmri And Dti Examination Of Functional Language Lateralization And Arcuate Fasciculus Structure: Effects Of Degree Versus Direction Of Hand Preference Author Links Open Overlay Panel, Ruth E. Propper, Lauren J. O'Donnell, Stephen Whalen, Yanmei Tie, Isaiah Norton, Ralph O. Suarez, Lilla Zollei, Alireza Radmanesh, Alexandra Golby

Ruth Propper

The present study examined the relationship between hand preference degree and direction, functional language lateralization in Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, and structural measures of the arcuate fasciculus. Results revealed an effect of degree of hand preference on arcuate fasciculus structure, such that consistently-handed individuals, regardless of the direction of hand preference, demonstrated the most asymmetric arcuate fasciculus, with larger left versus right arcuate, as measured by DTI. Functional language lateralization in Wernicke’s area, measured via fMRI, was related to arcuate fasciculus volume in consistent-left-handers only, and only in people who were not right hemisphere lateralized for language; given the …

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From The City To The Cloud: Charles Williams’S Image Of The City As An Affirmation Of Artificial Intelligence, Michael J. Paulus Jr. Mar 2019

From The City To The Cloud: Charles Williams’S Image Of The City As An Affirmation Of Artificial Intelligence, Michael J. Paulus Jr.

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

A number of Christian intellectuals who lived through the twentieth century had a deep distrust of technological innovation. Charles Williams stands out from among his contemporaries in his affirmation of technology. Jacques Ellul, perhaps the most important critic of the technological society that emerged in the twentieth century, viewed technology as a deformative counter-creation. Williams, however, affirmed technology and technological work as transformative co-creation—as a mean of participating in new creation. This presentation introduces Williams’s apocalyptic view of technology and connects it with current hopes and fears related to artificial intelligence.

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Making On The Margins: Why Do Resource-Constrained Users Practice Frugality And Openness During Grassroots Innovation?.Pdf, Prashant Rajan Dec 2018

Making On The Margins: Why Do Resource-Constrained Users Practice Frugality And Openness During Grassroots Innovation?.Pdf, Prashant Rajan

Prashant Rajan

Interventionist human–computer interaction for development (HCI4D) research universalizes diverse non-Western sites as marginalized contexts that justify researcher involvement yet function as barriers to methodology and praxis. In contrast, reflexive HCI scholarship decenters universalizing narratives of (good) design, (for) development, and (peripheral) innovation, by valorizing user practices in rural, low-income, low-text literacy settings. Reflexive HCI has demonstrated how innovators working with advanced technologies in elite non-Western spaces of privilege produced non-Western culture and innovation in ways that resist mainstream interpretations of innovation. This study extends reflexive HCI perspectives to critique HCI4D and study innovation in marginalized settings. Findings from multisited ethnographic …

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Review Of Lisa Sideris, _Consecrating Science_, Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein Dec 2018

Review Of Lisa Sideris, _Consecrating Science_, Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein

Mary-Jane Rubenstein

No abstract provided.

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Hagen Et Al. - 2019 - Processes, Potential Benefits, And Limitations Of .Pdf, Loni Hagen Dec 2018

Hagen Et Al. - 2019 - Processes, Potential Benefits, And Limitations Of .Pdf, Loni Hagen

Loni Hagen

As part of the open government movement, an increasing number of 311 call centers have made their datasets available to the public. Studies have found that 311 request patterns are associated with personal attributes and living conditions. Most of these studies used New York City 311 data. In this study, we use 311 data from the City of Miami, a smaller local government, as a case study. This study contributes to digital government research
and practices by making suggestions on best practices regarding the use of big data analytics on 311 data. In addition, we discuss limitations of 311 data …

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Hagen Et Al. - 2019 - Open Data Visualizations And Analytics As Tools Fo.Pdf, Loni Hagen Dec 2018

Hagen Et Al. - 2019 - Open Data Visualizations And Analytics As Tools Fo.Pdf, Loni Hagen

Loni Hagen

Government agencies collect large amounts of structured and unstructured data. Although these data can be used to improve services as well as policy processes, it is not always clear how to analyze the data and how to glean insights for policy making, especially when the data includes large volumes of unstructured text data. This article reports opinions found in “We the People” petition data using topic modeling and visual analytics. It provides an assessment of the usability of the visual analytics results for policy making based on interviews with data professionals and policy makers. We found that visual analytics have …

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A Low-Cost Framework For The Digital Preservation Of Indigenous Artwork And Languages: An Australian Case Study Review, Derani N. Dissanayake, David M. Cook Aug 2018

A Low-Cost Framework For The Digital Preservation Of Indigenous Artwork And Languages: An Australian Case Study Review, Derani N. Dissanayake, David M. Cook

Dr. David M Cook

This study examined a framework for a low-cost, sustainable solution to the challenge of the Indigenous digital preservation of culture in the form of artwork and languages. In a global sense, the traditional transfer of Indigenous culture runs the risk of information loss and inconsistency when Indigenous cultural groups compete alongside mainstream Western cultural systems. Indigenous Australian culture has been passed down through traditional means from old to young, with many works of art, and discrete languages transferred without written, printed or digitised record. The study examines the challenges associated with the process of language and artwork pertaining to Indigenous …

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Social Ties Are The Engine Of Resilience, Daniel P. Aldrich, Danae Metaxa, Paige Maas Jul 2018

Social Ties Are The Engine Of Resilience, Daniel P. Aldrich, Danae Metaxa, Paige Maas

Daniel P Aldrich

Many deaths that occur during events such as flooding, fires, hurricanes and mudslides, could be prevented by leaving vulnerable areas, but people don’t always move, even after receiving evacuation orders or warnings of imminent risk. To understand why, the authors worked with Facebook to understand evacuation patterns based on the structure of people’s social networks before, during and after hurricanes. We found that social networks, especially connections to those beyond immediate family, influence decisions to leave or stay in place before disasters.

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The Efficacy Of Using Virtual Reality For Job Interviews And Its Effects On Mitigating Discrimination, David M. Cook, Rico Beti, Faris Al-Khatib Jul 2018

The Efficacy Of Using Virtual Reality For Job Interviews And Its Effects On Mitigating Discrimination, David M. Cook, Rico Beti, Faris Al-Khatib

Dr. David M Cook

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology that has already found successful application in a variety of different fields, including simulation, training, education, and gaming. While VR technologies have been considered for use in recruitment practices, available research on the topic is limited. In all stages of the recruitment process, social categorization of job applicants based on ethnicity, skin color, and gender, as well as other forms of discrimination are contemporary issues. This study examined the efficacy of using virtual reality technology as part of job interview strategies and evaluated its potential to mitigate personal bias towards job applicants. The …

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The Evolution Of Requirements Practices In Software Startups, Catarina Gralha, Daniela Damian, Anthony Wasserman, Miguel Goulão, João Araújo Dec 2017

The Evolution Of Requirements Practices In Software Startups, Catarina Gralha, Daniela Damian, Anthony Wasserman, Miguel Goulão, João Araújo

Tony Wasserman

We use Grounded Theory to study the evolution of requirements practices of 16 so ware startups as they grow and introduce new products and services. These startups operate in a dynamic environment, with significant time and market pressure, and rarely have time for systematic requirements analysis. Our theory describes the evolution of practice along six dimensions that emerged as relevant to their requirements activities: requirements artefacts, knowledge management, requirements-related roles, planning, technical debt and product quality. Beyond the relationships among the dimensions, our theory also explains the turning points that drove the evolution along these dimensions. These changes are reactive, …

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Algorithmic Legal Reasoning As Racializing Assemblage, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román, Ama Nyame-Mensah, Allison R. Russell Dec 2017

Algorithmic Legal Reasoning As Racializing Assemblage, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román, Ama Nyame-Mensah, Allison R. Russell

Ezekiel J Dixon-Román

This paper critically examines the use of predictive analytics in U.S. criminal justice policy and practice, with a particular focus on the ways in which these technological practices are reproducing and reinforcing structural relations of difference. Adopting a new materialist lens, which posits algorithms as more-than-human ontologies, the paper explores the process by which algorithms become racializing assemblages through their encounters with administrative data generated at various stages of criminal justice, and guided by choices made by decision makers and researchers. It addresses the following questions: In what ways do the algorithms become part of a larger sociotechnical apparatus of …

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Engineering Standards In Highway Design Litigation, Michael Lewyn Dec 2017

Engineering Standards In Highway Design Litigation, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Highway engineers sometimes believe that if they redesign streets to improve pedestrian safety (for example, by introducing traffic calming techniques) they might be successfully sued for negligent design by motorists. This chapter suggests that in such situations, governments are likely to be protected by discretionary function immunity. In addition, the chapter discusses a variety of technical issues.

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Science, Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein Dec 2017

Science, Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein

Mary-Jane Rubenstein

No abstract provided.

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The Matter With Pantheism: On Shepherds And Goat-Gods And Mountains And Monsters, Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein Dec 2017

The Matter With Pantheism: On Shepherds And Goat-Gods And Mountains And Monsters, Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein

Mary-Jane Rubenstein

No abstract provided.

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Enhancing The Epistemological Project In The Rhetoric Of Science: Information Infrastructure As Tool For Identifying Epistemological Commitments In Scientific And Technical Communities., Nathan Johnson Nov 2017

Enhancing The Epistemological Project In The Rhetoric Of Science: Information Infrastructure As Tool For Identifying Epistemological Commitments In Scientific And Technical Communities., Nathan Johnson

Nathan R. Johnson

Enhancing the Epistemological Project in the Rhetoric of Science: Information Infrastructure as Tool for Identifying Epistemological Commitments in Scientific and Technical Communities. Article discusses how the STS concept of infrastructural provides a mesolayer approach to understand global issues in science with rhetorical methodology.

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Digital Reformation.Pdf, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Bruce D. Baker, Mike Langford Oct 2017

Digital Reformation.Pdf, Michael J. Paulus Jr., Bruce D. Baker, Mike Langford

Michael J. Paulus, Jr.

Digital information and communication technologies are rapidly changing how we understand our identities and institutions. Five hundred years ago, new printing technologies created conditions that enabled the Protestant reformation and profoundly changed the world. Today, we are in the midst of a digital revolution. But what is being reformed, and what are we reforming? This session will explore the nature of our present information age and the theological questions it raises, touching on theological principles, cultural critiques, and spiritual practices that can help us reflect on digital reformation and transformation.

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Vr Usability From Elderly Cohorts: Preparatory Challenges In Overcoming Technology Rejection, George Coldham, David M. Cook Sep 2017

Vr Usability From Elderly Cohorts: Preparatory Challenges In Overcoming Technology Rejection, George Coldham, David M. Cook

Dr. David M Cook

Virtual Reality (VR) usability is an emerging area that has made rapid progress among early adopters, but has so far failed to address the concerns of late adopters. In particular, elderly cohorts stand to benefit greatly from VR technologies as they enter areas of assistive technology, gerontechnology, and authentic modes of training. This study examined technology rejection criteria from a sample of 19 retired persons by comparing normative and VR practices for the fundamental learning of navigation using Google Earth mapping. This research discovered that three dimensional fear was a major factor in determining the acceptance and rejection of VR …

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Google Tools: Google's Not Just For Searching Anymore, Jennifer Kelley Aug 2017

Google Tools: Google's Not Just For Searching Anymore, Jennifer Kelley

Jennifer Kelley

Learn how to use several of Google's free online tools and applications to write papers on the go, work on group projects from a distance, collect information from the internet automatically, and much more. After creating a Google account, attendees will learn how to set up a public calendar in Google Calendar, draft a document and collaborate using Google Documents and collect content from blogs and online news services using Google Reader.

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University Policy As A Barrier To Sharing Software In Science, Laura Soito Feb 2017

University Policy As A Barrier To Sharing Software In Science, Laura Soito

Laura Soito

Background: From data collection to analysis and the presentation of research results, scientific research relies on software and an increasing number of researchers not only use, but create software as a part of their work. While there is increasing interest in sharing computer programs in an effort to reduce duplicative effort and improve the reproducibility of science, researchers have noted that university policies related to software sharing can be confusing and hard to navigate. In an effort to better understand social and cultural barriers to software sharing in the academic environment, this study benchmarks current academic policy with respect to …

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Tracking Researchers And Their Outputs: New Insights From Orcids, Jan Youtie, Stephen Carley, Alan L. Porter, Philip Shapira Dec 2016

Tracking Researchers And Their Outputs: New Insights From Orcids, Jan Youtie, Stephen Carley, Alan L. Porter, Philip Shapira

Philip Shapira

The ability to accurately identify scholarly authors is central to bibliometric analysis. Efforts to disambiguate author names using algorithms or national or societal registries become less effective with increases in the number of publications from China and other nations where shared and similar names are prevalent. This work analyzes the adoption and integration of an open source, cross-national identification system, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID system (ORCID), in Web of Science metadata. Results at the article level show greater adoption, to date, of the ORCID identifier in Europe as compared with Asia and the US. Focusing analysis on individual highly …

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The Computational Turn In Education Research: Critical And Creative Perspectives On The Digital Data Deluge, Elizabeth De Freitas, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román Dec 2016

The Computational Turn In Education Research: Critical And Creative Perspectives On The Digital Data Deluge, Elizabeth De Freitas, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román

Ezekiel J Dixon-Román

In his exceptional survey of current big data methods in the social sciences, Kitchin (2014) describes the current state of affairs as a “data deluge”. Indeed, the diluvian metaphors of flood and deluge abound in our current computational culture, as we surf the dynamic surface of a seemingly inhuman quantity of data. Kitchin (2014) emphasizes the challenges and opportunities for researchers in the social sciences as they delve into this deluge. In the digital datafication of life and learning, the impact on education can already be felt, but has yet to be adequately theorized; there is a growing need for …

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Introduction: Tangled Matters (With Catherine Keller), Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein Dec 2016

Introduction: Tangled Matters (With Catherine Keller), Mary-Jane V. Rubenstein

Mary-Jane Rubenstein

No abstract provided.

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Effect Of Suction History On The Small Strain Response Of A Dynamically Compacted Soil, Ana Heitor, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Apr 2016

Effect Of Suction History On The Small Strain Response Of A Dynamically Compacted Soil, Ana Heitor, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Ana Heitor

The small strain behaviour is a key indicator for assessing the performance of compacted fills. Compaction conditions i.e. initial moisture content and applied energy, govern compaction effectiveness and, thus, the structure and matric suction of compacted soil. During their service life, most earth structures experience changes in hydraulic behaviour owing to climatic changes. While the results of previous research studies indicate that the effect of changes in suction on the dynamic response is significant, only limited research has been engaged in the assessment of the effect of post-compacted changes in suction induced by periods of intensive precipitation (i.e. wetting) and …

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