Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

Participatory Design Of Sensor Networks: Strengths And Challenges, Katie Shilton, Nithya Ramanathan, Sasank Reddy, Vids Samanta, Jeffrey A. Burke, Deborah Estrin

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse

No abstract provided.

A Climate Of Trust: Perceptions Of Legitimate Authority In A Volunteer Computing Project, Peter Darch, Annamaria Carusi, Marina Jirotka

Peter Darch

Volunteer computing projects are computationally-intensive scientific research projects which seek to meet their need for data processing capacity by asking members of the public to download and process project data on their personal computers. This paper presents findings from a study of the interactions in an online forum of participants in such a project, climateprediction.net. It focuses upon the beliefs of one group of participants, who have been identified as particularly critical to the success of volunteer computing projects, about the organizational policies of climateprediction.net and what are appropriate and inappropriate ways for other participants to behave in the forums.

A Climate Of Trust: Perceptions Of Legitimate Authority In A Volunteer Computing Project, Peter Darch, Annamaria Carusi, Marina Jirotka

Peter Darch

Volunteer computing projects are computationally-intensive scientific research projects which seek to meet their need for data processing capacity by asking members of the public to download and process project data on their personal computers. This paper presents findings from a study of the interactions in an online forum of participants in such a project, climateprediction.net. It focuses upon the beliefs of one group of participants, who have been identified as particularly critical to the success of volunteer computing projects, about the organizational policies of climateprediction.net and what are appropriate and inappropriate ways for other participants to behave in the forums.

Achieving Participatory Privacy Regulation: Guidelines For Cens Urban Sensing, Katie Shilton, Jeffrey A. Burke, Deborah Estrin, Mark Hansen, Mani B. Srivastava

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse

This technical report is intended to help CENS urban sensing researchers incorporate participation and respect privacy while conducting research about people. The goal is to provide a framework by which to assess an appropriate level of participation and meaningful policy and technical responses to privacy concerns. By keeping in mind the five guidelines outlined here, system developers can respond to participant needs and balance the benefits of data gathering with individual and group privacy.

The Introduction defines and describes participatory privacy regulation: the approach to privacy design taken at CENS. Sections I-V provide descriptions and planning tools for each …

Participatory Privacy In Urban Sensing, Katie Shilton, Jeffrey A. Burke, Deborah Estrin, Mark Hansen, Mani B. Srivastava

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse

Urban sensing systems that use mobile phones enable individuals and communities to collect and share data with unprecedented speed, accuracy and granularity. But employing mobile handsets as sensor nodes poses new challenges for privacy, data security, and ethics. To address these challenges, CENS is developing design principles based upon understanding privacy regulation as a participatory process. This paper briefly reviews related literature and introduces the concept of participatory privacy regulation. PPR reframes negotiations of social context as an important part of participation in sensing-supported research. It engages participants in ethical decision-making and the meaningful negotiation of personal boundaries and …

Research In The Biotech Age: Can Informational Privacy Compete?, Wilhelm Peekhaus

Wilhelm Peekhaus

This paper examines the privacy of personal medical information in the health research context. Arguing that biomedical research in Canada has been caught up in the government’s broader neo-liberal policy agenda that has positioned biotechnology as a strategic driver of economic growth, the author discusses the tension between informational privacy and the need for medical information for research purposes. Consideration is given to the debate about whether privacy for medical information serves or hinders the ‘public good’ in respect of medical research, and to discussions of informed consent as an element of ‘fair information practices’ designed to safeguard the privacy …

Users 2.0: Technology At Your Service, Darcy C. Del Bosque, Kimberly Chapman

Library Faculty Publications

It is exciting, as practicing librarians, to find a singular voice that stands out as a strong influence on the profession. Anne Grodzins Lipow provided one such voice, inspiring us to evaluate our philosophy of patron service and helping us define our professional values. Lipow’s body of work encompasses many contemporary library issues, involving myriad aspects of customer service. Lipow addressed issues including patron-friendly catalogs and reference service in both traditional face-to-face and newer virtual settings, recognized the importance of training staff as part of continuous improvement in customer service, and emphasized the power of using technology to improve delivery …

Riding The Technological Rapids With The Millennials, Alison R. Jones

The Christian Librarian

The Millennial Generation is generally agreed to be those born between approximately 1982 and 2002. Neil Howe and Bill Strauss are credited with coining the term Millennials, as well as generally defining the birth years of this generation in their book Millennials rising: the next great generation. A few others disagree and define this generation as starting as early as 1979 or as late as 1984; additionally, there are even those who define the Millennial generation as ending as early as 1994.

There is no easy way to define a generation. In the past, many have used the change in …

Improving Student Training Through Computer-Based Tutorials, Joshua Michael

The Christian Librarian

The use of computer-based training for student employees was explored through a recent project. Tutorials were designed and created using a free software program, Wink. The tutorials covered use of electronic resources and circulation programs and were used in training newly hired and continuing student employees. Written exercises requiring use of the information covered in the tutorials were administered subsequently. The advantages of computer-based training for aspects of student library employment were contrasted with its disadvantages. Computer-based training was found to be an effective part of training student employees.