How can we do ethical computing research?  What practices should govern the management of data about vulnerable refugees?  How do information infrastructures contribute to the production of unequal or unjust societies?

In the “Information and Society” research area at the iSchool, we ask questions about the practices, discourses, and institutions which make information, data, and digital technology meaningful. Using a sociotechnical lens and humanistic, participatory, and qualitative research approaches, we work to understand how data, information, and ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) are co-constructed within and across peoples, communities, and societies. Accordingly, we investigate a range of complex phenomena from development, marginalization, and risk to disaster, design, and education with specific attention to questions of justice, personal well-being, epistemic cultures, privacy, and intellectual property.

Researchers

• Cindy Aden
• Joe Bak-Coleman
• Marika Cifor
• Chris Coward
• Megan Finn
• Karen Fisher
• Batya Friedman
• Maria Garrido
• Ricardo Gomez
• David Hendry
• Anna Lauren Hoffmann
• Ron Johnson
• Chris Jowaisas
• David Levy
• Adam Moore
• Rachel Moran
• Bree Norlander
• Chris Rothschild
• Annie Searle
• Joseph Tennis
• Stacey Wedlake
• Jason Young

Current Projects and Grants

Data Afterlives: The Long-Term Impact of NSF Data Management Plans on Data Archiving and Sharing for Increased Access

Researcher: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation
Dates: 2020-2023

Coastal Hazard Planning in Time

Researcher: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation, Early Grants for Exploratory Research
Dates: 2020-2021

Leveraging Use of Open Data by Public Library Staff for Community Benefit

PIs: Chris Jowaisas, Bree Norlander
Funding: Institute of Museum and Library Services, $100,000
Dates: 2020-2021

2020 Digital Infrastructure Research

PI: Megan Finn
Funding: Ford Foundation, $100,000
Dates: 2020

Female Leadership Research Methodology

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: Ernst and Young LLP, $1,500
Dates: 2020

Digital Literacy Skills Assessments

PIs: Chris Jowaisas, Stacey Wedlake
Funding: Seattle Jobs Initiative, $5,000
Dates: 2020

Enabling Cooperative Cellular Networks for Distributed Internet Access

Researcher: Jason Young
Funding: Facebook; New Venture Fund
Dates: 2020

Life Histories of Labor and Resilience: 25 Years of Casa Latina in Seattle

PI: Ricardo Gomez
Funding: UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, $13,000
Dates: 2019-2021

Emerging Cultures of Data Science Ethics in the Academy and Industry

PI: Anna Lauren Hoffmann
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $64,477
Dates: 2019-2020

Casa Latina 25 Years

PI: Ricardo Gomez
Funding: University of Washington Latino Center for Health, $3,000
Dates: 2019

Refugee Women and Technology Education in Seattle

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: TASCHA Catalyst Fund (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), $31,260
Dates: 2019

Digital Skills for Digital Equity

PIs: Chris Coward, Stacey Wedlake
Funding: City of Seattle, $20,000
Dates: 2018-2019

STEM Education for Gender Data Equity in Costa Rica

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: TASCHA Catalyst Fund (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), $35,000
Dates: 2018

Mobile Reading Data Exchange

PIs: Chris Coward, Jason Young
Funding: Tableau Foundation, $45,000
Dates: 2017

The Development of Ethical Cultures in Computer Security Research

PI: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $336,058
Dates: 2016-2020

Data for Democracy in Myanmar

PI: Chris Coward
Funding: Tableau Foundation, $74,175
Dates: 2016

Development & Access to Information

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: TASCHA Catalyst Fund (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), $100,000
Dates: 2016

MOOCs for Development

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), $166,197
Dates: 2015-2016

Data & Design Methods for Supporting Crisis Informatics in Conflict Zones

PI: Karen Fisher
Funding: Facebook, $50,000

Information Strategies for Societies in Transition: Myanmar

PI: Sarah Curran
Funding: USAID, $1.5 million
Dates: 2014-2016

Evaluation of Namibia's RSRCs

PI: Chris Coward
Funding: Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), $156,390
Dates: 2013-2018

Multi-lifespan Information System Design

PI: Batya Friedman
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $1,200,000
Dates: 2013-2016