Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology and Law

Data Privacy in Digital Health Technologies: Lessons from Menstrual Cycle Tracking
Presented by Dr. Theresa Stujenske and Dr. Lauren Sugden

Monday, December 09, 2:15 p.m.
Student Union, Room 109

• What constitutes privacy, when it comes to health data?
• How secure is the data stored in digital health technologies?

Dr. Stujenske and Dr. Sugden will explore the critical issue of data privacy in digital health technologies, using menstrual cycle tracking applications as a case study. Menstrual tracking technologies are increasingly popular tools for monitoring reproductive health, yet their use raises significant concerns about the collection, storage, and sharing of sensitive health data. Our co-presenters will highlight common privacy risks associated with these applications, including the lack of transparency in data usage policies, the potential for unauthorized sharing of personal health data with third parties, and insufficient regulatory oversight. 

Light refreshments provided. A reception will follow this Colloquium.

RSVP for the Data Privacy in Digital Health Technologies Colloquium


Past Colloquia

Bias, Bots, and the Misinformation Crisis
Presented by Dr. Wenqi Zhou

Thursday, November 07, 12:15 p.m.
Student Union, Room 119

• How prevalent are bots in social media?
• What are the main causes of misinformation today?
• What role do cognitive biases play in the misinformation we encounter everyday?
  
  

Dr. Zhou will offer answers to these questions and discuss the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the damaging influence of automated accounts in public discourse.

Algorithms & Extremism

• How do social media algorithms contribute to online radicalization and extremism?
• How do search algorithms contribute to political violence, like the January 6 riot at the U.S. capitol?
  
  

In our first Tech Ethics Colloquium of the year, Dr. Scheid will offer practical suggestions to curb online radicalization and to advocate for legislation that requires responsible social media algorithms.

Announcing the First Annual Young Ethicist Essay Competition

We invite high school students to submit essays based on the following prompt:

How is Generative AI Transforming Our Communities? The Ethics, Impact, and Future of Generative AI

AI has already changed our region and will continue to alter our world in the next decade. We each belong to numerous communities based on our beliefs, identities, and locations. What is a community that you think is being impacted by generative AI? What is the role of politics in responding to AI’s influence on our communities? What can each of us do to utilize –or avoid– AI to ensure strong, healthy human communities? 

Eligibility and Rules: 

1. Submitting student must turn 17 before January 1, 2025.
2. Student must attend a high school in Western Pennsylvania.
3. Essays must be no longer than 750 words in length.
4. Essays must be submitted by December 13, 2024.
5. Essays must be written by the student alone. No part of the essay may be written by a generative AI. 

Prizes: 

First prize will receive $250, second $150, third $100, and honorable mention $50. 

In addition to the cash prizes, winning students will be featured guests at Duquesne University in Spring 2025, where they will present their essay and participate in a half-day seminar on the future of ethics and technology alongside Duquesne students and faculty. They will also be invited as special guests at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in April. Finally, all winning essays will be published online through Duquesne University. 

Ready to submit your essay?

Complete this form and follow the instructions to upload your essay as a PDF file.

Download the call for essays

SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY HERE

On October 17 and 18, Duquesne University will host a national conference that examines how generative AI is transforming our daily lives and our communities. Presenters from the areas of policy, business, education, faith, and healthcare will offer thoughtful perspectives on and practical responses to questions about AI’s impacts on our communities. The conference will feature national speakers, student and faculty discussions, community conversations, and a wide variety of research and teaching best practices on display.  

All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit posters to present at the symposium on any aspect of technology ethics! The best poster in each category (undergraduate and graduate) will receive a $400 cash prize! Runners-up in each category will receive $200, and two audience choice winners will each receive $100. All accepted posters will receive a $75 award.


Rules & Eligibility 

• Complete this form and submit your poster to the designated box folder as a PDF by Thursday, October 3! 

• Submissions may come from individuals or groups. Only one poster per team. 

• Poster size must be 36”x44” (use a template to ensure you meet size guidelines). 

• Posters may come from any academic discipline. 

• Any current undergraduate or graduate student, from any university, is eligible to submit a poster. 

• If accepted, at least one author must be physically present to present the poster.

Poster Set Up & Design Resources 

• Gumberg Library has an excellent poster guide with many examples and tips to make great posters.

• We encourage you to use one of the Poster Templates provided on the Library website to ensure that you meet the 36”x44” measurement requirement. 

• Also, see last year’s winners!

Timeline 

• Oct 3: Poster must be uploaded, as a PDF, to the box folder. 

• Oct 10: Notification of accepted posters via email. 

• Oct 17: All posters must be delivered to the Power Center Ballroom by 10 a.m. to be hung in their designated spaces before the Symposium starts. 

• Oct 18: Author/s must present their poster in person. Awards announced during the day! 

Download the call for posters

View the symposium page for further information on the event

How is AI Transforming Our Communities?

October 17-18, 2024
Power Center Ballroom

The Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law will host the fifth annual Tech Ethics Symposium: “How is AI Transforming Our Communities?” This two-day symposium, co-sponsored by the Institute for Ethics and Integrity in Journalism and Media, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Albert P. Viragh Institute for Ethics in Business, will focus on how generative AI is transforming our daily lives and our communities. It will also explore how AI has already changed our region and will continue to alter our world in the next decade.

How do major stakeholders like journalists, educators, and tech workers use AI to shape our community?  How have professional communities in tech, journalism, and education been impacted already by AI? What is the role of politics in responding to AI’s influence on, and through, these impactful stakeholder communities? What has AI changed for communities of faith, artists, people with disabilities, and historically marginalized communities? What can each of us do to utilize –or avoid– AI to ensure strong, healthy human communities?

View the full details of the Symposium.

Registration for the 2024 Tech Ethics Symposium is now closed. See you next year!

Interested in the ethics and responsible use of technology? Want to gain real-world experience outside of a classroom setting? The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law is proud to offer an undergraduate scholarship program for four Duquesne University students each academic year! 

Scholarship recipients work closely with center staff to build their research interests, present a poster, enter the hackathon, and engage in monthly conversations on tech ethics throughout the year! No previous experience with tech or tech ethics necessary. Students from ALL disciplines are welcome!

Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are closed. Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will open in Spring 2025.

The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law at Duquesne University invites any faculty (full time or part time) from any college or university in the United States to apply for the Grefenstette Faculty Scholars program for Academic Year 2024-2025. The Grefenstette Center seeks scholars from all academic areas and all backgrounds to contribute to the conversation around the responsible use of digital technology and its intersection with religious and/or theological studies, broadly construed. In keeping with the central mission of the Center to interrogate modern technologies through the lens of the Catholic faith tradition, the Center is particularly interested in Catholic theological responses to modern technologies, such as generative AI, but also welcomes applications from scholars of other Christian traditions, scholars of non-Christian traditions, as well as scholars of the sociology or philosophy of religion.

The goal of the program is to cultivate a research cohort, to provide peer support, and to generate new and innovative research paths in the intersection of technology and religious studies, especially given the recent development of generative AI. All Scholars will receive a stipend of $2000 for the year, participate in monthly discussions, and be part of a year-end virtual public roundtable.

Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort are closed. Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will open in Spring 2025.

How does AI affect those in poverty? How can AI help create a more equitable world? On April 17, theologians Levi Checketts and Elonda Clay, machine learning scientist Ehi Nosakhare, and Grefenstette Center director John Slattery, came together on campus to discuss Dr. Checketts' latest book, "Poor Technology: Artificial Intelligence and the Experience of Poverty'!

Watch the recording of our conversation!