Join the Tech Ethics Conversation!

winners of hacking4humanity 2026 pose together for a picture
The Grefenstette Center for Ethics proudly supports faculty and student research and scholarship in the area of tech ethics. We encourage scholars to pursue any number of opportunities that we offer to learn more about the intersecting worlds of science, technology, and law and to engage more deeply in the ethical conversations happening at those intersections. 

Interested scholars can earn a Micro-credential in AI & Digital Ethics, develop research projects as a Research Scholar or Student Fellow, present original research at our annual Tech Ethics Symposium, and invent meaningful policy and tech solutions to address AI injustices for our spring hackathon. Read more about how to get involved in the work of the Grefenstette Center below.

 

Ways to Get Involved

The Grefenstette Center is proud to announce a new AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential! This three-course micro-credential program is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. The micro-credential is comprised of two required courses - offered each semester by the Grefenstette Center - and a selection of electives that count for the third. This program can be completed fully asynchronously online, allowing people from all walks of life to gain a credential that can be applied in professional and educational contexts.

Read about the eligible courses below and request more information about the AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential.

REQUEST INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROGRAM

View the course catalog for course descriptions.

AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential Required Courses

  • GREF 210/510: Artificial Intelligence Ethics 
  • GREF 250/550: AI, Society, and Power 

AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential Elective & Cross-Listed Courses

  • GREF 230/530: Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare 
  • GREF 270: From Seed to Slop: Propaganda, Persuasion, and New Media 
  • CATH 365/GREF 365: Big Bang to AI: Science and the Catholic Worldview 
  • MDIA 325W/GREF 325: Ethical Use of AI in Today's Media 

Hacking4Humanity (H4H) is a tech and policy hackathon that offers students a new way to engage with real-world social problems that can be improved with novel technical and policy solutions. The theme of H4H 2026 was Challenging AI Injustice, Building Ethical Futures.

Any undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at a college or university in the Pittsburgh region can participate! Students compete in teams of 1-4 people in either the Tech track or the Policy track. Multiple Cash prizes will be awarded, with a Grand Prize of $1000 for the top finishers in each track!

Thank you to everyone who attended Hacking4Humanity 2026. Whether you were able to be there in person or livestreamed the event online, we hope you enjoyed the engaging student presentations, expert panel discussion, and opportunities to forge connections over a shared commitment to challenging AI injustice!

Congratulations to this year's winners, who you will find listed on the H4H webpage, along with the links to view the livestream recordings, and a photo highlight reel from the event. Please be sure to join us again next year!

Details of H4H 2027 coming soon! Stay connected to receive updates on H4H and all Grefenstette Center programs and events!

All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit posters to present at the annual Tech Ethics Symposium each fall.  Research poster topics may relate to any aspect of technology ethics. All accepted posters receive a $75 award to offset printing costs. On top of this award, accepted posters compete for the following prizes:

Undergraduate Students:

Outstanding Researcher Award ($400) for the poster that exemplifies the best of undergraduate research and its applications for technology ethics

Ethical PA Award ($400) for the poster that best addresses ethical technology questions and concerns of people around Pittsburgh or throughout Pennsylvania

Pope Francis Award ($400) for the poster that best exemplifies the Catholic ethic of service, encounter, and love, as encompassed in Pope Francis’ approach to technology  

Graduate Students:

Grand Prize ($400)

Runner-Up ($200) 

Additionally, all posters are eligible for $100 "Audience Choice" awards, for which Symposium attendees cast their vote during the event.

Submissions for the 2025 Student Research Poster Competition are closed. See the full list of the 2025 Award Winners  and view their posters on the Symposium webpage, and stay connected to receive announcements about next year's competition!

Interested in how AI is changing the world? Want to learn more about the ethical use of AI? Want to gain real-world research experience outside of a classroom setting? Apply to be an Undergraduate Research Scholar in the Grefenstette Center for Ethics for the 2026-2027 academic year!

Undergraduate Research Scholars work closely with Grefenstette Center staff and affiliated faculty to develop their research interests, present a poster at the fall Tech Ethics Symposium, participate in the spring hackathon, and engage in weekly conversations on tech ethics throughout the year! No previous experience with tech or tech ethics necessary. Duquesne University students from ALL disciplines are welcome!

Applications for the 2026-2027 Undergraduate Research Scholars program are now open! Read the full details and apply today! The application deadline is May 29, 2026.

The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law at Duquesne University invites scholars and researchers in the United States to apply for the Grefenstette National Research Scholars program for Academic Year 2026-2027. The National Research Scholars program is a small community of scholars from all backgrounds and traditions who come together monthly and discuss their research on the intersections of technology, society, and faith, broadly construed.

We seek seven scholars from all research areas to contribute to the conversation around the responsible use of digital technology and its intersection with religious and/or theological studies. Scholars may come from the academy or from industry (including tech and religious ministry), as long as the individual has a research interest and a plan to develop their research. PhD or terminal degree in one’s field is preferred but not required. Areas of study include but are not limited to critical AI/critical technology studies, responsible AI studies, ethics, religious studies, sociology of religion, intersectional approaches to technology and society, and theology.

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 receive a stipend, participate in monthly discussions, and contribute their unique perspectives to a year-end virtual public roundtable.

Applications for the 2026-2027 National Research Scholars program are now open! Read the full details and apply today! The application deadline is June 12, 2026.

The Digital Storytelling Lab (DSL) is an initiative of the Grefenstette Center for Ethics at Duquesne University and is funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. The goal of the DSL is to explore the role of technology in contemporary life by inviting young people to share their personal experiences of faith and spirituality, especially as those experiences intersect with emerging technologies. These narratives will be disseminated via the DSL’s digital platforms, creating a wide-ranging and nuanced vision of human relationships with technology and faith. 
 
The DSL aims to empower individuals to recognize the value of their stories, to see themselves as storytellers, and to help audiences understand the variety of ways in which faith and technology intersect today. The 2026-2027 DSL Student Fellowship position is open to all Duquesne University undergraduate and graduate students. In this project-based role, Student Fellows will support the work of the DSL by planning and carrying out in-person storytelling events, producing multimedia storytelling content, and regularly meeting with their DSL Staff Mentor throughout the year. 

Read the full call for DSL Student Fellows here.

To apply to be a DSL Student Fellow for the 2026-2027 academic year, complete this form and upload the required application materials by Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Apply today!
The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law seeks a one-year postdoctoral fellow to join a community of researchers at the intersection of critical technology studies, critical AI studies, community technology, ethics, Christian theology, Catholic Social Teaching, and religious ethics more generally.

Funded by a grant from the Hillman Foundation, this postdoctoral fellow will work on a substantial research project, as well as participate in the teaching life of the center. In addition to research and teaching, this role will involve participation in Center events and programs and assisting in the successful implementation of Center’s mission and vision.

We welcome proposals from scholars working on substantial research projects related to subjects noted above. Applicants from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, including, but not limited to, Catholic theology, Christian theology, computer science, history and philosophy of science, philosophy, religious studies, science and technology studies, sociology.

Read the full details of this position and apply! Review of applicants will begin in May 2026.
We are excited to announce the winners of the Second Annual Young Ethicist High School Essay Contest! The top finishers for the 2025-2026 academic year submitted essays that were well written and engaging and substantively addressed the question, “How do we stay human in the age of AI?" These essays provided unique insight into the ethical concerns that AI raises across a variety of timely and important topics.
 
2025-2026 Young Ethicist Award Winners