Overview of our Society Activities
Scientists and technologists cannot forget being first of all human beings, and - as such - cannot forget about the social impact of their science and technology. This has been true at least since Hippocrates introduced the Oath which became the reference code of ethics for physicians.
Now Computer Scientists find themselves in a similar situation. In fact, while the increasing automation offered by informatics is allowing humankind to achieve huge possibilities of progress, it can also dramatically affect not only everybody's quality of life, but also fundamental rights of individuals and society. This is often perceived completely only when something wrong happens. The literature includes a significant number of situations where technical problems, software bugs in many cases, have caused significant incidents with loss of money and human lives. Moreover, the experience is showing that the more we increase the power and autonomy of our informatics systems, the more the criticality of incidents increases.
It is becoming mandatory that our scientific community reflects on the social responsibility of informatics, making sure that this perspective is more and more integrated into our teaching and research. |
If your institute is developing initiatives to reduce gender gap, you may want to check whether you can apply for our Minerva Award. The award recognises best practices in departments or faculties of European universities and research labs which encourage and support the careers of women in informatics research and education.