KEYNOTE: Steven J. Jackson
Cornell University
How Computational Infrastructure is Changing the Planet (for Better and for Worse). And How Planetary Thinking Might Shift How We Do Computational Infrastructure.
Abstract: This talk will explore the myriad ways in which new computational systems and infrastructures are entering into planetary knowledge – and the growing ecological footprint of this profound transformation in human knowledge and practice. It focuses in particular on a series of material problems – from sourcing and extraction, to energy and water, to waste and repair – that are increasingly central to computing’s impact on the earth. And it will discuss how bringing this awareness into our stories and practice of computing might change the way we build, design, teach, and reimagine computing as an earthly and more sustainable phenomenon.
Bio: Steven Jackson is Professor in the Department of Information Science and Department of Science and Technology Studies, with additional graduate field appointments in Communication and Public Affairs. He served as past Chair of Information Science, Dean of William Keeton House, and since July 2023, as Vice-Provost for Academic Innovation at Cornell. He also directs the Computing On Earth Lab, dedicated to investigating the planetary dimensions and consequences of computing, from problems of sourcing and extraction, to energy and water consumption, to technology waste and repair.
