The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/science-and-technology-studies/)
While Cornell says it can balance both students’ desires of returning to campus and mitigating the spread of COVID-19 during an in-person semester, some students and faculty members remain skeptical.
When typing a simple Google search on the Internet, a vast array of systems have the power to decide which links or topics occupy the coveted top results page. However, automated scoring systems may contain unconscious bias due to a variety of factors — system designers may bring their personal bias when designing algorithms or the data sets used for machine learning may already contain bias. The proliferation of rating or ranking systems in everyday life often leads to complaints of online misrepresentation. Cornell’s Due Process Clinic, an undergraduate “clinical” course designed to understand automated scoring systems such as credit scores and search engine rankings, started sending student researchers to collect qualitative data and build their own case studies on these systems.
Clinic director, Prof. Malte Ziewitz, science and technology studies, founded the clinic because he wanted to use legal frameworks to research non-legal situations. The clinic tries to assess how someone who would not have access to a public relations expert could deal with online backlash or poor reviews, hoping to understand the consequences of those who have been misrepresented or ranked improperly.
As the World Health Organization declared the spread of the coronavirus a “global health emergency,” more people on campus wore face masks to protect themselves from this disease. As of Thursday evening, over 200 people have died and 9,800 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed. While there are currently six confirmed cases in the U.S., there are currently no known cases of the disease in New York state. Cornell Health is collaborating with the Tompkins County Health Department to monitor the new strain of the coronavirus, but many students are still worried. Coronaviruses were first described in the 1960s, and are named after the “crown” of sugary proteins that stick out of them.
This semester, Cornell will establish a new minor that aims to break down the divide between science and the general public.
“Ann was a superb historian of science and technology, a brilliant and dedicated teacher and a simply wonderful colleague,” Seth said.
“I always liked historical fiction when I was a kid,” recounted Prof. Sara Pritchard, science and technology studies. “I liked reading stories set in the past. I will confess, I was a big fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie series.”
Despite her early interest in history, Pritchard said her ambitions were not particularly lofty growing up as a child — and most certainly not academic. “I never wanted to be an astronaut as a child,” Pritchard said. “I’ll admit that I had very gendered ideas about my future.