The Interdisciplinary Innovation Program (I2P), led by CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz, has announced support for three projects aimed at developing information technology solutions to significant societal challenges. The 2024 recipients address three areas of focus: responsible and ethical technology, education technology, and art and technology.
Alvaro Cardenas, professor of computer science and engineering, will lead a project to address emerging ethical dilemmas in using artificial intelligence (AI) agents for cyber defense. Additionally, the team will develop guiding principles to help people understand ethical questions posed by these systems, which function autonomously to perform human-defined goals, and how to best resolve them. Cardenas will work in collaboration with Lauren Lyons, a professor of philosophy.
Mohammed Mostajo-Radji, an assistant research scientist in genomics, seeks to leverage cloud-based technologies to provide culturally informed science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to Latinx communities in California and Peru. He will collaborate with Kristian Lopez-Vargaz, associate professor of economics, on the project.
Professor of art Jennifer Parker will develop fog catchers, fine mesh nets that capture and collect fog condensation as freshwater, as a combination of public art and sustainable technology in order to address the environmental and sociopolitical challenges presented by climate change. Peter Weiss, professor of microbiology and environmental toxicology, is her collaborator on the project.