Historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C., is the newest member of the Public Interest Technology University Network, a group of colleges and universities committed to educating students to apply technical understanding and practice to questions of individual rights, justice, social welfare, and the public good.
“Howard University is a research-intensive institution with programs spanning the major STEM disciplines, social sciences, and the humanities,” says Dr. Moses Garuba, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of computer science in the College of Engineering and Architecture at Howard University. Faculty expertise matches the variety in disciplines and there is active cross-disciplinary collaborative work between disciplines across the university.” Dr. Garuba serves as the Howard University representative for the Public Interest Technology University Network.
This partnership makes Howard the 21st institution to join the network. Now, Howard faculty and administrators will be able to network with scholars from other member institutions to grow the next generation of technologists and technologically literate problem solvers who can address the nation’s most pressing problems.
Additionally, Howard will establish the Public Interest Technology Institute on campus that will serve as a hub for creating and disseminating new knowledge pertaining to technologies and their impact in underserved communities. The institute will function as the center for coordinating efforts of HBCU faculty and students in public interest technology thinking solutions. The institute will also host workshops and symposia that explore the social and ethical limitations of technology, with an importance on technological policies.
Dr. Garuba holds a master’s degree from Queen’s College at the University of London, a master’s degree from Howard University, and a Ph.D. from Royal Holloway College at the University of London.
More information on the Public Interest Technology University Network can be found here.
