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Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) fosters collaboration among universities and colleges to build the field of public interest technology and nurture a new generation of civic-minded technologists.

“Public interest technology” refers to a set of practices to design, deploy and govern technology in ways that advance the public interest. Interdisciplinary by nature, it involves the ability to assess and respond to the core ethical, legal, policy, social, economic and political implications of technology.

Read the entire definition.

Every member, project, community partner, student, professor, supporter, funder, and many more contributors built the field of PIT, which Katy Knight, president and executive director and President, Siegel Family Endowment, recently described as “an overarching movement and ethos, [public interest technology] an aspiration that technology can be a force for good, as long as we govern it effectively and prioritize pro-social values.”

The Network Challenge has invested $16 million since 2019 in collaborative projects to create experiential learning opportunities, support faculty development, build career pathways, andincrease access to technology design, use and governance among groups traditionally excluded from tech.

Learn more about the Network Challenge grantees.

The PIT-UN Tech for Change (TFC) Student Club Network launched with the Boston University and Howard University chapters to support the PIT talent pipeline through cross-discipline leadership opportunities, such as a national advisory board, annual TFC hackathons and an eventual fellowship program. The Tech for Change Scholarship, supported by NetApp and PIT-UN, awarded 10 Howard University students $10,000 each in in financial support and a summer internship at NetApp. Meet the 2024 scholarship recipients.
The Biden-Harris administration is committed to advancing technology that protects Americans’ safety, security, democratic values, and human rights. Many of the projects and best practices highlighted at the event and in the accompanying White House Fact Sheet as “education and career pathways necessary to ensure the governments have access to diverse, expert, mission-oriented tech talent” reflect the groundbreaking work done by PIT-UN members.
PIT-UN reimagined its annual convening with the launch of the PIT-UN Summit 2024, the marquee event for public interest technologists from across academia, government, civil society, and industry. The event featured a diverse lineup of speakers, with California Sen. Dave Cortese, , Katy Knight, Safiya Noble, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Cynthia Teniente-Maton, Darren Walker, and many more experts who discussed everything from climate resilience to the current funding landscape to the future of PIT-UN and the work ahead.

To date, PIT-UN members have developed more than 120 experiential learning programs; funded 33 fellowships, 28 internships and 22 clinics and labs; and run 10 summer programs.

Since inception, PIT-UN has invested millions to support curriculum and faculty development, including 22 degree or certificate programs, 19 PIT-focused tool kits, 12 learning models, regional hubs, and ongoing working groups. Additionally, PIT-UN has developed a resource website and will launch an OER in 2025.

PIT-UN established a dedicated website, member newsletter and has held numerous in-person and online events, including the five PIT-UN convenings/summits. In addition, PIT-UN sponsored seats in a Wiki Scholars course to bolster the availability and accuracy of information about public interest technology on Wikipedia; launched the special issue on public interest technology published by the Journal on Integrated Global STEM.

PIT-UN, which includes 20 MSIs, is focused on ensuring all institutions can see their role in PIT, and as Andreen Soley explained to the Siegel Family Endowment, “We were very intentional about encouraging institutional diversity — making sure to include minority-serving institutions, community colleges, and institutions from a range of regions.”

Andreen Soley, director or PIT-UN, and Katy Knight, president and executive director of Siegel Family Endowment closed the 2024 PIT-UN Summit with a fireside chat that previewed the work ahead, explored how philanthropy can support public interest technology, and explored the role of educational institutions in this ecosystem.

Watch the entire session.

PIT-UN Regional Hubs provide a framework for synergistic programming in higher education and workforce development in PIT. Hubs focus on inter-institutional efforts to accelerate the development and institutionalization of PIT; provide expertise, experience and training to the regional workforce; and develop ecosystems in which each institution can expand the impact of its own efforts.

Launching in 2025, the PIT OER will feature artifacts, such as course materials, tool kits, models and data, from PIT-UN member institutions and grant projects.

Start a PIT-UN Tech for Change student club or hold a hackathon. Plus, stay tuned as we continue to invest in scholarship and fellowship programs to bolster the talent pipeline.