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IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) Student Essay Contest

Call for Papers: Student Essay Contest

Submission deadline: August 31, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST

Are you an undergraduate student who has recently researched, written about, or is interested in the social implications of technology? Would you like to share your ideas with a broader audience and win up to $120 in cash prizes? Then the inaugural IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) Student Essay Contest is for you!

The SSIT is offering a chance for students to gain a larger audience for their ideas and work. The contest is a global initiative launched by the SSIT Student Activities Committee and run as a part of the Society’s flagship conference, the International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS21). The conference will take place on 28-31 October and is focused on the overarching theme “Technological Stewardship and Responsible Innovation”.

You will write 1000 to 1500-word essay on ONE of the following topics:

  • Public Health, Digital Surveillance, and Privacy

How has contact-tracing and other public health digital surveillance methods of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged notions of privacy? Furthermore, should contact-tracing be used, and if so, how can governments and health authorities promote public trust? 

  • (Mis)Information, Social Media, and Censorship

How can social media companies (such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit) counter misinformation on their algorithmic platforms while considering the implications of censorship in democratic societies? Correspondingly, how can social media companies be internally and/or externally regulated?

  • Or any other topics about the ISTAS21 conference theme, “Technological Stewardship and Responsible Innovation”.

Please see https://attend.ieee.org/istas-2021/student-paper-contest/#essay-topics for more information about the essay topics.

Eligibility

  • Currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate students from any discipline are invited to participate.

Awards

  • For each of the three categories outlined above (see “Topics”):
    • The winning entry will receive $120 (USD).
    • The runner-up will receive $80 (USD).
  • Both winners and runners-up will receive the following additional benefits:
    • Publication of their essays on the SSIT, ISTAS21, and ETHICS-2021 websites;
    • Free registration to the ISTAS21 conference;
    • One-year student membership to the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology for 2022.
  • Winners may be invited to expand their submission for publication in a special issue of the IEEE Technology and Society Magazine.

Please see https://attend.ieee.org/istas-2021/student-paper-contest/ for more details and contact vivian.qiang@mail.mcgill.ca if you have any questions.

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Article contributed by SSIT Student Activities Committee