The University of Maryland College of Information Studies (INFO) Dean’s Lecture Series brings together leaders in information and technology with community members to foster dialogue about critical issues at the intersection of people, information, and technology.
This series is an integral part of the college’s mission to promote learning, stimulate curiosity, spark innovative research, and create connections that increase our ability to improve lives and opportunities for people through information.
These free events are open to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members interested in information science.
Upcoming Events
9/28/2023: David Plotz, Journalist: Fake Bits, Real Bricks – Using Digital Information to Change the Physical World
(Hosted in partnership with the UMD Philip Merrill College of Journalism)
3/5/2024: Scott Nash, CEO/Founder MOM’s
(Hosted in partnership with the UMD Robert H. Smith School of Business)
4/9/2024: Panel Discussion: Sports Analytics
(More information coming soon!)
10/12/2022: Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir: The Future of Learning
Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir
The Future of Learning
9/21/2022: Dr. Safiya U. Noble: Taking on Big Tech
Dr. Safiya U. Noble
Taking on Big Tech: New Paradigms for New Possibilities
5/18/2022: Dr. Roderic Crooks: Spreadsheets for Racial Justice
Dr. Roderic Crooks
Spreadsheets for Racial Justice: Data Practices of Community Organizers
4/20/2022: Dr. Sridhar Venkatapuram: Information, Knowledge, and Health Justice
Dr. Sridhar Venkatapuram
Information, Knowledge, and Health Justice
3/16/2022: Dr. Ronald Metoyer: Technology for the Vulnerable
Dr. Ronald Metoyer
Technology for the Vulnerable: Studies in Designing for Access to Basic Needs
2/16/2022: Dr. Debbie Chachra: Rocks, Clouds, and Lightning
Dr. Debbie Chachra
Rocks, Clouds, and Lightning: Energy, Materiality, and Infrastructural Systems
12/15/2021: Dr. Jon P. Gant: Universities and the Digital Divide
Dr. Jon P. Gant
How Can Universities Help Bridge the Digital Divide and Advance the Acceptance and Use of Information and Communication Technology With Community Stakeholders
5/19/2021: Dr. Devlon Jackson: A Snapshot, Coordination, and An App
Dr. Devlon Jackson
A Snapshot, Coordination, and An App: How Digital Tools Can Improve the Health of Vulnerable Populations
5/5/2021: Dr. Lionel P. Robert Jr.: Robotic Co-workers
Dr. Lionel P. Robert Jr.
Trusting and Working with Diverse Robotic Co-workers
4/20/2021: Dr. Megan Bang: Reimagining Field Based Science Education
Dr. Megan Bang
Reimagining Field Based Science Education Towards Cultivating Just, Thriving, and Sustainable Worlds
3/11/2021: Dr. Rebecca Slayton: Trusting Infrastructure
Dr. Rebecca Slayton
Trusting Infrastructure: The Emergence of Computer Security Incident Response, 1989-2005
2/11/2021: Dr. Shauhin Talesh: Insurance, Security, and Technology
Dr. Shauhin Talesh
Beyond Insurance: How Managed Security and Technology are Redefining How Insurance Operates in Society
1/21/2021: Dr. Arthur Lupia: Value of the Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dr. Arthur Lupia
Now More Than Ever: The Increasing Public Value of the Behavioral and Social Sciences
12/11/2020: Dr. James Shires: Hack-and-Leak Operations
Dr. James Shires
The Simulation of Scandal: Hack-and-Leak Operations, the Gulf States, and U.S. Politics
11/19/2020: Dr. Donald Norris: Managing Cybersecurity at the Grassroots
Dr. Donald Norris
Managing Cybersecurity at the Grassroots
4/14/2020: Dr. Laura DeNardis: The Internet in Everything
Dr. Laura DeNardis
The Internet in Everything: Freedom and Security in a World with No Off-Switch
Description: The Internet has leapt from human-facing display screens into the material objects all around us. In this so-called Internet of Things—connecting everything from cars to cardiac monitors to home appliances—there is no longer a meaningful distinction between physical and virtual worlds. Everything is connected. The social and economic benefits are tremendous, but there is a downside: an outage in cyberspace can result not only in a loss of communication but also potentially a loss of life. Control of this infrastructure has become a proxy for political power, since countries can easily reach across borders to disrupt real-world systems. In The Internet in Everything: Freedom and Security in a World with No Off-Switch, Laura DeNardis argues that this diffusion of the Internet into the physical world radically escalates governance concerns around privacy, discrimination, human safety, democracy, and national security, and she offers new cyber-policy solutions. In her discussion, she makes visible the sinews of power already embedded in our technology and explores how hidden technical governance arrangements will become the constitution of our future.
