CRAY Colloquium: The Evolving Nature of Ethics in Computing

The computer science colloquium takes place on Mondays from 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. This week's speaker, Marty Wolf (Bemidji State University), will be giving a talk titled "The Evolving Nature of Ethics in Computing".

Abstract

We used to do computer science for computer science’s sake. Over the past 75 years the field has increasingly focused on computing for society’s sake. Because of that evolution, computing ethics has undergone substantial change as well. In this talk, I will document how the history of the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct both reflects and anticipates that evolution. I will provide case studies that surface changes that have taken place in scholarship, publishing, higher education, and the computing industry that heighten the need for those in the field of computer science to more fully embrace better incorporation of critical ethical reflection into the practice of computing. Simply, ethics can no longer be an add on or afterthought in computing. I will present a simple framework that members of the computing community can use to incorporate ethical consideration into course delivery and research projects. This framework can be used to initiate changes that will naturally incorporate ethical reflection as a regular part of the practice of computer scientists. 

Biography