Our Team
Founding Leadership:
Dr. Deb Donig
Deb Donig is an Assistant Professor of English Literature at Cal Poly, a fellow at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the host of the “Technically Human” podcast. She is also the Interim Director or the Center for Expressive Technologies (CET). She teaches courses on Ethical Technology, Global Anglophone Literature, Sci-Fi, and Human Rights. Her research focuses on three major areas:
Ethical and humanistic technology
Law and human rights
Equitable and inclusive innovation
Literature, data analytics, and globalization of literary and political networks
Dr. Matthew Harsh
Matthew Harsh (on leave for the 2022-2023 AY) is the chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies in Liberal Arts Department & Science, Technology (ISLA). He is the director for the Center for Expressive Technologies (CET). His research focuses on technology policy and technology studies, particularly in an African context. Past and current research projects include:
Civil society involvement in policy making for genetically-modified crops in Kenya
Capacity building for computer science research in East Africa;
Equity implications of nanotechnology applications for water, energy and agri-food in South Africa;
The affects of political unrest on research and education in Kenya
The 2021-2022 National Science Foundation Grant Award:
"Ethical Technology and the Future of Work”
We are thrilled to announce that the Ethical Technology Initiative @ Cal Poly has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to research the future of technology work.
Meet the Team
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Dr. Deb Donig
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Dr. Matthew Harsh
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Dr. Hunter Glanz
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Dr. Ava Wright
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Dr. David Askay
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Dr. Martine Lappé
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Dr. Bruce DeBruhl
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Paul Jurasin
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Yaël Eisenstat
In 2020, Drs. Donig and Harsh launched the Cal Poly Ethical Technology Initiative. Awarded the University’s Strategic Research Initiative for their vision of creating a curriculum and field of study at the intersection of ethics and technology, the initiative seeks to understand the scope and the character of Ethical Technology as an emerging profession, and to address the future of Ethical Technology work by creating a new vision for teaching the next generation of humanists and technologists to imagine ethically. .
The major questions that will dominate the tech industry in the upcoming decades will not be primarily technical. Rather, they will be ethical. Rather than asking whether we “can” create technological innovation, technologists will ask: “ought” we or “should” we build it?
Since its launch, the Ethical Technology Initiative has grown to include over 20 faculty across 3 schools and 12 academic disciplines. Our work includes undergraduate and graduate student research collaborations, symposia and colloquia, interdisciplinary faculty collaborations, industry and public interest technology partnerships, conference sponsorships, a pilot undergraduate “Technically Human” course on ethical technology, and the “Technically Human” podcast.
Meet Our
Student Research Assistants
Matt Perry is a fifth-year architecture student at Cal Poly from Las Vegas, NV. Going into the final year of his degree, he is doing research on ephemeral architecture and designing for the human experience, while exploring what the future of architecture can be. He hopes to spend his time designing architecture with the human experience at the forefront of design and figuring out how to better curate that experience. With technology becoming an integral part of life, as architecture already is, he sees the importance of this research and is excited to contribute in whatever ways he can. Some of his other interests beyond design are sketching, listening to music, and exploring the world to the best of his ability.
Sakina Nuruddin is a fourth-year English major with a minor in Ethnic Studies at Cal Poly. Sakina is beyond excited to be supporting the Ethical Technology Team as they commence producing their new podcast series “22 lessons on ethical technology for the 21st century.” She looks forward to supporting the project with research, engaging with new perspectives, as well as applying the more critical lens that she will acquire in her role to her future career endeavors in technical sales. Embarking on her final year at Cal Poly, she is excited to take advantage of all the beautiful hikes, beaches, and overall scenery of San Luis Obispo.
Jaxon Silva is a senior Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies student with a concentration in Design Studies, and a minor in Gender, Race, Culture, Science & Technology. His particular interest is in the ways of being created in the interaction between people and designed products, systems, processes, and policies. He is also interested in radical design theories and spaces that emerging technologies offer for these practices. In his free time, he likes to dabble in photography, hike, snowboard, and enjoy the company of his friends and family.
2020-2021 “Technically Human” Research Assistants
Erin Jeffs is a fourth-year animal sciences major with a minor in biotechnology. Erin's research has led her to cultivate an interest in using biotechnology as a way to create new treatments for diseases, and she is excited to contribute to this field in any way possible. Erin is excited to be a part of the Ethical Technology Center team, and hopes to gain a more humanist approach to technology that she would not otherwise receive. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Erin plans to attend graduate school in order to deepen her expertise in the broad field of biotechnology. Outside of academics, Erin enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and playing basketball.
Ana Marsh is a fourth-year computer science student at Cal Poly from Austin, TX. As a computer science student, she is inspired by the power behind technology and code. She has worked on several big technology products, specifically Dynamics 365 and Java's Open Source Platform through her two internships with Microsoft. At Microsoft, she devoted her time to learning about ethical technology and the rise in training and education on ethical technology at a big tech corporation. She is excited to expand past the technically minded perspective of her field and continue to learn about the humanistic approach to technology. Outside of technology, Ana enjoys drawing, playing soccer, and hiking. She also loves the beach and spends as much time as possible at the beaches near the San Luis Obispo area.
Emily Bowden is a fourth year Microbiology major at Cal Poly from San Diego, CA. When she started school in SLO, she became a big fan of hiking and it has since become a goal of hers to hike every trail in SLO county by the time she graduates, keeping a record of her progress. She is passionate about microbiology and all the amazing and weird things bacteria can do. She is planning on pursuing a PhD in biomedical sciences next fall, and eventually her goal is to become a research scientist studying how bacteria can be a source for renewable energy.
Kyle Reavis is a recent Cal Poly graduate from Walnut Creek, CA. He has been able to explore his interest in storytelling these past four years through his work as a Statistics major and an English/Data Science minor. He is looking forward to continuing this exploration as a member of the Ethical Technology Team! His long-term goal is to start a career that consistently challenges him to contextualize data with engaging narratives. Other interests of his include video games, hiking, and movies.
About Us:
We are a group of interdisciplinary faculty at Cal Poly committed to building a better culture of technology through understanding the relationship between humanism and technology.
We strive to teach the next generation of technologists how to think about technology humanistically, and to teach the next generation of humanists to apply their knowledge to the production of ethical technology.