Stage I Winners of the Responsible Computer Science Challenge Announced

Omidyar Network, Mozilla, Schmidt Futures, and Craig Newmark Philanthropies recently announced the Stage I winners of the Responsible Computer Science Challenge. They are awarding $2.4 million to 17 initiatives that integrate ethics into undergraduate computer science courses.

From the announcement:

The winners’ proposed curricula are novel: They include in-class role-playing games to explore the impact of technology on society. They embed philosophy experts and social scientists in computer science classes. They feature “red teams” that probe students’ projects for possible negative societal impacts. And they have computer science students partner with local nonprofits and government agencies.

The winners will receive awards of up to $150,000, and they span the following categories: public university, private university, liberal arts college, community college, and Jesuit university. Stage 1 winners are located across 13 states, with computer science programs ranging in size from 87 students to 3,650 students.

The Responsible Computer Science Challenge is an ambitious initiative by Omidyar Network, Mozilla, Schmidt Futures, and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. It aims to integrate ethics and responsibility into undergraduate computer science curricula and pedagogy at U.S. colleges and universities.

Among the award recipients is incoming CRA Board Chair Ellen Zegura:

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, Ellen Zegura

This approach embeds social responsibility into the computer science curriculum, starting with the introductory courses. Students will engage in role-playing games (RPGs) to examine how a new technology might impact the public. For example: How facial recognition or self-driving cars might affect a community.