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Public Interest Technology

Penn State has joined the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), a public interest technology partnership managed by New America focused on fostering collaborations between colleges and universities committed to growing the public interest technology field and educating the next generation of civic-minded technology experts.

With support from New America, the Ford Foundation, and the Hewlett Foundation, PIT-UN launched in 2019 as a collaborative network of 21 founding members where engineering intersects with science, the humanities, and social sciences, including public policy, business, medicine, and law. This effort aims to develop graduates with skills and knowledge at the intersection of technology and policy to improve services to vulnerable communities, deliver better outcomes to the public and solve public problems in an inclusive, iterative manner. PIT-UN membership brings forth new opportunities for Penn State students and faculty across the commonwealth to expand PIT academic initiatives and research in collaboration with peer member institutions. The University aims to advance its contribution to the public interest technology pipeline through its PIT-UN membership and new graduate and undergraduate education and research opportunities that will be made available to students through the Penn State Law, Policy, and Engineering (LPE) initiative and additional efforts across Penn State.

Penn State PIT Alliance

Faculty, students, and staff engaged in curricular, experiential learning, or research activities in the field of public interest technology (PIT) with interest in growing a new generation of civic-minded technologists and engineers and digitally fluent policy leaders, are invited to join the Penn State PIT Alliance.

The Penn State PIT Alliance is an internal interdisciplinary academic network managed by the Law, Policy, and Engineering initiative (LPE) seeking to bring together efforts across the commonwealth working in PIT, highlight PIT-related activities at Penn State, and create an academic community to foster interdisciplinary collaborations. Faculty, students, and staff that join the Penn State PIT Alliance will receive information on collaborative initiatives and funding opportunities, including participating in the members-only annual PIT-UN Network Challenge managed by New America. The Network Challenge supports funding proposals for the development of new curricular offerings, experiential learning activities, or to complete research in PIT. Also, as a member institution, Penn State faculty, students, and staff can participate in the annual PIT-UN convening, where member institutions share research and best practices.

Sign up here to become part of the Penn State PIT Alliance. 

 
 

About

The Law, Policy, and Engineering (LPE) initiative is an interdisciplinary academic and research initiative between Penn State's College of Engineering, Penn State Law, and Penn State's School of International Affairs. The initiative will provide a transformative educational experience for students by actively integrating components of all three disciplines into the curriculum to prepare students for the competitive, interdisciplinary, global workplaces of the future. 

Law, Policy, and Engineering Initiative

The Pennsylvania State University

Engineering Design and Innovation Building

University Park, PA 16802