tour group

The Spring 2017 Technology and Human Rights Tour

The Technology and Human Rights spring break tour provided the opportunity to meet leaders and policymakers in technology and human rights. The third annual tour took the group to Baltimore and Washington D.C. and was a great opportunity to build connections with alumni and other students.

The students participating in the tour were:

Deqa Aden ’18 | Nathan Calvin ’18 | Nicole Carver ’19 | Michael Cummings ’18 | Mark Duncan ’19 | Angela Frimpong ’20 | Anesu Gamanya ’17 | Lily Hamilton ’19 | Grisel Hernandez ’17 | Esther Hwang ’19 | Sophie Macklem-Johnson ’18 | Erina Matsui ’18 | Luc Moisan ’17 | Linda Oyolu ’17 | Hanh Pham ’17 | Nora Sahel ’17 | Jarren Santos ’17 | Sarojini Sapru ’17 | Nomalanga Shields ’18 | Xiaoxuan Yang ’17

Faculty trip leaders were Sarah Purcell ’92, director of the Rosenfield Program; and Barb Trish, professor of political science.

The staff trip leaders were Maureen Fitzgibbon, assistant director of employer relations & employment counseling, and Laureen Van Wyk, Rosenfield Program coordinator.

Our first stop in Baltimore was at the Baltimore Sun. Adam Marton, senior editor of interactive design, gathered a group of journalists and data experts to illustrate how they produced an interactive feature on the death of Freddie Gray and the civil unrest in Baltimore. The data team sorted through police reports, eyewitness interviews, and reams of government data to provide a tool for understanding to the Baltimore community. The team also shared other interesting data journalism projects

Over lunch at Phillips Seafood Restaurant, Tamar Lasky ’76 shared with the group about the work of MIE Resources. Lasky’s Baltimore company, founded in 2010, consults on epidemiology, and she discussed human rights and vital medications.

Ed Senn ’79, who is a longtime friend of the Rosenfield Program, hosted us at Verizon for presentations and a lovely lunch. The technology space, which opened October 2016, offers visitors interactive demonstrations of various “Internet of Things” technologies such as:

  • Cameras and sensors that provide emergency services with a whole-field view of an emergency situation
  • Health sensors to send urgent warnings to medical professionals
  • A mock tractor and drone to demonstrate the use of agricultural sensors
  • A connected, electric, low-speed car to reduce parking congestion on college campuses
  • Supply chain telematics for keeping track of the status of packages

At the Federal Trade Commission, Russ Damtoft ’76 explained that the mission of the FTC is to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices and to enhance public understanding of the competitive process.

The restaurant Circa Foggy Bottom was the happening place when our tour group met with Abel Lomax ’05 and others to discuss careers in foreign service. The evening was topped off with homemade gelato at Abel’s home. Many students were really interested in learning about careers in foreign service.

At the Urban Institute, we were hosted by David Leitson ’16 who assembled a panel of alumni from the Urban Institute and the Center for Global Development to talk with the students about research and the nonprofit sector. Urban’s mission is to open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.

Kate Goddard Rohrbaugh ’91 hosted us at the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is a 2-year program in which American citizens volunteer in developing countries and work with local governments, schools, NPOs, NGOs, and entrepreneurs for social and economic development. The Peace Corps goal is helping people of other countries better understand Americans and helping Americans better understand people of other countries.

Ann Louise-Colgan hosted our group at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The Institute promotes peace in high conflict zones around the globe through research and collaborative processes.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. Rand began as a defense research initiative after World War II, but now they tackle a huge array of social issues. We heard about several projects ranging from policing to data rights. Rich Moore, senior engineer at Rand Corporation, hosted a discussion with Rebecca Balebako, John Davis, Rich Moore, and Stephanie Rennane.

The group also visited Internews, Newseum, and the National Geographic Museum.

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