This class focuses on the importance of participation and performance in science and engineering, and factors that shape these.

This course serves as an introduction to probability, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and spreadsheets. The

focus of the course is the application of basic statistical concepts to public policy and administration. It is intended

for students who have a wide range of methodological backgrounds (e.g. mathematics, statistics, econometrics, and

computer science).

This course examines the policies and technologies affecting the production and use of energy, focusing on secure, affordable, and sustainable energy, equity and innovation. It provides a fundamental understanding of energy systems, including trends and forecasts of supply and demand, and resources and technologies at local, state and national scales.

Students will be introduced to a practical and immediately applicable set of tools to analyze the decisions – technical, economic, political, and social – that arise every time an energy technology or energy system decision needs to be made. The class will demonstrate how careful framing and data wrangling turns a collection of tools into a distinctly powerful field.

What is the relationship between developments in science, technological progress and changes in human values? Do new technologies imply changes in values or do changes in values drive the development of new technology? Focusing specifically on the current developments in artificial intelligence, how should we understand the way that the pace of technological development could precipitate changes in values. 

To answer these questions, this course will first introduce the current pressing issues with AI, ethics and social change: alignment, job displacement, our relationship with the idea of human intelligence and uniqueness. We will then look at the building blocks of value, what a worldview is and why we think the way that we do about value. We all have strong opinions on the state of the world and how technology is changing the world, but isn’t it strange that people in this culture are so similar with those values? We will then look at ownership of values and beliefs, where they come from and the possibility of intentionally creating new ones. While it may seem like no one can know where we are going, it may not be as much of a black box as you might imagine. We will look at theory lag and how philosophical thinking on the intersection of virtual and “real” content affects us and finally how even our conception of self is currently (and rapidly!) changing. 

What is the relationship between developments in science, technological progress and changes in human values? Do new technologies imply changes in values or do changes in values drive the development of new technology? Focusing specifically on the current developments in artificial intelligence, how should we understand the way that the pace of technological development could precipitate changes in values. 

To answer these questions, this course will first introduce the current pressing issues with AI, ethics and social change: alignment, job displacement, our relationship with the idea of human intelligence and uniqueness. We will then look at the building blocks of value, what a worldview is and why we think the way that we do about value. We all have strong opinions on the state of the world and how technology is changing the world, but isn’t it strange that people in this culture are so similar with those values? We will then look at ownership of values and beliefs, where they come from and the possibility of intentionally creating new ones. While it may seem like no one can know where we are going, it may not be as much of a black box as you might imagine. We will look at theory lag and how philosophical thinking on the intersection of virtual and “real” content affects us and finally how even our conception of self is currently (and rapidly!) changing. 

PUBP 3042 Data Science for Public Policy. 3 Credit Hours. This course introduces fundamentals of data science, tools, and quantitative methodologies and ethical implications for public and social applications. Topics for policy applications vary by semester.

Science and technology are human activities that are intricately intertwined with values. This course examines these interconnections. It begins with an overview of scientific institutions, scientific reasoning, and the role of science in society. The next section examines prominent moral philosophical frameworks, which provide tools for thinking critically about the place of human values in scientific and technological practice. In the third section, we discuss case studies at the intersection of science, technology, environment, and society that particularly affect the Pacific region. The course concludes with group projects on problems at the intersection of science, technology, environment, and human values.

There are two different conceptions of political economy. The first is the effects of politics on the economy. The second is the use of economic incentives and models to study politics. We will use both. This is applied political economy, meaning that we will be looking at how these approaches inform our understanding of public policy and the world around us.

This class provides foundational knowledge about organizations and management. The instructor will present materials to facilitate discussions, while students are expected to contribute their own experiences. Together, we will co-construct the learning environment. The goal of this class is for students to be able to draw on the shared knowledge when they enter the workplace, helping them navigate their organizations and make better decisions. 

Engineering is a profession, but what exactly does that mean? What is it that engineers are supposed to profess? 

On one account, to be a professional is to have an exclusive claim on authoritative judgment in some domain, which brings with it a certain social standing and a higher degree of autonomy than is generally possible for those who merely have jobs. That acknowledgment of authority is conditional, however: for the public to accept and to trust such an exclusive claim of expertise, professionals must strive to be worthy of trust.

In short, to become a professional is to make a commitment to practice well and responsibly; it is to be accountable to the public. 

In this course, we will examine the ethical commitments at the heart of engineering through attentive reading, lecture, active discussion and writing.