‘I gained a new perspective’
Shangirna Rajaratnam is a computer engineering student whose group focused their project on virtual machines. “I always thought virtual machines were related to scientific and technical services,” she says. “Through research using the StatCan database, my team found out that the mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction industry use virtual machines.”
“I gained a new perspective on the injustices and inequalities that women experience in the workforce, but mostly in engineering that I was oblivious to,” explains Andrew Tylkowski, an electrical engineering student who worked on virtual machines with Rajaratnam. “It never occurred to me that my female colleagues might live a different reality than mine.”
Natasha Morham, an environmental engineering student, and Kate Roche, a mechanical engineering student, looked at 5G mobile communication. They found that even the networks that support cellular communications will have hidden impacts.
“It is all a big invisible web that can only be seen when looked for,” Roche notes. “And without thorough analysis, a seemingly harmless technological development can negatively affect gender gaps, wages, unemployment, the economy and other technologies.”
By the end, students from all engineering disciplines gained a new perspective and skillset.
“My biggest takeaway is being able to identify the impact of technologies on society through the observations of bibliometric information, data analysis and historical examination,” says Amanda Kolopanis, a software engineering student who researched contact tracing applications.
Ghiasi was surprised how open her students were to discussing issues of equality and how they dove into topics such as ethics, gender equality, governance, open access, public engagement and science education.
“I am so proud of what these students have created, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she says.
“I am so proud that I want to share their works with all Concordians and make our community also proud of how these engineering students responsibly reflect on technologies in pandemic times.”
Learn more about Impacts of Technology on Society students’ projects.
Learn more about Concordia’s Centre for Engineering in Society.